Local Government

Anson Town Office on Main Street (2003)

in New England traces its origins to 1620 and the Mayflower Compact written and agreed to by the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony. By 1652 the Colony asserted its authority over that part of Maine known then and now as York(shire) County. By having local townsmen sign a statement accepting that authority, the tradition of popular…

Livermore Falls

Livermore Falls Birdseye View 1889

For years Livermore Falls was a thriving paper mill town. See video and photos. Recently, the employment future has become less certain, as shown by the age of the housing stock. Pikes Corner at Route 133 and 106 is in the East Livermore area, in Livermore Falls. The town is directly north of the Lewiston-Auburn area. An extensive logging and manufacturing operation produces wood pallets.

Littleton

in potato country north of Houlton, it is split by U.S. Route 1 and borders Canada on its east. See photos. It is home to Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum. Watson Settlement Bridge, built in 1911, is the oldest surviving Howe Truss system in a Maine covered bridge. The Littleton Esker is west of U.S. Route 1 just north of the Littleton-Houtlon town line.

Littlefield, Charles Edgar

Charles Edgar Lindsey (1851-1915) a U.S. Representative, was born in Lebanon on June 21, 1851, and attended the common schools and Foxcroft Academy. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1876 and practiced in Rockland. A member of the Maine House of Representatives 1885-1887, he served as Speaker the last year. Attorney General…

Litchfield

The town contains the Tacoma Lakes, Cobbosseecontee Stream, a portion of Cobbosseecontee lake, Pleasant Pond, and several other ponds. See photos. Between Lewiston and Augusta, it offers summer cottage locations for many area residents. Litchfield Corners, in the southern tip of the community, hosts an old tavern, new town office and a country store.

Lisbon

Lisbon Falls, on the Androscoggin River, is the largest village; Lisbon Village, on the Sabattus River, is the next largest. See photos. A mill town harnessing the power of these rivers through most of the 20 century, Lisbon’s economy has turned more toward services and light industry as the mills have closed. Stephen King attended high school here.

Linneus

Linneus Town Office near a pond likely to provide water to the firedepartment (2012)

Year Population 1970 608 1980 752 1990 810 2000 892 2010 984 Geographic Data N. Latitude 46:54:25 W. Longitude 67:51:48 Maine House District 145 Maine Senate District 2 Congress District 2 Area sq. mi. (total) 45.8 Area sq. mi. (land) 44.6 Population/sq.mi. (land) 22.1 County: Aroostook Total=land+water; Land=land only [LIN-ee-us] is a town in Aroostook…

Lindsey, Stephen Decatur

Stephen D. Lindsey, courtesy Maine State Archives

(1828-1884) a U.S. Representative, was born in Norridgewock on March 3, 1828. He attended the common schools and Bloomfield Academy, studied law, was admitted to the bar and began his practice in Norridgewock in 1853. Clerk of the judicial courts in Somerset County from 1857 to 1860, he was a member of the Maine House…

Lincolnville

Located on U.S. Route 1 and Penobscot Bay, the village of Lincolnville Beach is the Maine State Ferry Service mainland terminal for the ferry to Islesboro. See photos. Lincolnville Center is about seven miles inland from the beach. That village hosts another post office, a general store, a former fire house and adjoining schoolhouse, an old meetinghouse, and the Lincolnville Telephone Company.

Lincoln Plantation

In the 19th century, it was a magnet for summer visitors to Parmachene Lake, a hunting and fishing resort. See photos. The southern end of Aziscohos Lake offers campsites and fishing in the area known as Wilsons Mills. The Aziscohos Dam spills water into the Magalloway River. A 93-foot Covered Bridge, built in 1901 has been closed to traffic since 1985.

Lincoln

Panoramic view of Mount Katahdin from Gilman Road in Lincoln

In 1846, Henry David Thoreau noted that his group “came into the Houlton road again, here called the military road, at Lincoln where there is quite a village for this country.” See photos. It has been a manufacturing center for pulp and paper, shoes and textiles. Recent years have seen a declining population as those sectors have faded. A 40 turbine wind will benefit the town budget.

Limington

The Campus of Limington Historical Society (2014)

Limington Academy, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was incorporated in 1848. See video and photos. After 200 years, the old Town Hall was replaced by a modern Municipal Complex. Primary education now takes place in the Emery Memorial School, a major change from the old Longfellow School. Nevertheless, the main village retains its historic character thanks to the local efforts to establish its Historic District.

Limestone

The town is a port of entry into the United States from Limestone, New Brunswick, Canada. In the north of the town, the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge straddles the town line with Caswell. The disastrous impact on the community of the demise of Loring Air Force Base in the 1990’s may be told by Limestone’s sharp population decline. The School of Mathematics and Science, a high school for top students from across the state, is now located on the former military facility.

Limerick

It was settled by whites in 1775 on the old Pequaket Trail, a way station used by the Sokoki Indians traveling between the Saco River and Pequaket (Fryeburg). Sokokis Lake (also known as Holland Pond) and the long Lake Arrowhead grace the northeast corner of the town near Limerick village.

Lighthouses, Fort Point

Earliest known phtotograph of Fort Pownal (1859)

one of about seventy lighthouses on the Maine coasts, was established in 1836, a year after the U.S. Government purchased ten acres of land on Fort Point in Stockton Springs. Joseph Berry of Georgetown built the tower and station for $2,500. This structure was a cone-shaped tower build from granite blocks. The octagon shaped lantern…

Lighthouses

Pemaquid Point Light (2001)

The rugged coast and unpredictable waters of Maine have created an environment demanding protection for seafarers. Lighthouses have been built along Maine’s coast since the country began. In fact, there are more lighthouses here than in any other state Maine’s size. There are some 71 lighthouses between Boon Island off York, and West Quoddy Head in Lubec.

Liberty

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

Lewiston

Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary in Lewiston (2002)

Lewiston Falls, on the Androscoggin River between downtown Lewiston and neighboring Auburn, its “twin” city, was a fishing source for Native Americans. Recently, a park has been developed at the site of the falls, known as Great Falls, and one of the old mills, now a housing complex, that once thrived on its power. The great demand for manufacturing labor in the 19th century drew large numbers of French speaking people from Canada and northern Maine. From 1970 to 2000 the city’s population was again in decline. In 2010 it grew by about 1,000. This time another ethnic group, Somali refugees, were instrumental in the recent growth.

Levant

sign: "Welcome to Levant, Est. 1813" (2005)

In the 1990-2000 decade Levant, just 8 miles from Bangor, was one of the fastest growing towns in the area with population growing by more than 25%. The next decade it grew by over 31%. The Minerva Grange was formed in1902 when 54 people voted to do so. It is still used for community meetings.