in Hancock County, incorporated in 1817. Its Cape Rosier recalls James Rosier who accompanied George Weymouth in explorations of 1605. Brooksville boasts one of the best harbors for small boats: Bucks Harbor. Helen and Scott Nearing lived here. See photos.
Named for Governor John Brooks of Massachusetts, the town in Waldo County incorporated in 1816. Marsh Stream or Marsh River as it is also known, runs through the main village. A dam near an old mill site broadens the stream into a pleasant pond. See photos.
Home of long time resident and author E. B. White, the Hancock County coastal town hosts a general store and library at the intersection of Route 175 and the road to Naskeag Point and Naskeag Harbor. It lies across Eggemoggin Reach from Little Deer Isle.
Pemaquid Neck hosts the village of New Harbor, along with Pemaquid Beach and Pemaquid Light. The area, visited by Europeans by 1569, is said to be the home of the Indian Samoset, who greeted the Pilgrims in 1621 in English. New Harbor is a departure point for Monhegan Island. See video and photos.
in Cumberland County, incorporated in 1794. The village faces Highland (or Duck) Lake, inviting summer boating and camping. Shawnee Peak is a popular local skiing destination.
In this Aroostook County town, farming has been the major economic force since the nineteenth century. It is home to Wood Prairie Farm, an organic seed and food products source with catalog and online listings. Located on U.S. Route 1, just south of Mars Hill, it is bounded on the east by Canada and hosts a U.S. Customs station. See photos.
Germans emigrated here in the mid-18th century misled into believing they would find a prosperous city in the wilderness. It has three nature preserves. Located on state Route 32 at the confluence of the Medomak River and Muscongus Bay, the main settlement is on Keene Neck. See photos.
![Fine House and Barn on the Storer Road [Route 155] in Bradford (2014)](https://maineanencyclopedia.com/wp-content/uploads/140129189-Copy-2.jpg)
Bradford is a rural community with no lakes or mountains. In the early 20th century, Bradford Corner hosted an auto garage and wagon shop and Kingsbury’s Store, which housed a post office. A blacksmith had his shop where the library now sits. See photos.
is a liberal arts institution located in Brunswick. In June 1794 Massachusetts Governor Samuel Adams signed an act to establish Bowdoin College promoted by James Bowdoin III, who gave financial support to its formation and named it in honor of his father, James Bowdoin II. Massachusetts Hall, Bowdoin’s first building was constructed, with delays, between…
Settled before the Revolutionary War, it is named for James Bowdoin II, a governor of Massachusetts. Typical of early towns, Bowdoin had 15 school houses in 1870; by 2010 it, one elementary school. More than tripled in population since 1970,the still rural town is becoming a commuter community with easy access to Interstate 95. See photos and video.
in Lincoln County incorporated in 1889. It is a major attraction for summer visitors with shops, restaurants, art galleries, marinas, and recreational fishing opportunities. Tours to coastal islands, whale watching, and a safe, engaging harbor are some of the attractions. The Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is here. See photos.
includes Damariscove Island, an early fishing outpost, providing critical food (fish) to the starving Pilgrims. Harvesting the sea is still a significant occupation. Now the Boothbay region is a center of summer tourist activity, with the Boothbay Playhouse and the Railroad Museum. See photos and video.
Settled in 1762, its name derives from Blue Hill just north of the town’s main settlement. Blue Hill Falls and East Blue Hill are other settlements. Jonathan Fisher House, on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the town’s major assets. Blue Hill was the original site in 1986 of Northeast Historic Film.
located on the Kennebec River, U.S. Route 201, its Main Street, carries visitors to and from Quebec City, and logging trucks bound for paper mills down the River. Until the 1970′s, the Kennebec and other rivers were clogged with logs floating to mills. A private lawsuit ended the practice, returning the resource to the public.
Early settlers from Biddeford in England may have given the area its name. Biddeford was destroyed during Queen Anne’s War, but was resettled beginning in 1714. Lumbering was the major industry until the early 19th century; textiles dominated for 100 years from mid-century. First Irish, then French Canadians came to work in the mills. See photos.
one of the oldest villages in western Maine, incorporated in 1796 from Sudbury Canada Plantation. Its name signifies the “House of God,” possibly inspired by its location among the Oxford Hills. The Middle Intervale Meetinghouse was built in 1816. West Bethel village is along a canoe trip route on the Androscoggin River. See photos.
a town in York County on the New Hampshire border, incorporated in 1713, named for an old English town in Dorsetshire. Settlements were made as early as 1624. In the mid-1600’s substantial lumbering began and a sawmill was built. In 1660 a group of Friends or “Quakers” sought refuge from persecution and settled here.
a town in Kennebec County, was incorporated as Sebasticook in 1842. Its name was changed to Benton in 1850 in honor of Missouri Democratic U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton. Benton Station is a location near the Maine Central Railroad tracks and the Kennebec River. The Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge manages a refuge in Benton. See photos.
is a town in Waldo County, incorporated in 1814. As is the case in many mid-coast communities, Belmont has a small but rapidly growing population, expanding by over 25% between 1990 and 2000, and again between 2000 and 2010.
Named for Belgrade, Serbia, it is a center for the Belgrade Lakes Region that attracts summer visitors to enjoy fishing, boating and lakeside cottages. Great Pond dominates the town. Belgrade Lakes village at the north end of the pond stands between Great Pond on the east and Long Pond on the west. Belgrade’s population has showed continuous growth for the past several decades, slowly changing from a rural resort community to a residential suburb of Waterville and Augusta. See photos.