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

GAZETTEER OF MAINE.

County, on the south, and Freedom, in New Hampshire, on the west.

It is 6 miles in length by 4^ in width, having an area of 18,500 acres.

The Great Ossipee River forms the boundary line on the south, while
on the southern half of the eastern line lies a chain of ponds, of which
Stanley’s, the largest, is about one mile in length. Spectacle Pond,
nearly the same size, lies in the south-eastern part; Long Pond, of
equal area, lies in the south-west, and Colcord Poud, the largest (area,
about a square mile), lies near the centre of the town, with Bickford
Pond about a mile to the south-west. In the north-eastern part are
several high elevations, bearing the names of Bald Ledge, Devil’s Den,    ^

Pine Hill, Burnt Meadow Mountain, and Mount Eagle. The surface
is generally uneven, but the hillsides afford excellent pasturage, and
many cattle are raised. The town has also long been noted for its
orchards. Originally, it was thickly wooded with pine, and white and
red oak. At the south-eastern corner of the town is Kezar Falls vil-
lage ; and on the Ossipee, at the mouth of the outlet of Colcord and
Bickford Ponds, is Porter Village. The outlets of the various ponds
afford several good water-powers. Colcord Pond has a saw-mill and
grist-mill at its outlet; Bickford Pond has a saw-mill; a mile below is
another, and Porter Village has a third saw-mill. At the latter place
are also furniture and bobbin factories. At Kezar Falls are three saw-
mills, a spool, woolen,and a boot and shoe factory. This town is 50
miles south-west of Paris. It is 35 miles from Portland, on the stage-
line to Freedom, N. H., and terminus of the line to Wakefield, N. H.,
on the Great Falls and Concord Railroad.    ^

The    township which is now Porter was purchased of Massachu-    i

setts, in    September, 1795, by Dr. Aaron Porter, of Biddeford, Caleb    j

Emery, of Sanford, Thomas Cutts, of Pepperellborough (now Saco)
and others, for the sum of £564 lawful money. It was also provided
in the grant, that they should appropriate 320 acres for schools, the
same number for the first-settled minister, and a similar lot for the
support of the ministry ; also 100 acres to each man who should settle
in the township before the 1st day of January, 1784. This condition
was met    by the following settlers : Mesheck and Stephen Libby, from

Rye, N.    H., John Libby and Janies Rankins. These were all until

1787, when Benjamin Bickford, Jr., Samuel Bickford, from Rochester,

N. IT., and Benjamin Ellenwood, from Groton, became settlers. About
1791, David Afford, Joseph Clark, and Moses Drown, from Rochester,

N. H., became permanent residents. Most' of these were soldiers of
the Revolution.

The territory of Porter was a part of the Pequaket territory, and
extended quite to Fryeburg; hut at its incorporation, Feb. 20,1807,
about two-fifths of its northerly portion was annexed to Brownfield.

Kezar Falls has a Free Baptist and a Methodist church, and Porter    ri

Village, a Union church. The number of public schoolhouses is 13;
their value with lots, being placed at $2,500. The population in 1870
was 1,104. In 1880 it was 1,095. The valuation in 1870 was $275,469.

In 1880 it was $279,359.    .

Portland, eminent for its business facilities, for the health-
fulness and beauty of its situation, and for the enterprise and urbanity
of its citizens, occupies the chief harbor on Casco Bay, in the southern