Perry, John J.

John Jasiel Perry (1811-1897), a U.S. Representative, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on August 2, 1811. In 1812, he moved with his parents to an area of Hebron that is now in the town of Oxford, attended the common schools and Maine Wesleyan Seminary (now Kents Hill School in Readfield). A deputy sheriff of…

Indian Reservation, Penobscots

Indian Island in the Penobscot River (2005)

The Reservation in Penobscot County, is the home of the Penobscot Tribe of Maine’s Native American population, and is located on Indian Island in the Penobscot River and within the boundaries of the community of Old Town. See photos. The Penobscot Nation Council, headquartered on the Island, is composed of elected members, lead by a Chief and a Vice Chief. It is the birthplace in 1871 of Cleveland Indians baseball player Louis Sockalexis. Dancer and entertainer Molly Spotted Elk was born here in 1903.

Penobscot Expedition

“The Penobscot Expedition during the American Revolution was the worst naval disaster in American history until Pearl Harbor. That a huge force of men, ships and guns failed to take a small British fort in Maine has been largely forgotten.” New England Historical Society. After months of alarm and gathering of resources, on July 19,…

Penobscot

Penobscot River entering Penobscot Bay (2003)

The community takes its name from the Penobscot River, which forms its western boundary. See photos. In the late 19th century the town hosted a mining company, four wood-related mills, a meal and flour mill, and several manufacturers of clothing, barrels, carriages, harnesses and other items. Reached from Orland off U.S. Route 1, the town is served by Maine Routes 15, 175 and 199. Northern Bay, a major spur of the Bagaduce River, splits the southern end of the town.

Pembroke

"The Square Pembroke, Me." (postcard c. 1905)

The town was noted for its shipbuilding, which began in 1825. By 1860 Pembroke had seven shipyards, though only two survived by the late 19th century. Pembroke’s Leighton Neck extends into Cobscook Bay and is bounded by the broad expanses of the Dennys River and the Pennamaquan River. Reversing Falls State Park is nearby. Beginning in Charlotte’s Pennaquam Lake and extending through Pembroke along the Pennaquam River is the Pennaquam Wildlife Management Area.

Pemaquid

Pemaquid Point (2007)

[PEM-ah-kwid] was an early settlement on Pemaquid Point in the town of Bristol in Lincoln County. Early explorers such as David Ingram (1569) and Captain Bartholomew Gosnold (1602), visited the area before the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts. The Popham colonists visited Pemaquid before sailing on to their site on the Kennebec River. They returned a…

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.

Passadumkeag

Passadumkeag River from the Railroad Bridge (2012)

The current village of Passadumkeag includes a small residential area east of U.S. Route 2. A community center (in a Quonset building), fire station, historical society, town office, post office, and the Passadumkeag Baptist are all on or near Pleasant Street in this small village.

Partridge, Donald

(1891-1946), a U.S. Representative, was born in Norway on June 7, 1891, attended the common and high schools and was graduated from Bates College in 1914. He was principal of the high school at Canton 1914-1917, then was elected clerk of the supreme judicial court for Oxford County in 1918 and served from 1919 to…

McIntire, Rufus

(1784-1866) a U.S. Representative was born in York on December 19, 1784. He attended the common schools, was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1809, studied law, was admitted to the bar and began his practice in Parsonsfield in 1812. McIntire served in the War of 1812, recruiting a company that marched to the northern frontier. …

Parsonsfield

Porter-Parsonsfield Covered Bridge over the Ossipee River (2014)

Kezar Falls, a village on the Ossipee River named for George Kezar, is the largest in the area at the junction of Maine Routes 25 and 160. The community is split between Parsonsfield and Porter across the river, and is governed and taxed separately by the two towns. An early 20th century sanatorium, Maple Crest, was “located among the beautiful Limerick hills, the wild and picturesque outlines of which may be seen in every direction from the building. The view is in itself enough to stimulate the interest and mental activity so important to the cure of all diseases.

Parris, Virgil

Virgil D. Parris, courtesy Maine State Archives

Virgil Delphini Parris (1807-1874), cousin of Albion Keith Parris, was a U.S. Representative; born in Buckfield, February 18, 1807. He attended the common schools, Hebron Academy, and Colby College and was graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1827. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1830, and began his practice…

Parks, Gorham

(1794-1877) a U.S. Representative, was born in Westfield, Massachusetts on May 27, 1794. He attended the common schools and was graduated from Harvard University in 1813. Parks studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1819; he moved to Bangor in 1823 and continued the practice of law there. Elected as a Jacksonian to the…

Parkman

Manhanock Pond in Parkman on the Harlow Pond Road (2018)

Located just south of Guilford on Maine Route 150, the town contains Harlow Pond and major access to Manhanock Pond, which it shares with Sangerville. Since 1970 the town’s population has almost doubled; the census numbers do not reflect the non-resident population.

Paris

1856 Paris Hill Academy Building (2019)

The Paris Hill neighborhood has several architecturally interesting old homes, while South Paris has been the industrial and manufacturing center. See photos. On the Stearns Hill Road the old Hungry Hollow schoolhouse sits on a small plot. South Paris village, split by the Little Androscoggin River, is the main population center and is half of the Norway-South Paris community.

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.

Palermo

Boat Launch at Sheepscot Pond in Palermo (2016)

The town has three villages. Palermo, at the south end of Branch Pond, spills over into China and was once known as Branch Mills. Greely Corner is on Route 3 just west of Sheepscot Pond. East Palermo is on the same highway just east of Sheepscot Pond. Palermo is dotted with numerous ponds and streams, providing an attractive escape from business life in the Augusta and Belfast areas.