What is the importance of Maine in the biography, A Young Patriot?

A section of Maine had been declared open for settlement after the war, and Joseph took advantage of the inexpensive land to build a farm. It was a hard life for him, although he knew the work he needed to do from his years working on his grandparents' farm. He worked hard, read books and drew pictures of wildlife, and married a neighbor's daughter, but he did not prosper. On the other hand, he lived to be eighty-nine years old, and the town of Prospect, where he lived, eventually erected a monument to him at his grave.