Orneville Township

Route 155 in Orneville between Bradford and Lagrange. (2014)

Orneville, east of Lagrange, is heavily forested. It has one small village, Boyd Lake, on Route 6/16 near Boyd Lake itself. Maine combined Routes 6/16 in the east and Route 11 in the west and a short stretch of Route 155 between Bradford and Lagrange in the southeast are the major improved roads on the…

Lower Cupsuptic Township

The Cupsuptic River crosses under Route 16 to feed Cupsuptic Lake in the southern most portion of this township. A boat launch area is on the east bank of the Cupsuptic River near the bridge. Big-Falls is a waterfall in the northwest corner of the township on the Cupsuptic River. It is accessible from Route…

Adamstown Township

Cupsuptic Lake near Wilsons Mills Road (2018)

                                  This township in Oxford County is the site of Upper Richardson Maine Public Reserved Land and miles of lake shore on Cupsuptic and Mooselookmeguntic lakes. Route 16 cuts a diagonal northeast-southwest swath through the township. West Richardson Pond is…

Lang Township

North of Dallas Plantation, Lang Township (originally T2 R3 WBKB) is a rural area that has one major improved road, Maine Route 16, and the short Kennebago Road. While sources are sketchy, its population in 1870 was 36, in 1880, 31. A 1936 topo map appears to show about 15 buildings.  U.S. Census does not…

Mayfield Township

Incorporated as a town in 1892, it deorganized in 1937. This township is just north of Brighton Plantation, with Mayfield Corner being the intersection of Routes 16 and 151 and the site of a village in the 19th century. It has private frontage on Otter Pond, Mayfield Pond and Kingsbury Pond. According to a report…

Carrabassett Village

Rest Area off Route 27 in Carrabassett Valley near the Carrabassett River (2012)

Carrabasset village in the town of Carrabasset Valley is located along the river of the same name.  The village is east of Sugarloaf Mountain, about eight miles by road. It is served by Maine combined Routes 16/27 from Farmington (27) and Anson (16) and by a regional airport. Carrabasset Valley Academy is a private school,…

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.

Rangeley

Rangely Lake (2001)

The town is at the center of the Rangeley Lakes Region with many hotels, campsites, boat launching facilities and recreational opportunities. See photos. The region was the setting for Louise Dickenson Rich’s 1942 book We Took to the Woods. It hosts Hunter Cove nature preserve and Bald Mountain public reserved land.

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.

New Portland

Bridge over the Carrabassett River in New Portland (2017)

North New Portland hosts Morton’s Country Store, the Community Church, and Chase Memorial Hall. This village lies at the junction of routes 146 and 16, with Gilman Stream, and its Dam, flowing through it. See photos. The Carrabassett River, with its spectacular rocky bed, passes through East New Portland Village and under an arch bridge.

Moscow

Moscow where Benedict Arnold

The town hosts the Wyman Hydroelectric Station, with its impressive Wyman Dam and its consequence: Wyman Lake, a bulge in the Kennebec River extending about six miles to the north between Moscow and Pleasant Ridge. See photos. Bingham and Moscow constitute a single population center at the junction of U.S. Route 201 (leading north to the Province of Quebec).

Milo

House and Barn in Milo on Route 11 [Park Street] (2014)

Milo village lies just north of the junction of the Sebec and Piscataquis Rivers. The Pleasant River flows south through the town from Brownville to join the Piscataquis. Derby, on the east side of the Sebec River, is a service area for the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.

Lincoln Plantation

In the 19th century, it was a magnet for summer visitors to Parmachene Lake, a hunting and fishing resort. See photos. The southern end of Aziscohos Lake offers campsites and fishing in the area known as Wilsons Mills. The Aziscohos Dam spills water into the Magalloway River. A 93-foot Covered Bridge, built in 1901 has been closed to traffic since 1985.

Lagrange

While growing slowly, this still small community retains its rural, farming and home town identity. Lagrange was named for the estate of the Marquis de La Fayette, the French friend of the American Revolution. See photos. A section of Maine Public Reserved Land is in the southwest corner of the township, managed for recreation and sustainable forestry.

Kingfield

Now a “four season” recreation center, located half way between the North Pole and the Equator, it is the gateway to Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Area in Carrabassett Valley. See video & photo. Named for Maine’s first governor, the town hosts the Stanly Museum (of Stanley Steamer fame).

Guilford

Park in Guilford with mill buildings downtown (2002)

The Piscataquis River flows through the main village with neighboring Sangerville, formed with some land from Guilford, on the southern shore. The town was long a center for textile production. The late 20th century was marked by fires, floods, and economic instability, but the early 21st century opened with efforts at renewal with a river festival and downtown revtlalization.