Sandy Bay Township

Sandy Stream Mountain in Sandy Bay Township East Side of Route 201 (2004)

Sandy Bay is about seven miles north of Jackman Village on U.S. Route 201 and Maine Route 6 through Dennistown Plantation. From its township line beyond Dennistown, the two Routes continue northwest for about ten miles to the Canadian Border and customs facilities. The South Branch of the Penobscot River begins here, trending east through…

Bald Mountain Township T4 R3 NBKP

Mud Pond with view of Boundary Bald Mountain near the Bald Mountain Road in Bald Mountain Township (2014)

The township is north of Moose River in northwestern Somerset County. It should not be confused with Bald Mountain Township T2 R3 BKP EKR, which contains a section of the Appalachian Trail, in northeastern Somerset County east of Caratunk. The township apparently was once a Plantation. The U.S. Census reports four years of population counts:…

West Forks

West Forks Village at Cold Stream and the Kennebec River (2019)

West Forks lies north of the Dead River and west of the Kennebec just above where the two rivers combine at The Forks. See photos. The heavily forested area with a small and dwindling population is bisected by U.S. Route 201 on its way north to Jackman, then to the Province of Quebec.
Three sections of Maine Public Reserved Lands totaling 1,204 acres are located on the west side of U.S. Route 201.

Topsham

Recently the downtown (see photos) has witnessed a renewal with modern buildings. Topsham has been a very rapidly growing community both in population and in commercial development.The area of the Topsham Fair Mall is located adjacent to Interstate 95. Pejepscot Village was once an active community when the Pejepscot Paper Mill was in full production. Falls in the Androscoggin River between Topsham and Brunswick encouraged the development of paper and textile mills which dominated the economy into the 20th century.

Solon

Interior of South Solon Meeting House, 121 South Main Street in Solon (2003)

Solon, Maine is a town in Somerset County, incorporated on February 23, 1809 from the township T1 R2 EKR. Settled in 1782 by William Hilton of Wiscasset, it was named for one of the great sages of Ancient Greece, in keeping with its neighboring town of Athens.

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).

Moose River

Historic Samuel Holden House [remaining portion] (2019)

Jackman’s Main Street (U.S. Route 201/Maine Route 6) merges with that of Moose River. See photos. The two towns, otherwise isolated, share a single community. The historic Moose River Congregational Church is in Jackman. The Town Office and most commercial activity lies along U.S. Route 201/Maine Route 6. The Scott Road (or the Moose River Road) proceeds east into the heart of the township.

Jackman

James Jackman, was usually called “Captain Jackman.” He was contracted by the State to build the Canada Road from the Forks to the Canadian border. See photos. The village is on the shore of Wood Pond in Attean Township. Attean Pond and Attean Mountain are southwest of the village in an area designated as one of Maine’s “public reserved lands.” The area provides attractive fishing and hunting opportunities, canoe trips on the Moose River, and jobs for workers in the logging industry.

Hallowell

Just one of many early "Grand Houses" in Historic Hallowell (2019)

Early in the 19th century, Hallowell on the Kennebec has become an important commercial center in the District of Maine. River ice and shipbuilding were staple industries. Granite quarries were active and productive in the 19th century, with one on “Granite Hill.” Maine’s smallest city in area has a vital downtown with antique and book shops, along with restaurants. See photos. The first settler arrived in 1762; surveyor Ephraim Ballard, in 1776; his wife Martha, the next year. Maine’s first Anti-Slavery Society was founded here in 1833.

Farmingdale

On the Kennebec River just north of Gardiner, it is a residential community serving the Augusta-Gardiner capital area. Several large homes overlook the Kennebec River. See photos. West of the main street, in a suburban-rural area, it touches on Jamies Pond Wildlife Management Area at Jimmies Pond near the Outlet Road.

Fairfield

Fairfield Center, with its impressive church and grange hall, is at the crossroads of routes 23 & 104. The old Lawrence High School is near the veterans park with its gazebo and shade trees. See photos. In the fall, a popular destination for apples and pumpkins is The Apple Farm. Fairfield, incorporated in 1788 in Somerset County, now hosts Kennebec Valley Community College.

Caratunk

in Somerset County lies 40 miles north of Skowhegan on the Kennebec River, where both Pierce Pond Stream and Pleasant Pond Stream enter. The Appalachian Trail crosses the river aided by a canoe shuttle. Benedick Arnold marched through on his way to Quebec. See video and photos.

Madison

Madison Paper Industries (2009)

The site of many mills in its history, its largest has been a paper mill at the dam where U.S. Route 201 crosses the Kennebec River from Anson. Until the end of the log drives in 1976, the river was often choked with pulp logs destined for this mill and others. The Lakewood Summer Theater, opened in 1901 in East Madison. Benedick Arnold passed through on his way to Quebec.

Richmond

The main village is located on the west side of the Kennebec River, just south of Gardiner on Maine Route 24, where the river splits to form Swan Island. See photos.Benedict Arnold’s expedition, having first landed at Swan Island in the river across from the town, passed by the remnants of Fort Richmond. The town has a substantial collection of grand houses, including several Greek Revival specimens. Peacock Beach State Park is near the historic Peacock Tavern on U.S. Route 201.