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Acton |
The area of Acton was first settled in
1776 by Benpunm Kitnens, Clement Steel, and John York.
Acton was once part of Shapleigh, but separated in 1830. |
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Alfred |
Abenaki Native Americans called the
area "Massabesic," meaning "large pond," or "the place of much
water." It was in the western portion of a large tract of land
purchased from Indian chiefs Fluellin, Hombinowitt and Meeksombe
(also known as "Captain Sunday"), between 1661 and 1664 by Major
William Phillips, an owner of mills in Saco (which then included
Biddeford). According to historian Jim Brunelle, editor of the Maine
Almanac, the price was "two large blankets, two gallons of rum, two
pounds of powder, four pounds of musket balls, 20 strings of beads
and several other articles."
Simeon Coffin of Newbury, Massachusetts arrived in 1764
and lived for a time in a wigwam, although the first permanent
settlement took place in 1770. It was known as the north parish of
Sanford, until the community was set off in 1794. Sawmills and
gristmills operated by water power at the streams. A log jail was
built in 1803, with a brick jail in 1869. The courthouse was built
in 1806, the year Alfred became the shiretown of York County. It was
incorporated as a town in 1808, named in honor of King Alfred the
Great. Land would be set off to Sanford in 1828, and annexed from
Waterboro in 1847. The Rochester & Portland Railroad entered from
Waterboro in 1864, connecting to Rochester, New Hampshire in 1871.
More than 30 trains passed through Alfred daily between 1910 and
1920, but use would decline in the age of automobiles. Passenger
service ceased in 1949, with the final train departing in 1961. In
1947, a severe drought in Maine tindered wildfires in the town,
burning 4,500 acres of woodland and 2 residences.
Alfred Shaker Village in c. 1915A Shaker religious
community once thrived in Alfred. In 1783, members of the Shaker
Church settled on the hill near Massabesic (now Shaker) Pond. Others
dubbed them the "Merry Dancers," because of their ecstatic worship.
"They were," as historian George J. Varney writes, "at this time
fanatical in religion and intemperate in their indulgences."
Organized in 1793, Alfred Shaker Village practiced the
religion's celebrate communal living, with equality among the sexes
and races. They built plain architecture and furniture, honest
expressions of their faith. At the movement's height in the 1840s,
Shakers operated nineteen utopian communities scattered from Maine
to Kentucky, and as far west as Indiana. But among all the
"societies," Alfred Shaker Village in particular was noted for
"spiritualistic healing of the sick."
Shaker dance and worship Only Sabbath day Lake Shaker
Village in New Gloucester survives under the control of the last few
Shakers. Some former communities operate today as museums because,
like Alfred Shaker Village, they closed when the congregation
dwindled. In 1931, the Alfred property was sold to the Brothers of
Christian Instruction, who allow the Friends of Alfred Shaker
Village to operate a museum in one of the site's original Shaker
buildings. |
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Arundel |
The area now known as Arundel, while
sometimes referred to by that name, was a part of Kennebunkport
until 1915, at which point it was named North Kennebunkport. In
1957, following the publication of the Chronicles of Arundel by
Kenneth Roberts, the town was renamed to Arundel by the state
legislature. |
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Berwick |
Originally part of Kittery, Berwick was
settled in about 1631. It was variously called the "Parish of
Unity," "Kittery Commons" or "Kittery North Parish." "Unity"
(Berwick) was populated with Scots prisoners of war captured at the
Battle of Dunbar in 1650, then force-marched to Durham Cathedral in
Durham, England. Tried for treason for supporting Charles I rather
than Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector, they were shipped in a
vessel called "Unity" to Massachusetts, where they were sold into
slavery to work the Great Works sawmill until able to pay for their
freedom. George Gray, of Lanark, Scotland, was among 150 prisoners
who endured this ordeal, live to fight and protect his family and
his lands during the King Phillips war and died in "Unity" (Berwick)
in 1693. His descendants would populate other areas of Maine,
notably Deer Isle and Stonington.
The community was attacked by Indians in 1675 at the
advent of King Philip's War, and then through the French and Indian
Wars. In raids of 1690-1691, it was burned and abandoned. It would
be resettled in 1703 and called "Newichawannock," its Abenaki name.
In 1713, it incorporated as "Berwick," the ninth oldest town in
Maine, named after Berwick-upon-Tweed, England. The first
schoolhouse in the state was built here in 1719. Berwick was once
considerably larger in size, but South Berwick was set off in 1814,
followed by North Berwick in 1831. Lumbering was a principal early
industry. In the 19th century, Berwick enjoyed a symbiotic economic
relationship with Somersworth, New Hampshire, the mill town to which
it is connected by bridge across the Salmon Falls River. |
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Biddeford |
Biddeford is the site of the earliest
recorded permanent settlement in Maine. In the winter of 1616-1617,
Richard Vines, a physician, resided at "Winter Harbor," as he called
Biddeford Pool. In 1630, the Plymouth Company granted the land to
the south of "River Swanekaclocke," as the Saco River was then
known, to Vines and John Oldham. In 1653, the town, which then
included both sides of the river, was incorporated by the General
Court of Massachusetts as "Saco." That same year, Roger Spencer was
granted the right to build the first sawmill. Lumber and fish became
the community's chief exports. In 1659, Major William Phillips of
Boston became a proprietor, and constructed a garrison and mill at
the falls.
During King Philip's War in 1675, the town was attacked
by Indians. Settlers withdrew to "Winter Harbor" for safety, and
their homes and mills upriver at the falls were burned. In 1693, a
stone fort was built a short distance below the falls, but it was
captured by the Indians in 1703, when 11 colonists were killed and
24 taken captive to Canada. In 1708, Fort Mary was built near the
entrance to Biddeford Pool. The town was reorganized in 1718 as
"Biddeford," after Bideford, a town in Devon, England from which
some settlers had emigrated. After the Fall of Quebec in 1759,
hostilities with the Indians ceased. In 1762, the land northeast of
the river was set off as "Pepperellborough," which in 1805 would be
renamed Saco.
Mills on Saco River in c. 1910The first bridge across
the Saco River was built in 1767. The river divides into two falls
that drop 40 feet, providing water power for mills. Factories were
established to make boots and shoes. Granite quarries and brickyards
operated, in addition to lumber and grain mills. Major textile
manufacturing facilities were constructed along the riverbanks,
including the Laconia Company in 1845, and the Pepperell Company in
1850. Biddeford was incorporated as a city in 1855.
The mills attracted waves of immigrants, most notably
French-Canadian workers from the province of Quebec. At one time the
textile mills employed as many as 12,000 people, but as happened
elsewhere in New England, the industry entered a long period of
decline. Today, only one textile company, WestPoint Home, remains in
Biddeford. The last log drive down the Saco River was in 1943, with
the last log sawn in 1948. The prosperous mill town era, however,
left behind some fine architecture, in particular City Hall and
churches.
Biddeford's name is engraved near the top level of the
The Pilgrim Monument, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, along with the
names of some of the oldest cities and towns in New England.
Biddeford's current mayor is Wallace H. Nutting, a
retired four-star General. He is serving his second term, and is one
of the few Republicans elected to office in the city in recent
history. |
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Buxton |
Buxton is composed of five villages:
Salmon Falls, Groveville, Bar Mills, West Buxton, and Buxton Center.
The town was named by its first minister, Reverend Paul Coffin for
his former town of Buxton, England. Before that it had been known as
Narragansett. The site of the town was once used as a garrison
during the war against the Narragansett Indians. An attempt to
settle the area was not made until 1750 when several men and their
families commenced a permanent settlement in Salmon Falls. Its first
school house was established by Reverend Silas Moody in 1761.
Click here to see more |
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Cape Neddick |
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Cape Porpoise
1703 Casualty
List |
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Cornish |
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Dayton |
The area was once inhabited by the
Sokokis (or Saco) Indians, who hunted and fished along the Saco
River. The old "Sokokis Trail" is now Route 5, which passes through
Dayton. In 1664, Major William Phillips purchased from the sagamore
the land which would become "Little Falls Plantation" -- today the
towns of Hollis, Dayton and part of Limington. In 1728, a stockaded
fort which contained a trading post was built a half mile below
Union Falls. Called the "Saco Truck House" or "Saco Block House,"
the garrison was maintained throughout the French and Indian War
until the fall of Quebec in 1759.
Settlers arrived in 1735, and lumbering became a
principal industry. Logs were rolled down the banks of the Saco
River and floated to sawmills at Saco. Nathaniel Goodwin established
the first local mill in 1782 at Goodwin's Mill, where falls in Swan
Brook drop 33 feet. A sawmill and gristmill were erected at Union
Falls (then called "Hopkinson's Mill") in 1806. Tanneries were
built, and land was cleared for farms. In 1798, "Little Falls
Plantation" was incorporated as "Phillipsburg," in honor of Major
William Phillips -- until 1810. But considered difficult to
pronounce and write, the name was changed to "Hollis." Then, in
1854, the southern part of Hollis petitioned the state legislature
to become a separate town. Permission was granted, and the community
was named "Dayton" after Thomas Day, who submitted the petition.
In 1860, Dayton voted to build at Union Falls a covered
bridge, 112 feet long and 18 feet wide, connecting to Buxton. The
span would be blown up in 1921 by the Clark Power Company, an event
filmed as part of a melodrama by the Pine Tree Moving Picture
Corporation of Portland. In October of 1947, after a dry summer,
fire destroyed two-thirds of Dayton, including 27 homes, 4 barns and
the town hall. In 1951, the Central Maine Power Company built a
hydroelectric dam between Salmon Falls and Union Falls, submerging
the scenic gorge. Once a community of dairy farms, Dayton is now
primarily residential. |
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Eliot |
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Hollis |
The town of Hollis was originally
called Little Falls Plantation encompassing the towns of Hollis,
Dayton and part of Limington. It was bought by Major William
Phillips from the town of Hobinowil and Mogg Hegon of the local
Sagamore Indian tribe in 1664. In 1728 a trading post by an order
from the General Court of Massachusetts was to be constructed on the
site to protect trade with the Indians.It was made crudely of logs
and equipped with a cannon. Ten men and a sergeant garrisoned it.
John and Andrew Gordon tried to settle the land in 1754, but were
driven away by the Indians. On March 27, 1781, the first recorded
plantation meeting took place and Joseph Chadbourne was elected
Moderator. By 1790 the population had grown to 607. The first vote
for state office came in 1791 and Littlefalls gave John Hancock 27
votes. In 1798 Littlefalls was incorporated into Phillipsburg, named
in honor of Major Phillips. The first town meeting took place on
September 27, 1798, at the home of Stephen Hopkinson. The moderator
was Joseph Chadbourne. In 1810 a committee was put together to
rename the town, headed by Colonel Isaac Lane and Captain Eben
Cleaves. It was finally decided upon the name Hollis. The reasoning
behind the name is not known; it is thought to have been inspired by
Hollis, New Hampshire, or possibly by the Duke of Newcastle, whose
family name was Holles. |
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Kennebunk |
First settled about 1620, the town
developed as a trading and, later, shipbuilding and shipping center
with light manufacturing. It was part of the town of Wells until
1820, when it incorporated as a separate town. "Kennebunk, the only
village in the world so named," was featured on a large locally
famous sign attached to the Kesslen Shoe Mill on Route One. To the
Abenaki Indians, Kennebunk meant "the long cut bank," presumably the
long bank behind Kennebunk Beach. Kennebunk's coastline is divided
into three major sections. Mother's Beach, Middle Beach or Rocky
Beach, and Gooches Beach or Long Beach. Separate from Kennebunk
Beach is secluded Parson's Beach, a quiet alternative to the summer
crowds.
The town is a popular summer tourist destination.
Kennebunk contains fine examples of early architecture, the most
noted of which is the "Wedding Cake House," a Federal-style dwelling
extensively decorated with scroll saw Gothic trim. This was added to
the house for his wife of many years by George Washington Bourne
late in his life, and not as legend has it by a ship captain for a
young bride lost at sea. Local economy is tourism based. The
headquarters for the natural health-care product manufacturer Tom's
of Maine is located in Kennebunk. Many residents commute to
Portland, to New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The Lafayette Elm was
a tree which was planted to commemorate General Lafayette's 1825
visit to Kennebunk.
The Lafayette ElmThe Lafayette Elm became famous for
its age, size, and survival of the Dutch elm disease that destroyed
the hundreds of the other elms that once lined Kennebunk's streets.
The elm is featured on the town seal. The restored Kesslen Shoe Mill
has been renamed the Lafayette Center. Kennebunk is also the home to
two of the states oldest banks. Kennebunk Savings Bank 1871 (Behind
Saco & Biddeford Savings Inst. 1827 and Bangor Savings Bank 1852)
The Oldest Commercial Bank is Ocean Bank 1854. |
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Kennebunkport |
Kennebunk is known as the location of
the summer home of former U.S. president George H. W. Bush. It is
the location of Walker's Point, the summer residence of former U.S.
President George H. W. Bush, the father of President George W. Bush.
First built by Bush's grandfather George Herbert Walker, it has been
a family home ever since, and has been owned by Bush since shortly
after he became Vice President in the 1980s. During his presidency,
Bush often invited world leaders, from Margaret Thatcher to Mikhail
Gorbachev, to Kennebunkport. In 2007, his son George W. Bush invited
Vladimir Putin (in June) and Nicolas Sarkozy (on August 11). |
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Kittery Point |
First settled as early as 1623, the
southern part of Kittery was once called Champernowne's after Sir
Francis Champernowne, a prominent pioneer and landowner. Nicholas
Shapleigh built the first house in the area, and Edward Godfrey
established a trading post in 1632. Early professions included
fishermen, hunters and trappers. Others harvested the region's
abundant timber, which was shipped to England or the West Indies.
Kittery was incorporated in 1652 when Maine became part of
Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The Pepperrells were a distinguished Kittery Point
family which established fisheries to supply the London market. Its
most famous scion was Sir William Pepperrell. He became the first
baronet in New England for commanding a militia which defeated the
French in 1745 at the Battle of Louisburg. His gambrel mansion of
1733 remains a landmark at Pepperrell Cove on the Piscataqua River.
After his death, his widow in 1760 built The Lady Pepperrell House,
a noted Georgian building formerly owned by Historic New England.
John Bray House in 1910, Maine's oldest surviving
houseThe John Bray House, built by a shipwright in 1662, is
considered the oldest surviving house in Maine. Recently threatened
with redevelopment, the building is instead being restored. On land
once owned by Sir William Pepperrell is a Portsmouth Harbor defense
called Fort McClary, built opposite Fort William and Mary in New
Castle, New Hampshire. It is today Fort McClary State Historic Site
and features a blockhouse dating from 1844. In 1969, it was listed
on the National Register of Historic Places. Fort Foster, a later
coastal defense, was built by the federal government on 92 acres at
Gerrish Island. Now owned by the town of Kittery, Fort Foster Park
provides superb views of Portsmouth Harbor, Whaleback Lighthouse and
the Isles of Shoals, part of which belongs to Kittery. At Seapoint
Beach in the mid-20th century, the Newcomen Society built a cluster
of Tudor cottages as its former summer retreat. |
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Kittery |
Settled about 1623, Kittery was
incorporated in 1647, and today bills itself as "the oldest
incorporated town in Maine." It was named after the birthplace of a
founder, Alexander Shapleigh, from the manor of Kittery Court at
Kingswear in Devon, England. Shapleigh arrived in 1635 aboard the
ship Benediction, which he co-owned with another prominent settler,
Captain Francis Champernowne. Together with the Pepperrell family,
they established fisheries offshore at the Isles of Shoals, where
fish were caught, salted and exported back to Europe. Other pioneers
were hunters, trappers and workers of the region's abundant timber.
The settlement at the mouth of the Piscataqua River was protected by
Fort McClary.
Kittery originally extended from the Atlantic Ocean
inland up the Salmon Falls River, including the present-day towns of
Eliot, South Berwick, Berwick and North Berwick. Located opposite
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the town developed into a center for
trade and shipbuilding. After the death of Sir Ferdinando Gorges,
Lord Proprietor of Maine, the province in 1652 became part of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1663, John Josselyn would write: "Towns
there are, are not many in this province. Kittery, situated not far
from Passacataway (Portsmouth), is the most populous." During the
Revolution, the first vessels of the U.S. Navy were constructed on
Badger's Island, including the 1777 Ranger commanded by John Paul
Jones. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the nation's first federal
navy yard, was established in 1800 on Fernald's Island (also called
Dennett's Island). Still in operation, it is connected to the
mainland by two bridges. The facility rebuilt the Constitution, and
built the Civil War sloop-of-war Kearsarge. Seavey's Island was
annexed and became the site of the now defunct Portsmouth Naval
Prison.
Kittery has some fine early architecture, including the
Sir William Pepperrell House, built in 1733, and the Lady Pepperrell
House, built in 1760. The John Bray House, built in 1662, is
believed to be the oldest surviving house in Maine. Located at the
John Paul Jones State Historic Site on U.S. Route 1 is the Maine
Sailors' and Soldiers' Memorial by Bashka Paeff. Further northeast
up the road, the town has developed factory outlet shopping, very
popular with tourists. Kittery Point is home to Seapoint Beach and
Fort Foster Park, which was originally a harbor defense. In 1996,
the movie Thinner, based on the 1984 Richard Bachman novel Thinner,
was filmed in Kittery.
(FOR MORE, CLICK HERE) |
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Lake Arrowhead |
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Lebanon |
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Limerick |
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Limington |
In 1668, Francis Small traded goods
with the Newichewannock tribe of this area. Their Chief Wesumbe,
also known as Captain Sandy, was friendly with Small and warned him
of a plot against his life. A group of renegade tribesmen planned on
murdering Small instead of paying him with the furs that were owed
to him. Small escaped after watching his house in what is now
Cornish burn to the ground. The Chief made up the loss by selling
Small all the lands bounded by the Great and Little Ossipee Rivers,
the Saco River, and the New Hampshire border. Known now as the five
Ossipee towns, the tract included all of Limington, Limerick,
Cornish (formerly named Francisborough), Newfield, and Parsonsfield.
This is the first mention of Limington that is recorded in the York
Maine County Land Registry, and is on the wall of the registry, in
Alfred, Maine.
The town of Limington comprises the eastern portion of
the lands between the Saco and Ossipee Rivers watersheds, located in
the very northeastern part of York County, Maine. is slightly over
nine miles (14 km) long, with an average width of five miles. It is
bounded on the north by , on the east by Standish, on the south by
Hollis and Waterboro, and on the west by Limerick Cornish. The Saco
River forms the boundary on the north and east sides while the
Little Ossipee it from Waterboro on the south.
The highest point in Limington, Sawyer Mountain, rises
1,100 feet (340 m) above
sea level. In 1884 the US. Geological Survey placed a stone tower
fifteen feet high upon its most prominent point. Later the tower was
struck by lightning and now only scattered stones remain. There are
seven ponds which cover 1, acres of the town. Four of these, Boyd,
Dole, Foss and Sand Ponds, are in South Limington. remaining three,
Horn, Ward and Webster Ponds are in North Limington.
The town was a part of Captain Francis Small’s purchase
from Captain Sunday, a chief of the region in 1668. In its earlier
settlement it was known as Little Ossipee Plantation, which name it
continued to bear until its incorporation under its present name in
1792. In 1798 a tract of about
2,000 acres (8 km²) was annexed from Little Falls Plantation
(Hollis); and in 1870, about 1,500 acres (6 km²) of land with the
inhabitants thereon, constituting about one twelfth the valuation,
was set off from Limington and annexed to Limerick. The first
settler was Deacon Amos Chase, who removed here and commenced a mill
in 1773, at the location known as Chase's Mills, at the mouth of the
Little Ossipee River. Ezra Davis and Jonathan Boothby followed him
in 1774, and John MeArthur and Joshua Small in 1775. Eminent among
later residents have been Abner Chase, Wingate Frost, Simeon Strout,
Isaac Mitchell and Arthur McArthur.
The first Congregational church was organized in
1789. The first church was built in 1793, on the site of the present
house; it was enlarged and rebuilt in 1835. The present first Free
Baptist church was built in 1852. The number of men furnished for
the army in the war of the Rebellion was 153. The sum paid out for
war expenses was $51,150, for a portion of which, however, the town
was reimbursed by the State.
The Limington Academy was incorporated in 1848. Its
chief founders were Arthur and James McArthur, Rev. J. H. Garmon, Dr.
Samuel M. Bradbury, Gideon L. Moody, and Isaac L. Mitchell. Among
its valued teachers have been Rev. Jonathan Atkinson, Rev. David
Boyd, Hon. Samuel Tappan, Isaac Mitchell, Arthur McArthur, Esq.,
James Frost, Shadrach Boothby, Rev. Westcott Bullock, Thomas
Gilpatrick, and Richard Meserve, M.D., The town has sixteen public
schoolhouses, valued at $2,000. The valuation of estates in 1870 was
$567,808. In 1880 it was $408,573. The population in 1870 was 1630;
in 1880 it was 1431.
Other:
What is now Limington was originally only a tract of
land called Little Ossipee, after Ossapee, its original
Native American name. In 1773, Deacon Amos Chase began the earliest
settlement on the land. Dea. Chase built a home on the eastern side
of the plantation where he found a waterfall, upon which he built
the town's first mill.
Limington was incorporated as a town in 1792. As the
surface of the land was rocky and broken, nearly 2,000 acres (8 km²)
of land were annexed from the nearby plantation of Little Falls. |
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Lyman |
The Town of Lyman was incorporated
under the name of Coxhall on April 24, 1780. In 1803, on February
25, the name of the town was changed to Lyman, in honor of Theodore
Lyman, Esquire.
While the original settlers are not known for certain,
early records and deeds mention the following: William and Jacob
Waterhouse (of Kennebunk, Maine), Love Roberts, Alexander Grant,
Thomas Lord, Jacob Rhoades, Benjamin and Mark Goodwin (brothers who
built one of the first mills at Goodwins Mills, the only village in
the town), John Low (who served as Moderator and Town Treasurer),
John Burbank, Joseph Witten, James and William Brock, Mark Ricker,
Robert Cousens, Valentine Hill, and Gershom Downs. |
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Newfield |
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North Berwick |
North Berwick was first settled about
1630 by fur traders. It was originally part of Berwick until it
separated and incorporated in 1831. In the 1800s it had several
mills, which manufactured textiles, farm implements, stove polish,
shingles and clapboards, as well as toboggans and sleds. The North
Berwick Woolen Mill on the bank of the Great Works River is an
historic landmark, and was used as a setting in the 1995 movie
Jumanji. Its major employers are a Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine
parts factory and overhaul facility, and Hussey Seating, a
manufacturer of seats for stadiums and other spectator facilities. |
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Ogunquit |
Ogunquit, which meant "coastal lagoon"
to native Abenaki Indians, was first a village within Wells, which
was settled in 1641. The first sawmill here was established in 1686,
and shipbuilding developed along the tidal Ogunquit River. Besides
constructing schooners and brigs, local shipwrights built the famous
"Ogunquit dory."
At what was then called Fish Cove, near the unnavigable
Josias River, fishing was a major livelihood. But the cove was
unprotected by a headland or breakwater from Atlantic storms, so
fishermen had to protect their boats by hauling them ashore each
night. Resolving to create a safe anchorage, they formed the Fish
Cove Harbor Association, and dug a channel across land they
purchased to connect Fish Cove with the Josias River. When the
trench was complete, in roared the ocean, its erosion helping to
further widen the passage. The resulting tidewater basin would be
called Perkins Cove, across which spans a manually-operated draw
footbridge, possibly one of the most photographed objects in Maine.
Ogunquit Beach in c. 1910With a 3 and a half mile beach
of pale sand and dunes forming a barrier peninsula, connected to the
mainland in 1888 by bridge across the Ogunquit River, the
weatherbeaten old village was discovered by artists. It became a
popular art colony and tourist area. Particularly after 1898, when
the Ogunquit Art Colony was established, it was not unusual to see
artists and fishermen plying their respective trades around Perkins
Cove. To accommodate summer crowds, several grand seaside hotels and
inns were built.
Today, Ogunquit remains a vibrant seasonal resort town,
having separated from Wells in 1980. Visitors often arrive from
great distances and in great numbers, some from Canada. Over the
years, Ogunquit has also become a destination for gay and lesbian
tourists, and features numerous gay-owned and -operated hotels,
restaurants and bars. |
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Old Orchard Beach |
The Old Orchard Beach area began
appearing in historical records around the time of 1653. The area
was first officially settled in 1657 by Thomas Rogers, who dubbed it
"The Garden By The Sea". |
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Parsonsfield |
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Saco
1703 Casualty List -
Saco - York Co.
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Granted in 1630 by the Plymouth Company
to Thomas Lewis and Richard Bonython, the town extended 4 miles
along the sea, and 8 inland. Settled in 1631 as part of "Winter
Harbor" {as Biddeford Pool was first known), it included Biddeford.
It would be reorganized in 1653 by the General Court of
Massachusetts as "Saco," like the Sokokis (or Saco) Indians who once
hunted and fished along the Saco River. The community would be
incorporated in 1718 as "Biddeford," the fourth town in Maine. The
northeastern bank separated in 1762 with the name "Pepperellborough,"
in honor of Sir William Pepperrell, a late proprietor. It was
renamed "Saco" in 1805, and incorporated as a city in 1867.
The settlement would be attacked by Indians in 1675
during King Philip's War. Settlers moved to the mouth of the river,
and the houses and mills they left behind were burned. In 1689, it
was again attacked, with some residents taken captive. Hostilities
intensified from 1702 until 1709, then again in 1723, when the town
contained 14 garrisons. Nevertheless, the area became a center for
lumbering, with logs floated down the river from "Little Falls
Plantation" (now Dayton, Lyman, Hollis and part of Limington), to be
cut by sawmills at Saco Falls. In 1827, the community produced
21,000,000 feet of sawn lumber.
Sarah Fairfield Hamilton Memorial in c. 1912On Factory
Island, formerly called Indian Island, the Saco Iron Works began
operation in 1811. A cotton mill was established in 1826, and a
canal was dug through rock to provide water power. Factory Island
developed in the 19th century into major textile manufacturing
center, with expansive brick mills dominating the Saco and Biddeford
waterfronts. That industry would fade in the 20th century,
particularly with the closure of the York Manufacturing Company in
1958. The prosperous mill town era, however, left behind much fine
architecture. Saco has a considerable collection of buildings in the
Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian styles.
Saco is home to Funtown Splashtown USA (an amusement
park), and Aquaboggan Water Park, as well as General Dynamics
Armament Systems (also known by its former name, Saco Defense), a
subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics; it builds
primarily small arms weapons for the U.S. military, such as the M60
machine gun. Saco sees much tourism during summer months, due to its
amusement parks, Ferry Beach State Park and proximity to Old Orchard
Beach. |
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Sanford |
Sanford is in the western portion of a
tract of land purchased in 1661 from Abenaki Chief Fluellin by Major
William Phillips, an owner of mills in Saco. In 1696, Mrs. Phillips
willed it to her former husband's son, Peleg Sanford, from whom the
name is derived, although it was first called "Phillipstown."
Sanford would be incorporated in 1768. Alfred was once the "North
Parish" of Sanford.
The Mighty Mousam River provided water power for
mills. Following the Civil War, Sanford developed into a textile
manufacturing center, connected to markets by the Portland &
Rochester Railroad. Factories were built at both Springvale and
Sanford villages. Products included cotton and woolen goods,
carpets, shoes and lumber.
In 1867, British-born Thomas Goodall arrived, after
selling a mill in 1865 at Troy, New Hampshire which made blankets
contoured to fit horses. He established Goodall Mills, manufacturing
saddle blankets, carriage robes and mohair plush for upholstering
railroad seats. It would also make "Palm Beach fabric," for summer
suits and draperies. The company's textiles were known for brilliant
and fast colors, and found buyers worldwide. From 1880 to 1910, the
mill town's population would swell from 2,700 to over 9,000. In
1914, the Goodall family built Goodall Park, a 784 seat roofed
stadium, now a treasured historic site. A statue of Thomas Goodall
was erected in Central Park, and has recently been restored.
Sanford Mills in c. 1910In 1954, Burlington Mills, then
the largest textile firm, bought Sanford Mills. The latter closed,
leaving 3,500 unemployed. Local business owners began traveling the
northeast, convincing new employers to move to the area. Life
Magazine would call Sanford "the town that refused to die." It now
has diversified industries, including the manufacture of aircraft
parts.
In the 1960s, the Federal Government offered money for
urban renewal, to rehabilitate aging or blighted districts. More
than thirty Sanford structures were razed. In Springvale, three of
four corners were leveled. Fortunately, fine architectural examples
from the flush mill era survived.
In 2003, a proposal to build a $650 million casino in
South Sanford was rejected by Maine voters. The 362-acre
development, ostensibly owned by the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy
nations, would have encompassed 4,000 slot machines, 180 gaming
tables, a hotel, a 60,000 square foot convention center and an 18
hole golf course. Proponents argued that it would add 4,700
permanent jobs and 25% of revenue would be directed to the state.
Detractors predicted higher crime, traffic and an erosion of Maine's
quality of life. |
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Shapleigh |
Shapleigh was incorporated as a town in
1785. It was named after a man named Major Nicolas Shapleigh who
died in 1682 by his heirs.
The neighboring town of
Acton was part of Shapleigh until 1830 when it separated. |
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South Berwick |
Originally a part of Kittery known as
"Kittery Commons" or "Kittery North Parish," what is now South
Berwick was settled about 1631 in the vicinity of Quampheagen Falls,
at the head of navigation on the Salmon Falls River. Here, Ambrose
Gibbens (or Gibbons) established a trading post. The community was
also be called the Parish of Unity due to the peaceful disposition
of its inhabitants. Its original Pennacook Indian name was
Newichawannock.
Berwick, which then included South Berwick, separated
from Kittery and was incorporated in 1713. South Berwick, in turn,
separated from Berwick and was incorporated in 1814.
In 1652, Richard Leader established a sawmill on the
Great Works River, a tributary of the Salmon Falls River that takes
its name from his operation. During the 19th century various mills
were erected to utilize the water power of the Salmon Falls and
Great Works rivers. South Berwick manufactured cotton and woolen
textiles, plows and cultivators, shoes, as well as sawn and planed
lumber.
The town is home to Berwick Academy, founded in 1791, a
private co-educational day school. |
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South Eliot |
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South Sanford |
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Springvale |
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Waterboro |
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Wells
1703 Casualty List |
In 1622, the Plymouth Company in
England awarded to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Lord Proprietor of Maine,
territory which included the "Plantation of Wells." His young
cousin, Thomas Gorges, acting as deputy and agent, in 1641 granted
settlers from Exeter, New Hampshire the right to populate the land
from northeast of the Ogunquit River to southwest of the Kennebunk
River.
With the death of the elder Gorges, the Massachusetts Bay Company
laid claim to all of Maine. In 1653 Wells was incorporated, the
third town in Maine to do so, and named for Wells, England. The
Abenaki Indians had called it "Webhannet," which means "at the clear
stream," a reference to the Webhannet River. After 1675, inhabitants
were beleaguered through the French and Indian Wars, with
devastating attacks in 1692 and 1703. Native American hostility,
encouraged by the French, would end with the Battle of Louisburg.
Wells originally included what is now Kennebunk. Kennebunk seceded
from Wells in 1820, the same year that Maine became a state. Wells
also included Ogunquit, which by act of legislature in 1913 became a
village within Wells, and then in 1980 became a separate town.
Wells celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2003. |
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West Kennebunk |
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York Harbor |
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York |
York is
actually the fourth name that the town has known. The earliest
records refer to the general area as Agamenticus, after the original
inhabitants. The first English settlers, having come from the
region of Bristol, England, lent that name to the town until it
became a chartered city under Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who renamed it
Gorgeana in 1642. The name York was appointed after the fall of the
Loyalists under Cromwell in 1652, commemorating the town (York,
England) in which Cromwell defeated the King's forces.
The center of York Village was along Lindsay Road as
York River was the most important mode of transportation. After the
Abenaki Candlemas Day Raid of 1692, the town reorganized itself on
higher ground that evolved into the present day center of religious,
civic and governmental functions.
As tourism developed in the late nineteenth century,
more and more of the town's tax dollars came from the businesses and
homes of the wealthy summer residents. Although they sought the
colonial quaintness of the town, they also wanted the amenities of
the cities: public water, streetlights, sidewalks, paved roads,
electricity and libraries. The locals, however, had the advantage of
the vote, and farmers would not vote for improvements at York Harbor
or York Beach.
In 1901 York Harbor and York Beach presented
bills to the Maine legislature requesting the creation of York
Harbor Village Corporation and York Beach Corporation. The
incorporation process allowed these sub-towns a certain degree of
self-government and a "refund" of 65 percent of the taxes they paid
to York, permitting such independent services as fire, police, and
highway departments.
York Harbor Village Corporation developed the
first zoning ordinances in the state of Maine and was among the
first in the nation. Zoning held the rapid growth in check as well
as defined the types of businesses that were considered appropriate.
York Harbor Village Corporation did not give up its autonomy until
1975.
York Beach Village Corporation was premier in
bringing the amenities of the city to York. The village boasted the
first sidewalks, streetlight, fire department, and public sewage and
water. York Beach Village Corporation folded in 1977.
Cape Neddick, the residential suburb of York, was the
last section of York to be developed due to its geographic
remoteness from the town center. Lumbering operations and its
associated mills along Cape Neddick Josias Rivers furnished
employment. The name Cape Neddick is one native place name that has
survived and remained a prominent landmark since contact, known
first as a navigational marker and today as the site of an
oft-photographed lighthouse. The English added the word "Cape", but
Neddick is believed to be an Algonkian word meaning "solitary" and
refers to the nubble of land isolated from the peninsula. |
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