WHERE IN THE WORLD IN MAINE

by Peter Hutchinson

The signpost looks like some absurd rendering from a world map: its place name pickets point to Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, all within 25 miles distance; Paris a mere 15 miles and Poland 27 miles away;  Mexico and Peru nine miles apart, and far off China all of 98 miles down the road!  Geography run amuck?    Located in the very small town of Lynchville, at the junction of State routes 9 and 35 in Maine's Oxford County, the sign appears as postcard evidence of Maine's geographic diversity of place names.  Eight countries and more than two dozen foreign city names show up on the state road map.  One wonders how and when Maine's founding settlers and early inhabitants came from so many national origins- or did they?  Perhaps, but not on the basis of the names by which they incorporated towns.

The reasons for Maine's town names turn out to be as varied as the names themselves.  Yes, some places are named for the hometowns of their settlers- but in Maine, mostly the towns of English forebears remembered in the naming of earliest settlements like York (given that name in1652 after earlier incorporations as Agamenticus, 1641 and Georgeana, 1642), Kittery (first incorporated as Piscataqua in 1647), and Yarmouth (first incorporated in 1680 as North Yarmouth).  After a few generations, however, the English town names were actually once-removed, renaming in Maine the lower New England towns from which settlers migrated, such as Chelsea (1850), Manchester (so-named in1854, although settlement commenced about 1774), Waterford (first settled in 1775, incorporated in 1797).  Belfast (first settled in 1770, incorporated in1798) and Limerick (settled in 1775, incorporated 1787) were named by Irish settlers, but while Topsham (1717) is supposed to have had settlers from that English town,  Brunswick, incorporated the same year, was named not for its Germans but for the origins of the Georgian English kings in the house of Brunswick

During the 1800s as new towns proliferated in Maine, there was a spate of "classical" naming: Athens and Rome (both incorporated as such in 1804), Corinth (1811), Troy (1829, after its incorporation as Kingsville in 1812 and other renamings as Joy, and Montgomery,) and Smyrna (1839).  Toward the end of the 18th century, we begin the geography lesson of Oxford County, with its Norway (1797), Denmark (1807), Sweden (1813), Mexico (1815), and Peru (1821).  And then we have the plethora of foreign capitols: Paris, Rome, and Stockholm, Lisbon, Madrid and Moscow.  If few of these names reflect the actual origins of settlers, how were they derived?  Were they, as some writers suppose, simply following a fashion that spread with new settlement throughout the nation?  Was there a desperation for originality or urbanity on the frontier?  Or only a need to get away from the ubiquitous family names (Jonesport, Buckfield, Brownville) or descriptives (Waterville, Lakeville, Winterport, Eastport, Northport, Riverside)?

All are not as they seem, and herewith a short gazetteer of Maine's geographical towns and their origins.

Athens (Somerset County) was settled about 1782, and incorporated in 1804.

Augusta (Kennebec County), state capital since 1828,  was named that in 1797 after being settled as early as 1629 as Cushnoc, incorporated as part of Hallowell in 1771, and separated again under the name of Harrington.  The name was a steal from an earlier Augusta (now a fragment of history called "Ancient Augusta" which was an fortified settlement attempt at Small Point in what is now Phippsburg.

Bangor (Penobscot County) was settled in 1769 by Jacob Bussell (or Buzzell, or Buswell) from Salisbury, Mass., but is believed to have been the site of the proverbial Tarratine city Norembega, referred to as such as early as 1539.  The locale had a succession of native names, known as Kenderquit, Condeskeag, and Kenduskeag, and in 1769 was called Kenduskeag Plantation.    In 1791, its incorporation was planned under the name Sunbury, but when the new town's representative, the Rev. Seth Noble, appeared before the Massachusetts General Court, he had a sudden change of mind.  When asked what name, he called out "Bangor"-- not for the seaport in Northern Ireland, or the cathedral town in northwest Wales, but for his favorite hymn tune. [East Bangor, North Bangor, North Bangor Station, West Bangor, Bangor Hill]

Bath (Sagadahoc County), premier ship-building city of the nation through both sail and steel, was settled on lands obtained by Christopher Lawson about 1640 and by Robert Gutch and Alexander Thwait from the Indian sagamore Robin Hood in1660.  Originally part of Georgetown (1650, resettled 1730), Bath was separated off in 1753 and incorporated as Bath in 1781.  The name was chosen by Dummer Sewall, representing the region before the Massachusetts General Court, and commemorated the famous English river port and spa.

Belfast (Waldo County) was originally part of the Muscongus or Waldo patent.  Surveyor John Mitchell was the founder of the town, with first settlers purchasing lots in 1769.  Scotch-Irish migrants from Londonderry, N.H., including James Miller and his family, arrived the following year, and in 1773 the town was incorporated as Belfast.  The name was at the wish of Miller, for his native town in Ireland.

Belgrade (Kennebec County) was first settled in 1774, and incorporated in 1796.  It was supposedly named by early resident John V. Davis, remembrance of his travels to the (then) Serbian city.

Bremen in Lincoln County was first settled in 1735 by William Hilton, from Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Originally included in the Pemaquid Patent, it was once part of Bristol.  It was incorporated under its present name in 1828, but why?

Cambridge (Somerset County) was not named to commemorate either its English or Massachusetts cousins, but by the daughter of Isaac Hooper, in whose house a meeting was held to select a name for its incorporation in 1834.  She suggested it from a story she had been reading that took place in the English town.

CHINA in Kennebec County was first settled in 1774 by a Clark family from Nantucket, of the Society of Friends.  Surveyed by John Jones in 1774, it was first organized as Jones' Plantation, and incorporated as Harlem in 1796.  It got its present name in 1818, incorporated from parts of the towns of Harlem, Fairfax (Albion), and Winslow.  The name?  Chosen by local citizen Japheth C. Washburn, then representative to the Massachusetts legislature, from the title of one of his favorite hymns- and also because the name was not being used elsewhere in the U.S.

Corinna (Penobscot County) was bought as a township from Massachusetts by Dr. John Warren of Boston in 1804, and incorporated in 1816.  The name was for the daughter of Dr. John Warren of Boston, first proprietor of the town lands.  Whether she was named for the Greek town or poetess is not known.

Corinth (Penobscot County) was first settled as a township granted by Massachusetts to John Peck in 1794.  It was first organized as a plantation under the name Ohio, and incorporated as the town Corinth in 1811. [South Corinth, West Corinth]

DENMARK in Oxford County was first settled 1788-89 by Ezra Stiles, David Porter, and others.  Its early name was Pequaket, after the indigenous Indian tribe.  Formed from a grant made by Massachusetts to Fryeburg Academy, it was incorporated in its present name in 1807.  But why?  To emulate nearby Norway with a similar country name?  Perhaps to attract favorable European settlement?  To commemorate the battle of doughty Danish seamen against the England's Lord Nelson?  Or, as someone told it, to remember an early settler named Mark, who called his home his "den"?

Dresden in Lincoln County was first settled in 1649.  The area was purchased from Indians by Christopher Lawson, who sold his land  to traders Clark and Lake.  It was part of Pownalboro in 1760, separated and incorporated to its present name in 1794 by German immigrants granted land by General Waldo.  The name may have been to honor an ex-Hessian doctor named Theobald, who came from the German city. [South Dresden, West Dresden, Dresden Mills]

Edinburg (Penobscot County) was named by John Bennoch, a roadbuilder, for Edinburg[h] in Scotland.

Embden (Somerset County)

Etna (Penobscot County) was first settled in 1807.  The name may have been arbitrarily picked by Benjamin Friend, one of the first settlers, who saw reference to Italy's famed volcano in a dictionary.  The original township was called Crosbytown after landowner John Crosby, until its incorporation in 1820.

Falmouth (Cumberland County) was settled as early as 1632 by Arthur Mackworth, who obtained a grant from Maine proprietor Sir Ferdinando Gorges.  It was incorporated in 1718 under the name of England's ancient seaport.

Frankfort (Somerset County)  had settlers as early as 1770 hunting moose, beaver and muskrat, and fishing in the Penobscot River.  Originally incorporated in 1789 as a much larger territory along the western bank of the Penobscot, the town was broken up into smaller unitws in 1789.  Any German origins of its inhabitants have been lost in time.

Hanover (Oxford County) was first settled in 1774 by Nathaniel Segar, from Newton, Mass.  In about 1792, Phineas Howard from Temple, N.H. purchased land in the township from Massachusetts and from him got the name of "Howard's Gore".  The town was incorporated as Hanover in 1843 and named perhaps by settlers for the province in Germany, but since there are few German names in the town's history,  more likely to commemorate King George III's home state in Germany.

Leeds (Androscoggin County) was first settled by hunters Thomas and Roger Stinchfield, who moved their families there in 1780.  Initially called Littleborough after its Massachusetts proprietors, the town was incorporated as Leeds in 1801.  It was named for the English home of John Stinchfield, father of settlers Thomas and Roger.

Limerick (York County) was initially part of Frances Small's purchase from a Pequaket chief, and first settled in 1775.  A few of its early settlers came from the Irish town, and when incorporated in 1787, James Sullivan (later governor of Massachusetts) gave it the name.

- New Limerick (Aroostook County) was named for Limerick (see above), from where many of its settlers came.

Lisbon in Androscoggin County was first settled by Abijah Metcalf in 1787.  It was incorporated as Thompsonborough in 1790 (after another early settler), but its name was changed to Lisbon in 1802.  But why?

Madrid (Franklin County) was first settled in 1807-8 by Abel Cook and others.  It was incorporated as Madrid in 1836, named for Spain's capital in honor of that country's struggle for independence (?) [East Madrid, Madrid Junction].

Manchester (Kennebec County) had settlement commencing about 1774, by Nathaniel Floyd and Thomas Allen.  It was first incorporated in 1850 as Kennebec, but had its named changed in 1854 to Manchester, probably after the Masschusetts hometown of inhabitants, and most likely because of confusion with the name of the county and river.

MEXICO (Oxford County) was first settled by Isaac Gleason.  It was first known as Holmanstown Plantation after early landowner Colonel Jonathan Holman, and incorporated in 1818.  Its name was from local sympathy with the Mexican struggle for independence, achieved in 1815 when town status was first petitioned..

Moscow (Somerset County) was first settled in 1773, and was part of Bingham's Kennebec Purchase.  Originally petitioned (in 1812) to be named Northfield for the existing town, it was finally incorporated in 1816 as Moscow, the name changed to commemorate the Russian city's defense against Napoleon in 1812.  As for actual Russians, they did immigrate into Maine, but mostly settled in the farmland area of Richmond.

Naples in Cumberland County was made up from parts of surrounding towns Otisfield, Harrison, Raymond, Bridgton, and Sebasgo.  Incorporated in 1834, it was named for the Italian port because of the numerous scenic ponds and lakes within its bounds, surrounded by upland hills and mountains.

Newcastle (Lincoln County)

NORWAY (Oxford County) was first settled in 1786 by James Stevens and others, and incorporated in 1717, its name chosen to honor the country.

Oxford (Oxford County), incorporated 1829.

Palermo in Waldo County was surveyed by William Davis in 1800, and incorporated in 1804. [North -]

Paris (Oxford County) was first settled in 1771, under a grant of land to Captain Joshua Fuller (of Watertown, Mass.) and his company for services during the French-Indian wars.  It was incorporated as Paris in 1793. [South -, West -, North-, and Paris Hill]

PERU (Oxford County) was first settled in 1793 by Merrill Knight and others under a grant from Massachusetts.  It was a plantation in 1812, and incorporated as Peru in 1821.

POLAND (Androscoggin County) was originally part of a grant for a township called Baker's Town in 1736 by Massachusetts to officers and soldiers who served in the 1690 campaign against Canada, and re-granted in 1765 to Bakerstown Proprietors.  It was first settled 1768-9 by Nathaniel Bailey, Daniel Land, Moses Emery and others, and incorporated as Poland in 1795.   Although some (including Varney in his Gazetteer) believe the town to have been named for a noted Indian chief of the region, local historians believe it rather to have been taken from an old hymn tune "Poland", a favorite of early settler Moses Emery.   [South -]

Portland (Cumberland County)

Rome (Kennebec County) was settled about 1780 by Benjamin Furbush and others.  It was incorporated as Rome in 1804.

Sidney (Kennebec County) was first settled in 1760 by Moses Sawtell and others.  It was incorporated as Sidney in 1792.

Stockholm (Aroostook County)

SWEDEN (Oxford County) was settled in 1794 by Samuel Nevers of Burlington, Mass. Its land was a grant from Massachusetts to the men of Captain Lovewell's company for services during the French-Indian wars.  It was incorporated as Sweden in 1813.

- New Sweden (Aroostook County) was settled in 1870 under grants to Swedish immigrants under invitation of the United States Commissioner of Immigration.

Vienna (Kennebec County) was first settled in 1786 by Joshua Howland and others, with tiles from Jedediah Prescott of Winthrop and Nathaniel Whittier of Reedfield, Mass.  It was incorporated as Vienna in 1802. [- Village]

WALES (Androscoggin County) was first settled in 1778 by James Ross from Brunswick.

It was Wales Plantation in 1792, and incorporated under the same name in 1816. [East -]

Waterford (Oxford County) was first settled in 1775 by David McWayne.  It was incorporated 1797. [North -; Waterford Flat]

Wellington (Piscataqua County) was first settled in 1814 by James Knowles.  Part of the Bingham Purchase, it was called Bridgetown Plantation after an early settler before incorporation as Wellington in 1828.

Windsor was first settled in 1790 by Walter Dockindoff and others.  It was named Malta in 1809 and Gerry in 1820 before its incorporation as Windsor in 1822.