Mattawamkeag River crossing under U.S. Route 2A in Haynesville (2014)

Mattawamkeag River crossing under U.S. Route 2A in Haynesville (2014)

Location Map for Haynesville

Location Map for Haynesville

Year Population
1970 157
1980 169
1990 243
2000 122
2010 121
Geographic Data
N. Latitude 45:49:04
W. Longitude 67:58:44
Maine House District 144
Maine Senate District 2
Congress District 2
Area sq. mi. (total) 41.5
Area sq. mi. (land) 41.5
Population/sq.mi. (land) 54.6
County: Aroostook

Total=land+water; Land=land only
Haynesville Population Chart 1850-2010

Population Trend 1850-2010

Town Line Sign: Haynesville on Route 2A (2014)[HAYNS-vil] is a town in Aroostook County, incorporated on February 18, 1876 from the plantations of Greenwood, Haynesville and Leavitt. Each was formed from the unorganized townships of T2 R2 and T3 R3 respectively. Leavitt was deorganized in 1877.

The Haynesville Road, photo by Erik Jorgensen

Haynesville Road [Erik Jorgensen photo]

Haynesville’s first permanent settler, William Wilson, arrived in 1828, the year a military post was established in Houlton.  A military road built to supply the Houlton post was completed in 1832, provided easyier access to the town.

Haynesville Baptist Church on U.S. Route 2A (2014)

Haynesville Baptist Church on U.S. Route 2A (2014) @

 

 

 

 

 

 

The road through the Haynesville Woods was immortalized in the hit song sung by Fort Fairfield’s Richard “Dick” Curless in 1965 – “A Tombstone Every Mile.” Written by Dan Fulkerson, it told the story of this very dangerous stretch of highway through the mountain range of the Haynesville Woods, where so many truckers had died.

Haynesville Village on U.S. Route 2A (2014)

Haynesville Village on U.S. Route 2A (2014)

Haynesville Village on U.S. Route 2A (2014)

Haynesville Village on U.S. Route 2A (2014)

The plantation and town took their named from Alvin Haynes an early settler who lived below the fork of the Mattawamkeag River. In the village known as Forksville he operated a store; about 1835 he and a partner built a hotel.

Haynesville Fire Department on U.S. Route 2A near the Danforth Road (2014)

Fire Department on U.S. Rt. 2A near Danforth Road (2014) @

Haynesville Town Office on the Danforth Road off U.S. Route 2A (2014)

Town Office on the Danforth Road off U.S. Rt. 2A (2014) @

Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife describes the East Branch of the Mattawamkeag River from Oakfield to Haynesville and the West Branch of the Mattawamkeag River from Mattawamkeag Lake to Haynesville, as scenic stretches for canoeing and good fishing for wild brook trout. The Mattawamkeag River from Haynesville to the Town of Mattawamkeag is considered an “incredible wildlife river,” “a scenic canoe trip,” and “fast fishing for smallmouth bass.

Mattawamkeag River crossing U.S. Route 2A in Haynesville (2014)Mattawamkeag River crossing U.S. Route 2A in Haynesville (2014)Mattawamkeag River crossing U.S. Route 2A in Haynesville (2014)

 

 

The photos above of the Mattawamkeag River were taken in October, 2014 near where it crosses U.S. Route 2A at N45° 49′ 49.83″ W67° 59′ 8.29″.

If you are feeling adventurous, and the weather has been dry, take the Skagrock Road to Orient.  This narrow dirt road may be washed out a few miles in if the rains have come.  Not recommended in mud season!

Skagrock Road off U.S. 2A in Haynesville (2014)

Skagrock Road off U.S. 2A in Haynesville (2014)

Skagrock Road off U.S. 2A in Haynesville (2014)

Skagrock Road Washed Out! @

This wooded community has recently experienced a decline in population.

Form of Government: Town Meeting-Select Board-Manager.

Additional resources

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

Haynesville (Me.) Annual Report Town of Haynesville, Maine … for the year ending .. Haynesville, Me. : The Town, 1876?-

Karsberg, Lenorma Ellis. The Ellis family of Haynesville–Dyer Brook, Maine. Worcester, Mass. L.E. Karsberg. c1983.

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “Fishing Opportunities in the Katahdin Region. https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/opportunities/katahdin.htm (accessed March 15, 2014)

Miscellaneous Business Records from Haynesville, Maine. 1895-1926. [Maine State Library]

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