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

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town in 1870 was $428,069. In 1880, it was $367,878. The rate of
taxation in 1880 was 13 mills on the dollar. The population in 1870
was 1,540. In 1880, it was 1,310.

Atkinson is situated in the southernpart of Piscataquis
county. It is bounded north by Sebec, east by Orneville, west by
Dover, and south by Charleston, in Penobscot county. The surface is
rolling and the soil generally good ; the poorer portions mostly lying
in a body along Alder Stream. The titles are from Vaughn and Merrick,
of Hallo well, who purchased of Massachusetts at twenty-five cents an
acre. They commenced selling lots about 1801, but soon after disposed
of what remained to Judge Atkinson and Oliver Crosby, of Dover,
New Hampshire. It was lotted out for them in 1807 by Andrew
Strong into one hundred acre lots. The town was incorporated in
1819, and named in honor of Judge Atkinson, who had given the
inhabitants a library of one hundred volumes. What water-power the
town has is near the centre, on Alder Stream, and on Dead Stream
near the south-eastern part.

Upon the first of these, in 1807, the Colcord brothers, from Bangor,
put up a saw mill and grist mill; and similar mills are still in operation
there.

The first settler was Byloy Lyford, who called the first town-meeting
on a warrant issued by W. R. Lowney, Esq. In 1820, Oliver Crosby,
one of the two principal proprietors, moved into town and commenced
farming on a large scale; holding for his own use 700 acres. His
buildings were large and elegant, his orchard and grounds adjoining
were laid out in a tasteful manner, and his farming was skilful and
successful. Mr. Crosby was a native of Billerica, Massachusetts, and
a member of the bar in that commonwealth. He reared a large family ;
of whom two at least have been widely known and esteemed,—the late
William C. Crosby of Bangor, and Hon, Josiah Crosby of Dexter.

There are a Methodist and a Free Baptist church in the town.
Atkinson has a school fund of $2,000 arising mainly from the sale of
land reserved for educational purposes. It has ten public school houses,
valued at $4,000. The valuation in 1870 was $234,271, In 1880, it
was $180,902. The population in 1870 was 810. By the census of
1880, it was 828.

Auburn, the shire town of Androscoggin lies on the west side
of Androscoggin River opposite Lewiston. Durham bounds it on the
south-east, New Gloucester on the south-west, Poland lies west of the
middle portion, Minot, on the north-west and Turner on the north. It is
upwards of 12 miles in length, 6 miles above the falls on the Andros-
coggin and 6 below, and having an average width of about miles.
Its area is something over 50 square miles, about one-sixth of which is
covered by its two larger ponds. The Indians formerly had a fort on
the high ground at the junction of the two rivers, which was destroyed
by Major Church in 1690. It is stated in one of tbe published
accounts of this expedition, that a number of Indians ran out of the
fort toward the falls as Church’s men entered it from the side next the
Little Androscoggin. The white men followed after, but lost sight of