Mary Sophia Snow, also known as “Bangor’s most famous daughter,” was born in Bangor in 1857. Mary Snow grew up in a home on Ohio Street and attended the city’s public schools. After graduation, Miss Snow further pursued her education at the University of Maine. Following graduation, Miss Snow worked as a teacher in the Bangor schools and was hired as principal at (now former) Hannibal Hamlin Grammar School, which was located at the corner of Union and Third streets.
She later became Maine’s first female Superintendent of Schools in 1890, serving in that role for eleven years. Multiple reports indicate that Miss Snow was revered to be one of the most capable and prominent educators in New England, her leadership credited with molding the high standards held by the city’s schools.
Miss Snow not only led Bangor's education system but founded the Bangor Teacher's Training School, the first of its kind in the state. She was remarkably the first female president of the New England School Superintendents' Association and held high office in the Maine Teachers' Association. She was awarded the degree of Master of Philosophy for "distinguished service in education."
Miss Snow passed away in New York City during the spring of 1924 and is buried in Bangor’s Mount Hope Cemetery.
In 1926, one of the city’s schools was named in her honor. The Mary Snow Elementary School, located on Broadway, serves students in grades four and five. In 2020, the school was designated as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
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