The 1835 Union Church was a community meeting house, then in 1922, the Town Office, and recently home of the Durham Historical Society. The early 20th century religious movement known as the Sandfordites, after their leader Frank W. Sandford, built their 1897 temple “Shiloh” here. Runaround Pond offers a pleasant canoe trip through water lilies and bird life. See video and photos.
Its eastern portion is dominated by the Mattawamkeag River System Wildlife Management Area. Recreational opportunities include boating, canoeing, and wildlife viewing for eagles, osprey, deer, moose and water birds. The 6,800 plus acre parcel includes Mud Pond. In 1921 Drew was incorporated as a town, but in the depths of the Great Depression it reverted to a plantation.
the county seat of Piscataquis County, born of the union of Dover and Foxcroft in 1922, and home to Foxcroft Academy and three members of Congress, is the commercial center of the area. See photos.
Dr. Elijah Dix bought the town (and Dixmont); his granddaughter was social reformer Dorothy Dix. See video and photos. Inventor Leonard Norcross was a resident in the early 19th century. The town town in Oxford County incorporated in 1803.
A woolen mill, erected in 1835, started an industry that lasted for over 150 years. See photos. Recent manufacturing firm closings contributed to the decline in population in the 1990-2000 decade. Settled 1800, incorporated 1816 in Penobscot County, it is the birthplace in 1888 of legislator, congressman, governor, and U.S. Senator Ralph Owen Brewster.
The East Branch of the Sebasticook River flows through the village on its way to Sebasticook Lake in Newport. See photos. Several mills used it water power in the 19th century. Incorporated 1828 in Somerset County as Chandlerville, the name was changed to Detroit in 1841.
is in eastern Washington County, settled 1786 and incorporated 1818. While using tidal power to generate electricity was to emerge in the 20th century, direct tidal power was at work in 1886, supporting lumber mills and a grist mill on the Denny’s River.
A scenic location for mountain bicyclists 84 miles north of Skowhegan, it is adjacent to Jackman. See photos. Two ponds with boat launches are several miles west of U.S. Route 201 in its interior. The sparsely populated plantation’s organization was confirmed formally in 1895.
Pleasant Mountain rises 2,006 feet among adjoining ridges and peaks. See photos. A hiking trail offers access and views of the surrounding countryside and of Moose Pond. Settled 1788 and incorporated 1807 in Oxford County, the town’s western line is the Saco River.
in Hancock County, settled 1810, incorporated 1837, is home to the historic Lucerne Inn and to the self-governing village corporation Lucerne-in-Maine, created in 1927. See photos and video. With two substantial lakes, Phillips and Green, the town is a growing recreational suburb of the Bangor-Brewer area.
Once part of William Bingham’s “million-acre purchase,” in western Washington County, incorporated 1852, contains Wyman’s extensive blueberry fields, with a private airstrip and migrant labor cabins. A former fish hatchery is on Hatchery Road.
though incorporated on February 12, 1812, its original territory has been completely divided among the towns of Fairfield, Smithfield, Mercer, Rome, Belgrade, and Oakland. Formerly West Pond Plantation, the town was probably named for General Henry Dearborn, a Revolutionary War veteran and Secretary of War under President Jefferson. The town surrendered its organized status on…
in York County, settled in 1753 and incorporated in 1854, is a rapidly growing community. Remains of an old mill site and dam recall the 19th century economy. See photos. A combined farm and cross country ski center is on the Buzzell Road.
in the Baskahegan valley, is the northernmost town in Washington County, The village is at U.S. Route 1 and Maine Route 169 at the end of Crooked Brook Flowage. The majestic, historic 1888 Union Hall clock tower dominates the village. See photos.
in Lincoln County, contains Native American shell middens (heaps), built 8 clipper ships, and borders the Great Salt Bay nature preserve. Walt Disney’s Bambi was “born” here. See photos.
formed in 1895, a small but fast growing community, it contains two public lots and a four-season trail system. It is adjacent to Rangeley, and near the Rangeley Lakes and the Saddleback ski areas.
in Washington County, incorporated 1826, is east of East Machias and boasts a large, protected harbor known as Little Machias Bay. A U.S. Navy communication base is on the Bay. Cutler Coast Public Preserved Land, in Cutler and Whiting, has almost five miles of dramatic cliff-bound ocean shore.
in Knox County, incorporated in 1789, is just south of Thomaston and lies on the western shore of the St. George River. It is famous as the home of Anna “Christina” Olson, Andrew Wyeth’s subject in his now classic “Christina’s World.” The weather beaten house overlooks the Georges River and the family cemetery.
in Cumberland County, incorporated 1822, includes two islands in Casco Bay: Sturdivant and Basket. Basket Island, is a nature preserve of .9 acres of mixed forest and shell and gravel beaches. The town, a suburb of Portland, grew by almost 23 percent between 1990 and 2000, and continues its population growth. See photos.
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.