Mattamiscontis Township

Location Map for Mattamiscontis Township

Mattamiscontis (also known as T1 R7 NWP) is located on the west side of the Penobscot River across from Lincoln and north of Howland.  Incorporated as a town on March 8, 1839, it surrendered that status on February 21, 1907 and is now an unorganized township. Other than Route 116 that runs along the Penobscot…

Windham

The main village, North Windham, lies adjacent to Sebago Lake and on the shore of Little Sebago Lake at the junction of U.S. Route 302 and Maine Routes 35 and 115. See photos. While Route 302 is a long commercial strip, an old meeting house is adjacent to the Windham Union Church. Young adult offenders are held at the Maine Correctional Center in South Windham.

Sweden

Webber Pond on the Webber Pond Road in Sweden (2014)

Year Population 1970 110 1980 163 1990 222 2000 324 2010 391 Geographic Data N. Latitude 44:07:24 W. Longitude 70:48:59 Maine House District 71 Maine Senate District 18 Congress District 2 Area sq. mi. (total) 29.7 Area sq. mi. (land) 28.8 Population/sq.mi. (land) 13.6 County: Oxford Total=land+water; Land=land only [SWEE-dehn] is a town in Oxford…

Steuben

Veterans

This Washington County fishing and summer residential community projects two peninsulas (Dyer Neck and Petit Manan Point) divided by Dyer Bay into coastal waters. See photos. A small section of Penobscot Indian Territory is located at Dyer Harbor on Dyer Neck. The main village lies at the head of Gouldsboro Bay on U.S. Route 1.

Spotted Elk, Molly

Molly Spotted Elk

1903 Born on Indian Island, eldest child of Horace Nelson, a future Penobscot Governor, and Philomena Solis Nelson, a celebrated basket maker. In Penobscot her given name is “Molly Dellis.” After her mother’s early death, Molly raises her seven brothers and sisters; studies native dancing to support her family. 1920-1922 (ca.) Studies anthropology and native…

Signs of Maine

Sign for the U.S. Customs Inspection Station on Route 167 in Fort Fairfield

When John Steinbeck was traveling the country in 1960, he noted that states had interesting differences expressed in their signs: The New England states use a terse form of instruction, a tight-lipped, laconic style sheet, wasting no words and few letters. . . . I am an avid reader of all signs, and I find…

Searsmont

The main village is located on the St. George River and is adjacent to Quantabacook Lake. See photos. The town is served by Maine Routes 3, 131 and 173 and lies about ten miles southwest of Belfast. In 1925 the first international radio broadcast was relayed from Belfast through Searsmont and on to New York City.

Samoset

(1590?-1655) was the Indian sagamore, from the Pemaquid area, who in 1621 was visiting chief Massasoit when he surprised the Pilgrims of Plymouth with the words, “Much welcome, Englishmen.” According to Isaacson, “He explained that he was a sachem and had learned the language from Englishmen engaged in fishing off Monhegan, and named many boat…

Sabattus

Farm across from Waterman

just east of Lewiston, the south end of Sabattus Pond is part of the urban center. The name is that of a Native American chief of the Anasagunticook tribe. Located just east of Lewiston, most of the town’s population appears on a map as an extension of that City, so closely are they located. That portion of the town at the south end of Sabattus Pond is part of the urban center.

Princeton

Boat Launch and Swimming Area at Lewy Lake (2013)

The town surrounds most of Pocomoonshine Lake, the origins of whose fascinating name is unclear. In 1886, the Gazetteer of Maine referred to it as “Shining Lake.” See photos. Along its northern boundary is a chain of lakes, including Long Lake and Lewey Lake, easily accessible from Princeton Village.

Perry

Passamaquoddy Tribal Office in Perry promoting Indian Day (2013)

Named for Commodore Oliver H. Perry, a naval hero of the War of 1812, the town was incorporated even as the British still held Eastport only six miles away. Perry is the gateway, via Maine Route 190, to the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Indian Reservation located withing the town, and to the City of Eastport. Boyden Lake dominates the northwest portion of the town, while the southwest has miles of protected coves approaching Cobscook Bay.

Indian Reservation, Penobscots

Indian Island in the Penobscot River (2005)

The Reservation in Penobscot County, is the home of the Penobscot Tribe of Maine’s Native American population, and is located on Indian Island in the Penobscot River and within the boundaries of the community of Old Town. See photos. The Penobscot Nation Council, headquartered on the Island, is composed of elected members, lead by a Chief and a Vice Chief. It is the birthplace in 1871 of Cleveland Indians baseball player Louis Sockalexis. Dancer and entertainer Molly Spotted Elk was born here in 1903.

Pemaquid

Pemaquid Point (2007)

[PEM-ah-kwid] was an early settlement on Pemaquid Point in the town of Bristol in Lincoln County. Early explorers such as David Ingram (1569) and Captain Bartholomew Gosnold (1602), visited the area before the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts. The Popham colonists visited Pemaquid before sailing on to their site on the Kennebec River. They returned a…

Old Town

The town is heavily influenced by the nearby University of Maine, and the long-lived Old Town Canoe Company maintains an outlet that attracts customers with a broad range of outdoor recreation interests. See photos. DeWitt Field, Old Town’s municipal airport, hash three runways. Since 1669, the area has been the principal home of the Penobscot Indians.