[LIB-er-tee] is a town in Waldo County, once part of the Waldo Patent,  incorporated on January 31, 1827 from Montville Plantation. In 1876 Liberty annexed land from the town of Montville.

Settled in 1800 under the Waldo Patent, the early residents tried to secure their land rights by threatening to drop the local land agent through a hole in the ice on Lake St. George. They were later arrested and tried in the Wiscasset court.

In the 1880’s Liberty was know for its many apple orchards and fertile farmland.

Liberty village was also a center of manufacturing: metalworking in an axe factory, a foundry, and a machine shop; five saw mills; a grist mill.

And the agricultural component: implements such as cultivators, horse-rakes, harnesses, and saddles; along with boots and shoes.

South Liberty hosted two more saw mills.

The population in 1880 was 970, not far removed from its current total.

The octagon structure below right, believed to be the only post office so designed in the U.S., was built by a harness maker. 

It was used as his shop until the post office was installed in part of the building in 1878. After the business occupying the building closed in 1960, the post office remained.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lake St. George and its associated State Park, are in the north-central portion of the Town on Route 3. 

Liberty Village is on the east shore of the Lake and Route 173 is the main street.

This scenic rural community is about a twenty-one mile and about a half-hour drive to Camden; and less than twenty miles and less than a half-hour drive to Belfast.

In addition to Lake St. George, it has frontage (shared with Montville) on Trues Pond and contains Stevens, Cargill and Colby ponds, along with Colby Brook.

 

Form of Government: Town Meeting-Select Board.

Additional resources

Beard, Frank A. and Bette A. Smith. Maine’s Historic Places: Properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Camden, Me. Down East Books. c1982.

Hurtwitz, Alfred. History of Liberty, Maine, 1827-1975. Liberty, Me. Liberty Historical Society. 1975. (Thorndike, Me. Hutchins Brothers)

*United States. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. “Old (Liberty) Pot Office.” https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/4c68837f-2052-4522-b265-852fe1bd6cf8?branding=NRHP

National Register of Historic Places – Listings

Old Post Office

[Main Street (Maine Route 173)]  The small Octagon Post Office, with its entrance facing the road, is on the southerly side of Route 173. In each of the other seven sections  is a double hung window. The greatest significance of this building is, of the very few Octagon buildings in the United States, this is the only post office in this style. It was built around 1870 by Rufus A. Carter, for his business as a local harness maker. In 1878 it was sold to G.H. Cargill, who kept it as a harness shop and began its use as a post office until that function ended in 1960. [See photo and additional text above.]*