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ALNA
Alna, which is Latin for “alder trees”, was originally part
of old Pownalborough (incorporated 1760). The town was settled in 1663 and
incorporated in 1794. The Meeting House, circa 1789, located on Route 218, is a
rare example of an 18th century church with high pulpit and box pews unchanged
through the years. Also on Route 218, near the Meeting House, is a 1795
schoolhouse with cupola, which is the second oldest one-room school-house still
standing in the State. Both buildings are on the National Register.
The Sheepscot River, with its headwaters in nearby Whitefield, has an alewife
and Atlantic salmon run each spring and is a favorite whitewater area. Alna has
two Historic Districts: Sheepscot, which is on both sides of the river, partly
in Alna and Newcastle; and Head Tide, birthplace of American poet Edward
Arlington Robinson. Both Districts have many handsome homes and period
buildings, notably the Head Tide Church dedicated in 1838.
BOOTHBAY
The old town of Boothbay was incorporated in 1764 and has
four villages: Boothbay Center, East Boothbay, Ocean Point and Trevett; as well
as three islands in the Sheepscot River connected by bridges to the mainland:
Barter, Hodgedon and Sawyer. The town is home to a railway museum and many
attractive old houses, including the Nicholas Knight House built in 1784.
East Boothbay has a long history of shipbuilding, with small
shipyards that once turned out large sailing vessels now building power and sail
pleasure craft as well as commercial fishing boats. The village’s unique
location, lying between Linekin Bay and the Damariscotta River, boasts tidal
water known as Mill Pond where logs once floated to Hodgedon’s grist mill. The
old church on top of the hill is also a landmark. Of the many islands is
Damariscove where Pilgrims came to trade with the Indians. In the distance on a
clear day, Monhegan Island is plainly visible.
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BOOTHBAY HARBOR
Boothbay Harbor has one of the finest natural harbors on the
Maine coast. Long before it became nationally known as a summer resort, it was
famous as a fishing and trading port as well as shipbuilding center with ships
anchoring here from all over the world. The early settlement, called Townsend,
was incorporated in 1764. The library located in the center of town is listed on
the National Register of Historic Places. Overlooking the harbor is St. Andrews
Hospital with adjacent clinic and professional complex. The State of Maine
Department of Marine Resources maintains its laboratories at McKnown Point, as
does world acclaimed Bigelow Laboratory. The U.S. Coast guard maintains a
station at Boothbay Harbor.
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BREMEN
Bremen, incorporated February 19, 1828 and first called Broad
Cove, lies on the west bank of the Medomak River. The town includes the villages
of Broad Bay, Medomak and Muscongus. There are two main island; Bremen Long
Island and Hog Island, now owned by the National Audubon Society, and was a gift
from the Todd family. In 1936 the Todd Wildlife Sanctuary was opened as a nature
camp to the public so all could enjoy the many species of wildlife and plants.
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BRISTOL
Bristol was part of the Pemaquid Patent granted in 1631 to
Aldworth and Elbridge of Bristol, England. Settled in 1625, early explorers
include deMonts, Weymouth, Gosnold, Pring and Captain John Smith. The town was
incorporated in 1765, and today has eight villages: Bristol Mills, Pemaquid
Harbor, Pemaquid Point, Pemaquid Beach, Pemaquid falls, New Harbor, Chamberlaind
and Round Pond.
Bristol is home to many interesting historical sites. The
Harrington Meeting House constructed in 1772 was restored in the 1960's to its
original condition and is now a museum. The famous lighthouse at Pemaquid Point
was built in 1824, and the Fishermen’s Museum is located on the grounds. The
Pemaquid Restoration and Fort William Henry, the fourth fort to be built at this site and now a State park, is located nearby. New Harbor and Round
Pond are typical Maine fishing villages with fish houses, piles of gear and lots
of lobster pots and buoys.
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DAMARISCOTTA
The site of Damariscotta was included in the Pemaquid Patent
but was not incorporated until 1847. This coastal village along the Damariscotta
River is the trading center for a large area. The area was a great sanctuary to
the Indians evidenced by the oyster shells heaps left on both sides of the
river. Landmarks are the Baptist church with its clock tower, Miles Memorial
Hospital, Skidompha Library and many period homes. The restored and furnished
Chapman-Hall house, circa 1754, is open to the public during the summer months.
In the 19th century Damariscotta became one of New England’s most famous
shipbuilding towns with Metcalf and Norris, the pioneer clipper ship builders of
Maine. From their yards came the “Flying Scud” famous for her passage to
Melbourne in 76 days.
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DRESDEN
The town of Dresden has a lively past of great historical
interest. Dresden borders on Merryeeting Bay, the Kennebec, and Eastern Rivers. The
Pilgrims came here to trade with the Indians for furs to send to England to pay
their debts. Settlers from France and Germany came in the mid-eighteenth
century. In 1760 when Lincoln County was established, a Court House was built at
Pownalborough (now Dresden). Court was held here until 1794 when they were moved
to Wiscasset the new shire town. The Court Room was on the second floor and here
came John Adams and other famous lawyers and judges of the day. It was also a
tavern for the people who came great distances by water and over land. The
Pownalborough Court House is largely restored to its original condition, with
pine paneling, huge beams and great fireplaces.
Dresden was famous again in the mid-nineteenth century when
Kennebec River ice was shipped all over the world. The largest ice houses on the
river were at Cedar Grove, one of the town’s two villages. The other, Dresden
Mills, is on the Eastern River and has an interesting old church, St. John’s
Episcopal, built in 1818.
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EDGECOMB
Edgecomb, incorporated in 1774, lies between the Sheepscot
and Damariscotta Rivers. Fort Edgecomb was built in 1809 on the Sheepscot to
protect Wiscasset and its shipping from possible British attack. A block house
with parade ground and the remains of fortifications stands on a granite ledge
looking out on a beautiful view of the Narrows, Westport Island, and in the
distance on the Edgecomb shore, a glimpse of the “Marie Antoinette house”.
Tradition says that Captain Stephen Clough of the ship SALLY was in France in
1793, and was involved in a plot to rescue the Queen and take her back to
America to the home of his father-in-law, Joseph Decker, on Jeremy Squam Island,
now Westport Island. The plot failed but the house has been linked ever since
with the Queen’s name. It was moved to the Edgecomb shore one winter when the
ice was very thick.
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JEFFERSON
Jefferson, settled in 1770 has many farms but is best known
for its lakes and ponds, including Damariscotta and half of Clary, as well as
Dyer Long Pond and Deer Meadow Pond. Jefferson Village is at the head of
Damariscotta Lake’s Great Bay. The Cattle Pound on Route 126, built in 1829, is
a 40 foot circular stone enclosure used to impound stray farm animals.
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MONHEGAN ISLAND
Monhegan Island, settled in 1720, was described by an early
voyager as “the great island shaped like a whale. Many brave mariners came
across the seas to an unknown shore in the 17th century, and earlier, to fish
and explore. The Cabots circled the island in 1498 and Captain John Smith
planted a garden here in 1614. Lobstering is Monhegan’s great industry. Artists,
summer visitors and all who walk the island trails take away an unforgettable
memory of Monhegan’s high cliffs, cathedral woods and blue Atlantic waters
stretching away toward Spain.
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NEWCASTLE
Newcastle, incorporated in 1763, lies between the Sheepscot
and Damariscotta Rivers, and includes three village centers: Sheepscot, first
settled in the early 1620's, North Newcastle and Damariscotta Mills. The early
settlements were destroyed several times in the French and Indian Wars, so the
oldest buildings are dated in the 1750’s. Notable are the Glidden House, circa
1752, and the Kavanaugh Mansion, circa 1800, home of Edward Kavanaugh, Governor
of Maine in the 1840’s.
Newcastle became one of the most important shipbuilding
centers on the coast. Full rigged ships, clippers and downeasters all came from
Newcastle yards. Another principal industry of long ago was brick making.
Newcastle claims two historic churches. St. Patrick’s, the first Roman Catholic
church organized north of Boston and St. Andrew’s, an Episcopal Church featuring
a lovely edifice and is the first church built by Henry Vaughn, who later
devoted his talents to the design and construction of the National Cathedral in
Washington, D.C. Lincoln Academy, founded in 1804, is one of the earliest Maine
private academies still in existence.
Dodge Pont is a beautiful tract of publicly owned land on the
Damariscotta River available for nature walks and picnicking. Each spring brings
the greatly anticipated return of alewives that leap the falls in Damariscotta
Mills to spawn in the lake.
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NOBLEBORO
A granite monument on the Nobleboro town Common honors Lt.
Col. Arthur Noble, for whom the town is named. He commanded one of three
regiments that captured Fort Louisberg from the French in 1745. Many of the long
ago small farms are now rural homes for residents attracted by the beauty of
Damariscotta Lake, Pemaquid, Duck Puddle Ponds and spacious woodlands.
Agriculture, however, is still important in North Nobleboro, with a few large
dairy herds providing record supplies of milk. The alewives continue their
amazing spring run at the Great Falls in historic Damariscotta Mills.
A modern central school, constructed in 1991, shares school
grounds with one of the town’s twelve original one-room schoolhouses. This 1818
building is now the Nobleboro Historic Center, which preserves and displays town
records, genealogies, and memorabilia, and is also used for meetings of the
Nobleboro Historical Society.
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SOMERVILLE
Formerly Patricktown Plantation, Somerville incorporated in
1858; repealed and reorganized as a plantation in 1938 and incorporated as a
town in 1974. Somerville is known for its beautiful, unspoiled Maine
countryside. Crummet Mountain, Dodge Hill. Long and James Ponds from which the
Sheepscot River flows to the sea, all providing wonderful opportunities for
hiking, fishing, hunting and camping.
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SOUTH BRISTOL
South Bristol, originally part of Bristol, was set apart in
1915 by an act of the Legislature. It is a famous shipbuilding town with
trawlers, fishing boats, small naval vessels and yachts built here. It is a busy
fishing port. Every summer visitors return to numerous cottages and hotels in
the area, especially to Christmas Cove, one of the Maine’s oldest and best known
summer colonies. Further inland at Walpole, a village in South Bristol, is the
Wawenock Country Club, named for the Indian tribe which once frequented the
area. Secluded in a grove of trees is one of Lincoln County’s fine old 18th
century churches, Walpole Meeting house, circa 1772. Although clamming, fishing
and lobstering have been the base of the economy, aquaculture is now providing
new employment. Oysters and mussels are cultivated in the cold, clear waters of
the Damariscotta River.
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SOUTHPORT
Southport is a beautifully wooded island connected to the
mainland by a bridge at Townsend Gut in the Sheepscot River. The Southport
peninsula reaches further out into the Atlantic than any other part of Lincoln
County. Squirrel and Capitol Islands are part of Southport as well as West
Southport and Newagen. Cape Newagen was known to all the early voyagers. In the
fall of 1623, Captain Christopher Leavett of York, England, explored this
section of the coast talking with the Indians and looking for a site for a
possible colony. Fishing, boating, exploring the outer islands and enjoying the
unique Maine coastline – all can be experienced to their fullest here.
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WALDOBORO
Waldoboro, situated in the valley of the Mewdomak River which
flows into the headwaters of Muscongus Bay, has three villages, North and South
Waldoboro, and Winslow’s Mills. It was settled largely by German emigrants and
their heritage remains to this day. General Samuel Waldo, a Boston merchant,
brought over the first settlers on the ship “Lydia” in 1742. Originally called
Broad Bay, the town was incorporated as Waldoboro in 1773.
In the 19th century Waldoboro became famous as a great
shipbuilding center. The period 1830-1860 was especially active and the river on
both sides was lined with shipyards. In 1856, 185,783 tons of shipping were
owned in Waldoboro, surpassed in tonnage only by Boston. In 1900 the Waldoboro
yards again came to life with the building of six great five-masted schooners
ordered by William E. Palmer of Boston. Services are still held each summer at
the old German Meeting House, circa 1772. The ancient cemetery is close by. The
Historical Society Museum is on Route 220 beside the old Cattle Pound. Farming
and lumbering are extensively carried on, with hunting, fishing and boating
enjoyed in the area.
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WESTPORT ISLAND
Westport Island was known to the Indians and early settlers
as Jeremy Squam Island. It is eleven miles long, lies south of Wiscasset on the
Sheepscot River and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Robinhood, an
Indian Sagamore, sold the island to John Richards, an early settler, in 1649. It
was surveyed as early as 1744 for its timber which was valuable because of the
export of sailing ship mast pines.
A precipitous cliff on the western bank of the river is
known as Doggett’s Castle. Here Captain Samuel Doggett (1685-1745) used to moor
his ship “Dolphin” and trade with the Indians. Fishing and other hand trades are
the principal industries.
Just north of the historic Town Hall (1790) and adjoining
Church is the historic Squire Tarbox Farm built in 1763-1825. The Squire was
involved with fishing and shipping, was the Town’s First Selectman and its
Postmaster. The Squire Tarbox Farm is on the National Register of Historic
Places and is now a country inn with dinner restaurant as well as a small goat
cheese dairy. Samuel Tarbox had twelve children and one of his grandsons died
with General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
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WHITEFIELD
Whitefield gets its name from the celebrated British
evangelist, George Whitefield, who inspired the colonists before the town was
settled in 1770. They remembered him when the town was incorporated in 1809. The earliest
organized settlement was centered within the parish of St. Denis, located on a
hill in the Irish section of town. The area was so reminiscent of Ireland’s
countryside that it became home to many from the Emerald Isle.
The three villages of this community, King’s Mills,
Whitefield and Coopers Mills, are linked by the Sheepscot River, which meanders
down the town’s middle. Atlantic salmon and brook trout are found in the
Sheepscot’s pools. There have been no less that eight bridges spanning the river
– carrying sheep, hay wagons, narrow gauge trains, logging trucks and more. The
fertile and wooded valley provided sustenance and energy to woodsmen, farmers,
millers, sawyers and their families for decades. Today, Whitefield’s population
is a cooperative mix of farmers, artists, woodsmen and professionals.
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WISCASSET
Wiscasset, settled in the first half of the 18th century and
once part of Pownalborough, became the county seat in 1794 when the courts were
moved from the Pownalborough Court House. Bordering the Sheepscot River, it has
one of the deepest harbors in Maine even being 14 miles from the sea. The town
rapidly became a great shipbuilding center and lumber port. In 1800, 30 locally
owned square rigged vessels carried cargo all over the world. In 1870, a brick
customs house was erected in the harbor area to accommodate the large quantity
of commerce.
The County Court House, 1824, The Lincoln County Museum,
1839, jailer’s house with varying exhibits, the Old Lincoln County Jail, 1809,
the Maine Art Gallery, the Musical Wonder House, the Nickels-Sortwell House,
1807, Castle Tucker, 1807, and numerous antique shops and unique boutiques are
all places of interest in Maine’s “prettiest little village”.
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