T4 R9 NWP

sign: "Piscataquis County Line, Entering T4 R9" (NWP) on Route 11 (2014)

       Piscataquis County Line Entering T4 R9 WELS   Community This township is in north central Maine in Piscataquis County. It is dominated by Seboeis Lake and the Seboeis Maine Public Reserved Land, which surrounds most of the Lake. Two small settlements, Schoodic and Packards, are in the west of the township along…

Mud Brook Canoe Trip

April Canoe Launch site in August 2014

Mud Brook, with origins in Stacyville, flows south into Herseytown Township and then to Soldiertown Township in Penobscot County where it joins the Penobscot River East Branch. In April 2014 the brook was still at spring flood stage, making access from Route 11 an opportunity for a short trip.  Scout Brady Williams identified the spot…

Grindstone Township

East Branch of the Penobscot River in Grindstone Township (2005)

Grindstone is north of East Millinocket on Route 11 in Penobscot County. Route 11, which follows the East Branch of the Penobscot River north to south, is the principal improved road. A short portion of the Madden Road in the south along a section of Dolby Pond is the only other improved surface. A tiny…

Herseytown Township

Mount Katahdin from Herseytown (2012)

Herseytown Township should not be confused with the town of Hersey about 25 miles north on Route 11 in Penobscot County. Davidson, the only village in the township, was in the north at Davidson Pond on the Davidson Road off Route 11. A 1942 USGS Topographic map shows Davidson with several buildings (small squares). Other…

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.

Winterville Plantation

Location Map for Winterville Plantation

Located about 25 miles south of Fort Kent on Maine Route 11, the area is an attraction for fishermen and hunters. St. Froid Lake (see photo) dominates the plantation by running virtually its whole length from north to south, a watery barrier separating the eastern from the western land portions. Quimby village is on the eastern shore of the lake; Winterville village is on Route 11, about two miles east of the lake.

Wallagrass

Fish River at Soldier Pond Village in Wallagrass (2018)

Settled by Acadians, the town lies just south of Fort Kent on the Fish River, whose Eagle Lake outlet is in the southern portion of the township. See photos. Wallagrass Station village is located at the southern end of the town, where Station Road leads to the shore of Eagle Lake.

Standish

Daniel Marrett House (one of several historic buildings) in Standish, on East Ossippee Trail (2018)

Named in honor of Captain Miles Standish, the military leader of the Plymouth Colony, the town has a very long shoreline on Sebago Lake in its southwest corner, including its Lower Bay. See photos. In the 19th century, the Oxford-Cumberland Canal allowed passage of boats from Harrison to Portland. Steep Falls was a thriving village historically, with its excellent water power on the Saco River and the railroad station in its midst. Both a recreational area and suburb of Portland, the town is served by six Maine highway routes.

Stacyville

Mount Katahdin and Hunt Mountain from Swift Brook Road in Stacyville (2017)

Its main village is Sherman Station on the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad line and Maine Route 11 just across the town line from the Town of Sherman. Stacyville Village is in the southwest of the township; Siberia village is in the center on the Grindstone Road. That portion of Route 11 in Sherman Station Village serves as the “Main Street” for the town, with community buildings and businesses.

Sidney

Bounded by the Kennebec on the east and Messalonskee Lake (the modern name for Snow’s Pond) on much of the west, Sidney is located between Augusta and Waterville. See photos. Sidney Bog is located in the southeastern corner of the town.

Sebago

Panoramic View from Dyke Mountain Road in Sebago (2018)

Several villages dot the towns landscape: North, East, and West Sebago; and Sebago Center; among others. See photos. The village of East Sebago hosts the town’s elementary school, veterans memorial park, and public library. Along with its substantial shoreline on the Lake, the town has a hiking trail to the summit of the 1392 foot Douglas Mountain, with a nature preserve overlooking the Lake.

Poland

The Spring House at Poland Spring (2003)

The Poland Spring Bottling Plant and Spring House are local landmarks. See photos. The town, just west of Auburn, has two other large lakefront areas and is served by Maine Routes 11, 26, and 122. One of water bodies is home to Range Pond State Park. The town, just west of Auburn, has two other large lakefront areas. One of water bodies is home to Range Pond State Park. The Maine State Building was built to represent the state at the Chicago World’s Fair, known as the Colombian Exposition, in 1893.

Pittsfield

Pittsfield 1889 "Bird

Maine Central Institute, founded in 1866 as a preparatory school for Bates College, is one of the “Big 10” private secondary schools in Maine that still serves the public school population as well. See photos. Downtown Pittsfield, on the Sebasticook River, was wiped out by a fire in 1881 and rebuilt immediately. As did many Maine communities, Pittsfield’s woolen mills provided steady employment during the first half of the 20th century, then literally “went South,” finding cheaper labor in the 1950’s.

Patten

The Village from Route 11 Looking North (2006)

has continued its focus on lumbering since early settlement, including its informative Lumberman’s Museum on the Shin Pond Road. The Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church anchors the southern end of the main street. See photos. The small community has witnessed a dwindling population over the past several decades with the loss of jobs in farming, lumbering, and the paper industry. Patten is the northern gateway from Interstate 95 to Baxter State Park.

Palmyra

Location Map for Palmyra

The Sebasticook River passes through Douglas Pond at the south end of the town, just above Pittsfield. A golf course and campground is adjacent to White Pond, in the eastern portion of the town, where a “hand-carry” boat launch is available. The Madawaska Wildlife Management Area straddles Madawaska Brook and encompasses the Madawaska Marsh.

Oxbow

Panoramic View North from Oxbow Road (2008)

Virtually all of the plantation’s population is located along the Oxbow Road, leading West from Maine Route 11. See photos. Aroostook River through the area make shapes similar to oxbows, the harness that keeps oxen attached to their loads. The western end of the Oxbow Road is marked by the “Oxbow Checkpoint,” an entry point to the North Maine Woods, most of which is privately owned.

Oakland

Waterville’s commercial strip that is Kennedy Memorial Drive continues into Oakland for about a mile before becoming a more scenic road. See photos. Here the village emerges as it sits at Messalonskee Stream. Long the home of the New England Music Camp, recreational opportunities include access to several of the Belgrade lakes.