Millinocket

This 1912 building was the Great Northern Paper Co. administration building. Later mill owners used it for offices until just before the mill

The Great Northern Paper Mill and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad have been keys to the economic life of Millinocket for many years. See photos. The declining employment in the paper industry contributed to the steady loss of population over the past forty years – 42%. Millinocket is the gateway to Baxter State Park and its famed Mount Katahdin.

Crystal

in Aroostook County, organized as a plantation 1878 and incorporated 1901. Its Thousand Acre Bog is considered one of Maine’s “Focus Areas of Statewide Ecological Significance.” See map. A pedestrian trail from Patten to Sherman winds through the bog.

Chapman

Fall Foliage at Dudley Brook on the West Chapman Road (2014)

a town in Aroostook County, incorporated in 1915 from Chapman Plantation, was settled in the late 1860s. It cooperates with Castle Hill and Mapleton with a common town manager and comprehensive plan. The Haystack Historical Society serves this rural area.

Castle Hill

Irrigation Equipment in a Potato Field in Castle Hill (2014)

in Aroostook County, incorporated in 1903. The 1,341 foot high Haystack Mountain is the only exception to the relatively flat, potato growing area. Castle Hill is on Maine Route 227, ten miles west of Presque Isle. It shares a town manager with Mapleton and Chapman.

Carroll Plantation

Maple Trees Tapped with Tubing for Maple Syrup on Route 6 in Carroll Plantation (2014)

incorporated in 1845, lies on the old stage line (Maine Route 6) from Lincoln, through Lee, Springfield to Princeton. Named for Daniel Carroll, member of the Continental Congress and signer of the Articles of Confederation and of the Constitution, it is home to an extensive maple sugar harvesting operation. See photos.

Bowerbank

Skidder with baloon tires and chains at logging operation on Plum Creek land in Bowerbank (2010)

Bowerbank village has substantial frontage on Sebec Lake. The Montreal, Maine, and Atlantic Railway tracks span the northern portion of the township, eventually arriving at Brownville Junction. The large Maine landowner Plum Creek has substantial ownership in Bowerbank. Harvesting the forests with modern machinery is a spectacular sight. See video and map.

Caratunk

in Somerset County lies 40 miles north of Skowhegan on the Kennebec River, where both Pierce Pond Stream and Pleasant Pond Stream enter. The Appalachian Trail crosses the river aided by a canoe shuttle. Benedick Arnold marched through on his way to Quebec. See video and photos.