A Fading History

Former 19th Century Josiah Locke Tavern

As time and tides take their toll, physical remnants of Maine’s history disappear. Fires and intentional demolition, or simple abandonment clean the slate for the next generation. Luckily the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and Maine Preservation, along with local organizations, have protected properties destined for demolition. Unfortunately, many historic community icons have, nevertheless, been lost.…

Glenwood

Glenwood contains most of Wytopitlock Lake (the balance is in T2 R4 WELS) and Orcutt Brook, which empties into it. In 2004 only a few camps were scattered along the rocky shore. The Bureau of State Parks and Public Lands owns and maintains a boat launch in the shallow outlet cove, located in Glenwood. Wytopitlock Stream is the outlet and the start of a popular canoe trip. Glenwood is subject to the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, which has identified critical natural areas in the plantation.

York

1787-1794 John Hancock Warehouse and Wharf in York (2018)

Most of the town’s inhabitants are located between U.S. Route 1 (inland) and U.S. Route 1A which runs along the coast. Its population has more than doubled in the past thirty years, and grew by nearly 31 percent between 1990 and 2000. Beaches and cottages characterize the coast.

Winthrop

Maranacook Lake in Winthrop (2013)

n addition to its recreational attractions, the town is a suburban community serving both the Augusta and Lewiston-Auburn areas. See photos. Winthrop is the birthplace in 1899 of Delphia Louis “Del” Bissonette, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Willimantic

Location Map for Willimantic

Located on the western end of Sebec Lake, the town offers many camping and fishing opportunities. Packard Landing was the location of Packard’s Camps in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Maine Route 150 runs north from Guilford and terminates at the village of Sebec Lake, not to be confused with the town of Sebec at the far eastern end of the Lake.

West Bath

West and mostly south of Bath, it is bounded by the New Meadows River on the west and has several deeply indented coves on its south end. See photos. Although the town’s rural tradition is still evident in its buildings and remaining farms, much of the community is influenced by its extensive coastline, which is well protected from open ocean storms. Between Bath and Brunswick on the “by pass” limited access highway, West Bath is easy to miss but has more to offer than meets the fleeting eye.

Wells

Cottages along Wells Beach (2012)

in York County north of Ogunquit, Wells Main Street is a commercial strip, hosting some community facilities, including the Junior High and the Historical Society. See photos. Wells Beach is a destination for locals and tourists alike. In 2004 the town estimated its peak summer population at about 39,000, including seasonal homes, lodging houses, and recreational vehicle parks. That is four times the resident population.

Temple

At the western terminus of Maine Route 43, Temple, with its cluster of small mountains and small ponds, lies just northwest of Farmington. Settled in 1796, it was the site of an early and strong community of Quakers. In the 19th century, though largely a farming community, it was home to three sawmills, an excelsior and stave mill, a grist mill, and a carriage factory.

Sebec

Several small ponds dot the landscape, including the 28-acre Garland Pond. Located between Dover-Foxcroft to the west and Milo to the east, the town is connected to both by Maine combined Route 6 and 16, and by the Piscataquis River.

Newry

Built in 1872, the Sunday River Bridge, called “he most painted and photographed covered bridge in the state,” crosses the river of the same name. See photos. The Sunday River Ski Resort is located here. On Maine Route 26, Newry is the gateway to the hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail, of Grafton Township. Step Falls Preserve, the first preserve of the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, has 24 acres of cascades and pools.

Naples

Long Lake on Route 302 in Naples (2013)

Blessed with ample access to Long Lake, Sebago Lake at the intersection of U.S. Route 302 and Maine Routes 11, 35 and 114, Naples has long been a vacation resort community. See photos. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne have sung its praises. The Songo Lock, built about 1830 and now shared with the town of Casco, linked Long Pond and Brandy Pond with Sebago Lake

Mercer

sign: "Mercer Bog, Wildlife Management Area . . . ." (2016)

With forty-one residents in 1800, Mercer exploded to a population of 1,432 (its peak) by 1840. Soon thereafter, Maine’s first starch factory was established. The library and the Grange are two surviving organizations formed in the late 19th century as the population continued to decline. See photos. The town lies on U.S. Route 2 just west of Norridgewock with frontage on North Pond at its southeast corner.

Industry

Settled in 1783, Industry’s main villages are Allens Mills, at the southern end of Clearwater Pond, and West Mills. The mills produced wood and leather products, tools and flour. See photos. Goodridge Corner school, the “little red schoolhouse,” is the home of the town’s historical society.

Hermon

Dysart

Now a growing suburb of Bangor, it lies just west of the city on U.S. Route 2 and Maine Route 100. See photo. Hermon hosts the Northern Maine Junction rail yard in its southeast corner along U.S. Route 2. The property has been used for maintenance, refueling, and railcar classification since 1905.

Hebron

Hebron Academy (2003)

Hebron Academy is a private school established in 1804 by Revolutionary War veteran William Barrows. Maine U.S. Representative Stanley Tupper graduated from the Academy. See photos. The growing community has more than doubled its population since 1980. It lies within easy commuting distance northwest of the Lewiston-Auburn area.

Hartford

Lake Anasagunticook on Main Street (Route 140) in northern Hartford is surrounded by seasonal and year-round houses. See photos. Church Street, an extension of Staples Hill Road in Canton, is a rural road with farms, the old school and community church, with access to the southern shore of the Lake. The area was first settled by Edmund Irish in 1788. The J&) Irish Museum is on Route 140.

Hancock

Egypt Bay from Route 182 (2004)

Hancock Village lies south of the junction on a peninsular, with Taunton Bay on its northeast and Skillings River on the southwest. Further south are the villages of South Hancock and Hancock Point. See photos. A Wildlife Management Area near Egypt Bay is open to the public for primitive forms of recreation including hunting and trapping.

Gray

While Gray has a storied history, the center of Gray village is a busy contemporary place, the crossroads of 5 highways. See video and photos. In the 1770s it was attacked by Indians, destroying cattle, the meetinghouse and all houses. Home to the historic Pennell Institute and a suburb of the Portland area, Gray includes most of Little Sebago Lake and Crystal Lake.