John Holmes Burleigh (son of William Burleigh), was a Representative from Maine; born in South Berwick, October 9, 1822; he attended the local academy; became a sailor when sixteen years of age and commanded a ship on foreign voyages from 1846 until 1853 when he engaged in woolen manufacturing at South Berwick. He also engaged…
The North Berwick Woolen Mill is a historic landmark on the banks of the Great Works River that passes through the main village. See photos. More than a dozen National Register historic places testify to the town’s significant role in Maine’s early history.It is home to the historic Hussey Plow Company and a Pratt & Whitney defense plant.
Lisbon Falls, on the Androscoggin River, is the largest village; Lisbon Village, on the Sabattus River, is the next largest. See photos. A mill town harnessing the power of these rivers through most of the 20 century, Lisbon’s economy has turned more toward services and light industry as the mills have closed. Stephen King attended high school here.
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.
Harmony has substantial frontage on Great Moose Lake and the Sebasticook River which flows into it from Mainstream Pond. Boat launch facilities are available at the Lake and the Pond. See photos. U.S. Representative Clyde H. Smith (husband of Margaret Chase Smith) was born here.
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.
A woolen mill, erected in 1835, started an industry that lasted for over 150 years. See photos. Recent manufacturing firm closings contributed to the decline in population in the 1990-2000 decade. Settled 1800, incorporated 1816 in Penobscot County, it is the birthplace in 1888 of legislator, congressman, governor, and U.S. Senator Ralph Owen Brewster.
has sufficient space to support farming as well as serving as a residential area for people working in Augusta and Waterville. See video and photos. Benedict Arnold stopped here to obtain a canoe on his way to Quebec. Site of Oak Grove Seminary in 1844, then Oak Grove Coburn school in 1970, then the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in 2001.