KLIF-tun] a town in Penobscot County, incorporated on August 8, 1848 under the brazen name of “Maine” from a portion of Jarvis Gore. The current name, from a cliff dominating the town (see the town “seal” on the welcome sign), was adopted only a year later on June 9, 1849.

Settled in 1815, Clifton provides recreational opportunities, at the southeast end of Chemo Pond and Peaked Mountain, for the greater Bangor area a dozen miles to the west.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its somewhat isolated Fitts Pond in the southwest corner provides water access for Boy Scout Camp Roosevelt located in adjoining Eddington.

The R. Leon Williams Lumber Company, on Route 9, has been one of the major enterprises in Clifton for half a century.

Still a small community, the population has increased fourfold in the past forty years, though mobile homes provide the housing for many of its residents.

A campground and beach at Parks Pond on Route 9 (“The Airline“)provides views of Parks Pond Bluff, an attraction for rock climbers and hikers.

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Form of Government: Town Meeting-Select Board-Administrative Assistant.

Additional resources

Chadbourne, Ava Harriet. Maine Place Names and The Peopling of its Towns.

Huckins, Evelyn Gray. History of Jarvis Gore and Clifton. 1979. [Maine State Library]

*Maine. Historic Preservation Commission. Augusta, Me.  Text and photo from National Register of Historic Places.

The Reflections of the Past. Clifton Historical Society. 1998? [Bangor Public Library]

National Register of Historic Places – Listings

Harold Allan Schoolhouse

[15 Rebel Hill Road ] Built in 1863 as the District #3 school, the Harold Allan Schoolhouse is the last surviving one-room school in Clifton. In 1912, as the population of the town decreased and shifted, the school was moved about a mile to its current location, adjacent to Cliffwood Hall (Town Hall) at Clifton Corners. At that time a woodshed and outhouse were added to the side of the building and a new entrance attached to its front.

The Harold Allan School continued to be used by the community through the end of the spring term in 1966. A narrow corridor leads to the remaining two-hole outhouse. The rest of the space was remodeled to serve as office space for the town about 1985 and featured a fir floor, sheetrock walls and a batten-and-panel ceiling.

Cliffwood Hall

[15 Rebel Hill Road ] The 1892 Cliffwood Hall is a two story, Italianate style wood frame building. It has served as a community center, entertainment and recreation venue, and as the location of the Town of Clifton’s government functions since 1892.

It was originally built by a group of local residents, the Band of Willing Workers, as a hall for socials, entertainment and meetings. Seven years later, the Town purchased the Hall. It continued to serve its original function while providing offices for town officials and space for the Town’s annual public meetings. In 1999 the building was a museum run by the Clifton Historical Society. In 2013 it was the Clifton Town Hall. [See another photo above near top.]