Birthplace of the Doughnut Hole
Near Camden, Maine
You are standing near the birthplace of Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory, the Maine sailor credited with inventing the hole in the doughnut. The story goes that in eighteen forty seven, as a teenage sailor, Gregory grew tired of the fried dough cakes served aboard ship, whose centers always came out greasy and half raw. His fix was simple.
He punched out the middle so the whole ring would cook evenly. The handy, hole shaped result caught on, and he taught the trick to his mother. Gregory went on to a long seafaring career and lived a long life, never tiring of telling the tale.
One hundred years after his supposed brainstorm, in nineteen forty seven, admirers unveiled a commemorative plaque here in Rockport honoring the local boy who reshaped one of America's favorite snacks.
