Located on the east bank of the Penobscot River, Greenbush includes several islands, the largest of which, Olamon, abuts Olamon Stream as it empties into the river. Olamon, the name of a village near the island, means “red paint.” The Indians traveled up the stream to retrieve the red ochre they used as paint for decorating their bodies. Greenbush village is on the River and U.S. Route 2. A smaller village, Cardville, is in the middle of the township on the Cardville Road.
The small main village is a mile south of Great Pond. The town office, an old church, and a few houses are there. See photos. “Stud Mill Road” runs east-west through the Plantation from Washington and Hancock counties, to the Costigan stud mill in Milford. The Union River, outlet from Great Pond, flows south through Ellsworth to Union River Bay. The Navy has a recreation center at the lake.
While Gray has a storied history, the center of Gray village is a busy contemporary place, the crossroads of 5 highways. See video and photos. In the 1770s it was attacked by Indians, destroying cattle, the meetinghouse and all houses. Home to the historic Pennell Institute and a suburb of the Portland area, Gray includes most of Little Sebago Lake and Crystal Lake.
The Name commemorates the large and fertile island within the town and in the middle of the St. John River just south of the village of Lille. Lille is home to an extraordinary Catholic church, a nationally recognized historic place. See photos. U.S. Route 1 and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad both hug the Maine side of the St. John River.
First inhabited by Europeans in 1700, the town occupies the upper portion of a peninsular stretching from Frenchman’s Bay on the west to West Bay and Gouldsboro Bay on the east. a town of working fishermen and summer visitors, its harbors, such as Birch, Prospect and tiny Corea, offer welcome protection to coastal vessels.
First called Narragansett Number 7, it was granted to men who fought in the Narragansett War of 1675. Gorham Academy, founded 1803, became Western State Normal School, University of Maine at Gorham, and now Gorham Campus of the University of Southern Maine. The home of former governor Percival P. Baxter has become a museum of Indian artifacts and rare coins. Several other notables lived here.
the Androscoggin River splits Gilead down the middle from west to east, flowing between two mountain ranges. See photos. Only one bridge crosses at the village. In 1973 the U.S. EPA was documenting pollution in the river. A brief canoe trip makes about five of its six miles through Gilead to West Bethel, with spectacular views of the Presidential Range.
Garland’s 1891 Grange Hall, built in 1891 is one of the oldest surviving 19th century structures of its type, having both Greek Revival and Italianate elements, and simplicity. The Kenduskeag Stream flows from Garland Pond to the Penobscot River at Bangor. Lyndon Oak was a prominent community member. The town was incorporated in 1811.
has had population loss from 1970 through 2010. Realty Road runs east-west across the northern portion beginning at the Ashland town line. A hunting camp and lodge, and a section of Maine Public Reserved Land, are here. See map. Aroostook County’s Machias River flows through the plantation to join the Aroostook River in Ashland.
on the Kennebec River, it is named for Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, an early proprietor and developer who brought settlers too the area in 1754. See photos. Notable residents included Revolutionary War General Henry Dearborn, Dr. Gideon Stinson Palmer, author Laura E. Richards, and poet Edwin Arlington Robinson.
a town in Oxford County, incorporated in 1777 on the site of an Indian settlement known as Pequawket. See photos. Daniel Webster was a teacher at Fryeburg Academy in 1802. Native American Molly Ockett was born about 1740 into the Pigwacket tribe. The Battle of Lovewell’s Pond was one long day in 1725, during which the leader of the white volunteers, Captain Lovewell, was slain along with the Indian leader Pangus.
The Island once had been governed by a semi-autonomous village corporation. It is primarily a summer vacation home destination. See photos. The Frye Island Ferry operates between the end of Raymond Neck, in the town of Raymond, to the ferry dock on the island. Vehicles, supplies, and people make the trip in about fifteen minutes every half hour.
Settled in 1750, its boat building heritage began soon after and became best known for its specialty – the Friendship Sloop. See photos. The town, whose islands extend far out into Muscongus Bay, hosts the Friendship Sloop Races each summer, organized by the Friendship Sloop Society. The harbor, with its wharfs, moorings, and public landing, is a central economic and social focal point for the community.
in Aroostook County, incorporated in 1869 under the name Dickeyville. The name was change to Frenchville in 1871 in recognition of the French-Acadian population of the town. Its northern border is with Canada along a great bend in the St. John River. A potato farming community, it has lost population over the past three decades. The Frenchville Historical Society’s “Caboose” is part of a railroad station full scale exhibit.
is a popular center of “outlet” stores, including the legendary L. L. Bean, which has a virtual campus of retail buildings. See video and photos. It was named, say some, for Sir Andrew Freeport, a character in Addison’s Spectator Papers. Freeport-built vessels Lafayette and Blen were captured and burned by Confederate raiders. Arctic explorer Donald B. MacMillan lived in Freeport, as did a young John Gould, later author, humorist, and newspaper editor.
in Waldo County, settled in 1794 by Revolutionary War soldier Stephen Smith, was incorporated in 1813.The three acre Freedom Park, near the center of town, occupies the original grounds of Freedom Academy. Sandy Pond, also known as Freedom Pond, has a boat launch for easy access. Freedom village is at its northeast tip.
Named for the German city, and bombed by the British in 1814, Frankfort was once a shipbuilding community on the Penobscot River. Granite cutting and shipping was an important industry up to the early 20th century. Mount Waldo supplied the product and Marsh Bay, in the Penobscot River, provided the means of shipping it.
A fort, named for Governor Edward Kent, was constructed between 1838 and 1840 to assert Maine’s authority and protect settlers during the bloodless Aroostook War. Populated largely by descendents of Acadians fleeing British persecution, French is frequently the language of choice.
Fort Fairfield, established during the Aroostook War, took its name from Governor John Fairfield. The original fort (1839-1843), a duplicate of Fort Kent, was dismantled in 1862. A replica was built in 1976. The 1875 Canadian-Pacific Railroad station is part of the Railroad Museum at the old Bangor & Aroostook rail yard. The town, in the heart of potato country, hosts the Potato Blossom Festival in July.
the most westerly town in Kennebec County, was named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French nobleman who helped the Americans during the Revolution. Settled permanently beginning in 1781, it was incorporated in 1795. The town has substantial frontage on several large ponds: David, Tilton and Parker in the northeast, Echo and Lovejoy in the east, and Mosher Pond in the northwest near Twelve Corners.