Gazetteer of the State of Maine With Numerous Illustrations, by Geo. J. Varney

BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY B. B. RUSSELL, 57 CORNHILL. 1882. Public domain image from

412    GAZETTEER    OF MAINE.

near Alton. On these different powers are four large mills for long
lumber, three for shingles and short lumber, and a grist-mill. The
size of these mills will be apprehended better by an enumeration of
saws. In 1870 two blocks of mills here formerly owned by Samuel
Veazie, contained 14 single saws, 5 gang, 3 shingle, 2 clapboard and 4
lath mills. These usually run about seven months in the year, manu-
facturing in that time, 25,000,000 feet of long lumber, 4,500,000 shin-
gles, 1,000,000 clapboards, 13,500,000 laths, pickets, etc. There are also
three steam saw-mills. The smaller manufactures consist of two barrel
factories, a batteaux, a brush-wood, a sample case, a saw-filing machine,
and an oar factory, together with the handicraft work usually found in
our villages.

Oldtown village has some handsome residences, and several streets
laid out in good style, and beautified with shade and ornamental trees.

There is an excellent town hall, with a seating capacity for 1,500 per-
sons. Other villages in the town merit the same description according
to their extent. The roads and bridges are generally in excellent con-
dition. The post-offices are Upper Stillwater, West Great Works and
Pea Cove. As might be supposed, the principal occupations relate to
lumber. The inhabitants are now a homogeneous people, but their
parentage embraces a great number of nationalities. Hons. Samuel
Coney and Geo. P. Sewall, are probably the most distinguished citizens.

The central portion of the town has an excellent system of graded

schools, from primary to high. The number of public schoolhouses in

the town at the present time is nine, valued at $10,000. The churches

here are Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Episcopal, Universalist    '*■

and Catholic.

This town was formerly a part of Orono. but was set off and incor-
porated March 16th, 1840. The population in 1870 was 4,529. In
1880 it was 3,070. The valuation in 1870 was $684,308. In 1880 it
was $528,109. The rate of taxation in the latter year was .031, sub-
ject to 10 per cent discount.

Oldtown Indians, —see article on Indians in first part of
this volume, and that on Oldtown.

Orff’s Corner, a post-office in Waldoboro, Lincoln County.

Orient lies on the south-eastern border of Aroostook County at
tbe bead of Sehoodic or Grand Lake. Amity bounds it on tbe north,

Haynesville on the west, Weston and Grand Lake on tbe south. Mon-
ument Stream and North Lake separate it from the soil of New Bruns-
wick. In the western part is Scaggrock Stream, a tributary of the    ^

Mattawamkeag. The surface is rocky and uneven, but the soil is
strong and productive. Wheat, oats, buckwheat, potatoes and hay are
the crops chiefly cultivated, and much attention is given to raising
farm stock. The forests are of hemlock, spruce, maple and beech.

Peter’s Hill, the highest elevation, is a long plateau extending south-
ward from the middle of tbe northern line. This town is 25 miles
south of Hamilton on the stagedine to Danforth Station on the Euro-
pean and North American railway.

Orient was incorporated April 9, 1856. The town sent eleven men