At the junction of Maine Routes 23, 43 and 152, the village lies at the southwestern tip of Indian Pond. The three and one-half mile Pond (sometimes called Indian Lake, or Big Indian Lake) is maintained by a dam at the park in the main village.
Ripley Pond, once known as Rogers Pond, extends two miles north to south. Ripley Village is at the southern end. The outlet of the pond, Ripley Stream, was the site of two sawmills and a grist mill in the late 19th century. Ripley Village is at the southern end. West Ripley village is at the junction of West Ripley Road and Todds Corner Road.
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.
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.
About 19 miles northeast of Skowhegan, Hartland village lies on the Sebasticook River at the junction of Maine Routes 23, 43, 151, and 152. See photos. Built before the Civil War, the Academy Building ceased its educational function in 2001 when a new school was built.. It became the Town Hall, hosting town meetings and offices. Woolen mills and tanneries were 19th and early 20th century industries.
the county seat of Piscataquis County, born of the union of Dover and Foxcroft in 1922, and home to Foxcroft Academy and three members of Congress, is the commercial center of the area. See photos.
in Somerset County, settled in 1804, incorporated in 1834 and named for Cambridge, England, the town is divided from neighboring Ripley by Main Stream, a tributary of the Sebasticook River. The village and grange hall are at the eastern end of Cambridge Pond. See photos.