Gazetteer of the state of Maine, Part 1

Author: Varney, George J
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Boston Russell
Number of Pages: 648

USA > Maine > Gazetteer of the state of Maine > Part 1

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.

Gc 974.1 V43g 1424882

GENEALOGY COLLECTION

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01083 7109

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014

https://archive.org/details/gazetteerofstate00varn 0

STATE HOUSE, AUGUSTA, ME.

203

GAZETTEER

OF THE

STATE OF MAINE

With numerous Illustrations.

GEO. J. VARNEY,

AUTHOR OF "THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF MAINE," MEMBER OF MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ETC. To.,IND.

FORT WAYNE & ALLEND

THE PUBLIC LIBRERY

WITH

AN APPENDIX

CONTAINING CHANGES TO PRESENT DATE.

BOSTON : PUBLISHED BY B. B. RUSSELL, 57 CORNHILL. 1886.

1881. BY B. B. RUSSELL,

E.OB L MUNWE Y VFFEW CO- 100

THE EnBRIC FIBEVEN

19 75

1424882 .

THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF MAINE, WHEREVER THEIR LOT IS AT PRESENT CAST, This Dolume is Respectfully Dedicated BY THE

AUTHOR.

PREFACE.

THE historical knowledge of the State which the author acquired in the preparation of " The Young People's History of Maine," led to an increased acquaintance with its people and localities; and the popularity of that work has led to the belief that a Gazetteer of the State, in which every town, plantation, mountain, lake and bay should receive due mention would be welcomed by the intelligent people of Maine. Accordingly, the attempt has been made to present in these pages a clear and concise topographical description, together with a brief historical and statistical notice of the several counties, cities, towns and villages of the State. Three works of a somewhat similar nature had previously been offered to the public ; but the two older ones are rarely to be found and are quite out of date, and therefore wide from present facts, while a recent work is on a plan not suited to the popular demand. It is hoped that the present compilement may meet the requirements of a great number of people; yet the author is con- scious that the book is not perfect, neither is it so full as it might be made would space allow. To those desiring more of a business and political directory the author would recommend " The Maine Register," the excellent year book of Hoyt, Fogg & Donham.

The author takes this opportunity to express his thanks for the full specifications furnished by clerks of cities, towns and plantations by filling our blank circulars and by letters. One city and a few towns have failed to respond, wherefore the articles relating to those places are not so full as they otherwise would be.

Coolidge & Mansfield's History and Description of New England has afforded much aid; and many important and pleasing facts have been obtained from the articles in Crocker & Howard's History of New England, prepared by Revs. Mark Trafton, D.D., J. S. Cogswell, E. P. Thwing, J. S. Swift, Henry O. Thayer, Amasa Loring, Geo. B. Ilsley, and Hon. Parker Tuck and Miss C. B. Homer, with William B. Lapham, M.D., and R. R. McLeod, L. F. Starrett, R. K. Sewall, E. F. Duren, E. P. Mayo, Albert C. Wiggin, and Geo. W. Drisko, Esqs.

Essential aid has been obtained from E. H. Elwell's " Portland

PREFACE.

and Vicinity," and his pleasing and useful pamphlet on Aroostook. Acknowledgments are due to the heads of departments in the State government for documents ; and for maps, atlases, sketches of town and county history to Joseph Williamson, Esq., of Belfast ; Rev. H. O. Thayer, of Woolwich; and Esqrs. George A. Emery, of Saco; Turner Buswell, of Solon; Rev. Amasa Loring, Yarmouth; W. S. Gilman, Houl- ton ; H. C. Goodenew, of Bangor; Geo. H. Watkins, of Paris ; J. E. Moore, of Thomaston ; Dr. J. F. Pratt, of Chelsea, Mass., and numer- ous others,-personal friends, or public spirited persons.

All the towns and every plantation given in the report of the Valu- ation Commissioners for 1880, as having an organization, together with the counties, noted mountains, rivers, lakes and bays, and all the post- offices given in the United States Postal Register up to January 1st, 1881, are to be found under their special headings. It is hoped that articles in the first part of the volume relating to the State in general will also be found useful.

GAZETTEER OF MAINE.

THE STATE OF MAINE.

NAME, BOUNDARIES AND AREA.

IN the time of the earliest explorers of America the whole Atlantic coast was spoken of under the term Norumbega. Its application soon began to narrow, and its southern boundary became that of southern New England ; the next bound took it to the Penobscot, " the River of Norumbega," up which it soon retreated to an imaginary semi-civil- ized city. The city melted into a myth, and the name has finally found its local habitation at "Norumbega Hall," in Bangor. As soon as the region of Maine began to be noticed by writers, it was spoken of as Mavosheen. Our State first received its present name in 1639, when Sir Ferdinando Gorges obtained from King Charles I. the charter of the " Province of Mayne." Governor Sullivan of Massachusetts, in his history of Maine, says that Gorges adopted that name in compliment to the queen, who was a daughter of the King of France, and held a right in the French Province of Maine. The fishermen of New Eng- land, at the time, no doubt thought the name was an adoption of their own term of " main," used to distinguish a coast from the neighboring islands. Its vast product of the noble pine-tree has caused it to be characterized as the "Pine-tree State."

The boundaries of the Province of Maine were the Piscataqua River to its source, thence northward one hundred and twenty miles -- which brings the northern boundary near the latitude of Dead River -and on the east, the Sagadahoc or Kennebec River. From this grant Maine obtained its south-western and western boundaries, but it took many surveys to settle it; and Massachusetts and New Hamp- shire did not agree upon it until 1789. The southerly boundary begins at a point in a line S.S.E. from " the entrance into Piscataqua harbor," and 60 miles distant, and thence extends north-eastwardly, enclosing all the islands within twenty leagues of the main land, to Passamaquoddy Bay. On the east and north, the boundaries of the State are derived in general from the cession of Acadia and Canada by France to England in the treaty which closed the con- quest of Canada in 1760. The treaty of 1783, by which Great Britain acknowledged the independence of the United Colonies, de-

GAZETTEER OF MAINE.

scribed this boundary to be "from the north-west angle of Nova Scotia, viz., that angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of St. Croix River to the highlands; along the said high- lands, which divide those rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the Atlantic Ocean, to the north-westernmost head of Connecticut River. This line in its course intercepts near its termination the western line of the Province of Maine, and thus the circuit of the State is completed. As with the western line, it required many surveys, arbitration by the Netherlands, and almost a war to settle it. The British claimed that the true St. Croix was what our government regarded as a western branch of the river; and they also claimed that the line of highlands intended in the treaty were those dividing the waters of the St. John's as well as those of the St. Lawrence from the rivers of Maine. This would take off quite a broad strip on the east and a piece on the north that embraced about one-third of our territory. It was the dispute in regard to these that caused our bloodless " Aroostook War." The lines were settled as they now stand in 1842. By this settlement, the boundary between the ter- ritory of Maine and the British possessions began in the channel between the mainland and Campo Bello Island, and passing between Eastport and Deer Island, dividing Neutral or St. Croix Island oppo- site Robbinston, and continuing up the river to its uppermost head, thence due north until it strikes the St. John's River, then following the middle of this river to the St. Francis, and through the middle of that river to the source of its south-west branch at Lake Pohenaga- mook in latitude 47º 31' 39" and longitude 69º 37' 21"; and from this point, instead of following the highlands which divide the waters fall- ing into the St. Lawrence from those emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, it went in a straight line south-westerly, to a small tributary of the St. John's, thence southerly to the St. John's River again, and up the stream to the monument near the head of the stream. From this point it followed the highlands that divide the St. Lawrence waters from those that run easterly and southerly to the line between New Hamp- shire and Maine. For this surrender of territory the United States re- ceived from Great Britain territory of greater value on the borders of Lakes Champlain and Superior ; and Maine received from the national government one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The greatest width of the state from Quoddy Head due west to New Hampshire is 200 miles; and its greatest length is from Kittery Point to the north- eastern angle, a distance of 350 miles. The length of the shore line in a nearly direct course is about 226 miles ; but following the sinuos- ities of the shore, it is variously estimated from 2000 to 3000 miles. The area of Maine is 31,776 square miles (or 20,320,240 acres), which is only 1200 square miles less than all the rest of New England com- bined. The greatest length is 320 miles; and the maximum width 160 miles. Of this territory about one-half is unimproved.

In the report of the land agent for 1878 occurs the following state- ment :- " With reference to the matter of settlement in our wilderness domain, it may be proper to note the fact, for general information, that all the public lands of Maine having been disposed of, no further favors are within the power of the State to grant for homesteads to settlers * * But still, there remain large tracts of land in Aroos- took and other counties belonging to private owners or proprietors, of

THE STATE OF MAINE.

the same general productive character as those already spoken of, which the owners are ready to sell for homes and farms, and, too, at prices which give purchasers advantages over other and less favorable localities."

BAYS, HARBORS, CAPES AND ISLANDS.

The coast of Maine forms the northern shore of the Gulf of Maine, that broad angle of the sea enclosed between Cape Cod and Cape Sable. It tends north-easterly and south-westerly, thus conforming to the general direction of the rock strata throughout the State. At the middle of its coast line is Penobscot Bay, whence the tide flows up the river to Bangor, thus affording passage to the largest coast vessels almost to the centre of the State. Passamaquoddy is another noble bay, which will find a more extensive use in the future. Casco Bay is the next in size, and is well protected from ocean swells by numerous islands. Portland harbor, on this bay, is of great excellence, having a depth of water sufficient to float the largest ships, while it remains open throughout the year. The harbors of Eastport, Machias, Boothbay, Rockland and Belfast all afford safe havens through the year; while the river ports of Calais, Bangor, Bucksport, Wiscasset (Sheepscot Bay) and Bath, afford good anchorage, and free access in all seasons in most years. The other large bays, likely to be more used in the future are Frenchman's, Englishman's, Narraguagus, Pleasant River, Taunton, Union River, Muscongus and Quohog. Other notable bays and harbors of our coast are Portsmouth Harbor, Saco and Muscongus bays, St. George's, Castine and South-West harbors.

The considerable projections of land are Kittery Point, Fletcher's Neck, Libby's Neck, Cape Elizabeth, the Harpswell, Phippsburg, St. George and Brooklin peninsulas, Cape Newagen, Pemaquid, Gouldsboro and Machias (" Point of Maine ") and Quoddy Head.

The notable islands are Mount Desert, and at Penobscot Bay, Isle au Haute, Deer Isle and the Fox Islands ; Monhegan and St. George's; at the Kennebec are Georgetown and Arrowsic and Swan's island ; and near Casco Bay, Orr's and Great Island, Chebeague, Richmond, and others. It might at first be supposed that our jagged coast would be the scene of more shipwrecks than any other equal length of shore. On the New Jersey coast, however, there were, in 1879, 48 disasters to vessels against 40 on the Maine coast-which is one-third longer. Again only 7 of the disasters on our coast proved total losses, to 16 on the New Jersey coast. The latter has forty life saving stations to our six ;- while in these 40 disasters on our coast only two lives were lost. Thus, notwithstanding its threatening rocks, our shores do not prove so dangerous to mariners as might be expected.

The coast is well adapted for defence ; and the remarkalle tidal flow in the rocky basin of a coast line 3000 miles in length, can be operated with advantage as a power for 16 hours a day. While the mean tide of New York is 4.8 feet, that of Maine's coast is 11.6 feet; at Eastport it is 13.1 feet.

GAZETTEER OF MAINE.

MOUNTAINS.

The most characteristic feature of Maine is its hilliness. The Hydrographic Survey of the State gives 600 feet as the average eleva- tion above the sea of its whole territory. The coast has only three considerable elevations .- Agamenticus, in York, 672 feet, Megunticook, in Camden, 1,457, and Green Mountain, in Mount Desert, 1,533 feet above the level of the sea. The " highlands " along the north-western side of Maine, are bare, barren, and of the uniform height of about 2,000 feet above the surface of the sea, which circumstances give the range suitability as a boundary line. But between these and the coast region is an elevated triangular tract reaching from Fryeburg on the south to the Bald Mountain Ridge (at the Canadian border and in the latitude of the northern extremity of Moosehead Lake) and extending from south-west to north-east across the State, decreasing to a point at Mars Hill on the eastern border. The general elevation of the water levels in the region of Moosehead Lake is above 1,100 feet above sea level, falling off somewhat in all directions, but most toward the east. In the whole extent of this tract start up here and there isolated peaks or short ranges. As disposed in its different parts with respect to sea level, the surface of the State shows, firstly, an ascending slope from the shore line 140 miles into the interior ; secondly, a counter slope or declivity extending 78 miles in the widest part to the northern bound- ary ; thirdly, a general falling off in height from west to east. The divide separating the first two slopes has a height above sea-level varying from 1,800 feet in the west, to 600 in the east, affording an average of 1,085 feet, according to our report of the North-Eastern Boundary Survey. The area of the Northern Slope is 7,400, and of the Southern, 24,100 square miles. The former has a comparative uniformity of elevation over its different parts; the descent from the water-shed ridge on the south to the St. John on the north, is not sufficient to give more than a slow movement to the streams, and the depression of the whole basin to the eastward is so slight that the currents of the St. John itself is moderate. This slope is swampy and devoid of falls as compared with the Southern Slope; the latter having a decided and uniform descent sea-ward over its whole extent. Our highest moun- tain is Katahdin, whose top is 5,385 feet above the sea. This region of elevation is considered by geologists to be a prolongation of the great Appalachian, or Alleghany chain of mountains, which rises in northern Georgia, and bends north-easterly along the continent, manifesting its existence in New York in the Catskills and the Adirondacks, losing in elevation by diffusion, until in New Hampshire, the peaks again rise into grandeur as the White Mountains. The mountains of Maine differ from the Appalachian chain in their middle and southern region, in that they consist not of ridges, but peaks more or less conical in form, generally isolated, but sometimes disposed in clusters. They are comparatively bare of dirt about their summits, being outcroppings of bald rock, and not immense swells of land; but about their bases they are heavily wooded. Their conical form and dispersement result in a smaller deposit of moisture upon their windward slopes than would occur with continuous ridges; and in consequence there is a more equal rainfall in all parts. (See article " Mountains" in alphabetical part of this book.)

THE STATE OF MAINE.

VALLEYS.

Whatever depression, more or less extended, serves to accumulate the surplus water of adjacent districts into a single drainage channel may properly be designated a valley. In Maine, these partake of the plain rather than of the ravine character. They consist mainly of broad tracts of country depressed along their central axis, and separated one from another by wide, low swells instead of steep slopes and abrupt mountain chains or ridges. Their surface, too, is broken and diversi- fied with local elevations and depressions, disguising somewhat their character, and rendering the scenery more various and pleasing. The crest of the divides of these valleys are in many localities so low as barely to determine the flow of the waters in one direction rather than another ; and this is especially the case in the vicinity of the ridge dividing the great northern and southern slopes. The waters of the south-west branch of the St. John and those of the Penobscot are drawn in part from the same swamps; the Kennebec and Penobscot are separated at some points by only a mile or two of very low coun- try. The headwaters of the Penobscot in freshets actually become commingled with those of the Allaguash, Aroostook and St. Croix ; and the geographical marvel is many times repeated within our limits of rivers interlocking at their sources and flowing off in different directions upon different slopes. The valleys of the northern part of the State are determined in their line of length by the trend of the Appalachian ridges; while in the southern part their axes are generally at a very large angle, in many cases amounting to a right angle. Instead of being caused by upheaval, they seem rather to be channels worn by the waters and icebergs of the drift period, though in some cases formed apparently by a "fault" in the underlying rock. Another feature resulting from the southward currents of the drift period is the numerous " horsebacks " of large or small dimensions found through- out the south-eastern slope of the State,-but largest and most character istic in form in the northern part of the slope. These are masses of sand, gravel, pebbles and sometimes bowlders of the size of a two-quart dish, formed, probably, from glacial moraines in the drift period, or by strong currents, or deposited under an eddy. Our most extended plains are usually tracts of sandy loam, originally covered with a growth of pine.

RIVERS.

Upon the official map of Maine may be counted 5151 streams. These ramify into innumerable branches, threading the surface of the state with a fine network of brooks and rivulets, so that all parts of it seem alive and in motion with running waters. Of this large number of streams, only seven connect the interior water-sheds with the sea ; while the secondary or seaboard system has nineteen streams ranging from a dozen miles to upwards of fifty in length. Of the principal rivers, the Piscataqua, Kennebec, Sheepscot, Penobscot and St. Croix admit vessels of two thousand tons for a few miles; while the Kenne- bec is navigable for coast vessels to Augusta, and the Penobscot to Bangor.

" The 1,229,200,000 cubic feet, more or less, of water annually de-

GAZETTEER OF MAINE.

livered by our rivers, fall therefore on their passage to the sea through the mean distance of 600 feet, and in their descent yield a gross power of 4429 horse for each foot of fall. This being multiplied by the total average fall in feet, gives 2,656,200 horse-power gross, which are equivalent to the working energy of over 34,000,000 men laboring without intermission from year's end to year's end." * Of course a very considerable fraction of this force exists where circumstances ren- der it of no account as a source of practical power and value ; much of it being consumed in overcoming the friction and resistance of the passage of the waters, while much of it enters the ocean in the form of the velocity of rivers. "As to the actual amount that can be brought into use for the usual working hours of the year, with an expenditure that would be deemed reasonable at now existing prices of mechanical power, it is a sufficiently close approximation to assign a figure between one and two millions of horse-powers." t (See Manufactures ; also rivers, under their respective names.) The uniformity of volume in our principal rivers is such that by using available means of storage by dams at the larger reservoirs, nearly the full power can be maintained during working hours through the year, except for a few weeks in exceptionally dry seasons. A grand circumstance in relation to the rivers of our southern slope especially, is that the lines of stratification of our rocks are generally at almost right angles to the courses of the rivers, thus producing the pitches and sudden descents so important to the availability of the power ; while the hardness of the rocks preserves the condition of the channels, and prevents loss of water by absorption and percolation.

LAKES AND PONDS.

On looking at the map of Maine, one of the first observations will be the numerous lakes and ponds that are divided quite evenly among the counties. The total count of those represented upon our maps as connected with our rivers within the State is not less than 1568. This number does not include the multitude of small ponds scattered about in such profusion that almost every school district has one; nor those large and small, in the wilderness districts, that are not rep- resented upon any map.

The lakes of which we have taken account possess at the lowest esti- mate a combined area of 2200 square miles. Calculating on the basis of the above figures, we have one lake to each twenty square miles of territory, and one square mile of lake to each 14.3 square miles of ter- ritorial area. Thus Maine contains more lake surface than a million square miles situated in the central and western districts of the United States, south of the lake belt.

Almost every one of these ponds is connected with a river by which a constant change of the contents of the basis is kept up, enhancing its purity and supplying industrial motive in its vicinity. It is also a remarkable feature that the lakes of Maine, to an important extent, are situated upon the mountain region of the State, and are obliged to seek a passage for their waters over its broken surface, or through its rug-

* Hydrographic Survey of Maine, p. 8.

t Ibid., p. 8.

THE STATE OF MAINE.

ged ravines ; by which circumstance it is rendered possible to use the waters over and over again at the various falls between the source and the sea.

This great number of ponds and lakes so generally diffused add greatly to the beauty of our scenery, while the purity of the water -- often supplied by springs as well as surface streams-contributes vastly to both physical and moral health. (See principal lakes and ponds under their respective names.)

CLIMATE.

The State of Maine lies between 43º 6' and 47º 27' 33" N. latitude and between 66° 56' 48" and 71° 6' 41" W. longitude. The 45th parallel of latitude crosses the State within thirty miles of its geographical centre. Its position is thus almost equi-distant betwixt the equator and the pole, from which results a moderate temperature and variable winds. They prevail successively for a longer or shorter time from every quarter of the compass, bringing therefrom every variety of heat and cold, and of moisture and dryness. The current rarely prevails from one point of the compass for more than three days successively ; and therefore, while the changes are often quite sudden, neither hot nor cold, wet nor dry, weather prevails for many days in succession in ordinary seasons. It results also that the rains are usually gentle, occupying not unfrequently several days for the deposition of a single inch of water. The sea-fogs of the dog-days, if they do not moisten the soil, impart a grateful coolness to the atmosphere.

The mean annual temperature of the northern third of the State from the observations of seventeen years is 38°.55; the mean of the southern two-thirds from observations in every section of from six to sixty-six years, is 43º.21; the mean for the whole State being 40°.88. This temperature for a region situated on the 45th parallel is relatively low. The mean summer temperature for the northern third of the State is 62.º19; for the southern two-thirds, it is 62º.18; and for State average, 62º.185.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Gazetteer of the state of Maine, Part 1

Author: Varney, George J Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Boston Russell Number of Pages: 648

Author: Varney, George J
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Boston Russell
Number of Pages: 648