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

802    GAZETTEER OF MAINE.

Kennebec County. The excellent Kent’s Hill Seminary, an educa-
tional institution under the patronage of the Methodists, is located here.

KCZclT Falls, a village in Porter, Oxford County, also a
post-office in Parsonsfield, on the opposite side of the river

Kiiig-fieM is situated near the middle of the eastern side of
Franklin County. It is 7 miles long from east to west, and 5J miles
from north to south. It is bounded on the north bj^r Jerusalem Plan-
tation, west by Mount Abraham Township, south by Freeman, and
east by Lexington, in Somerset County. Carrabasset River runs south-
ward through the town, and is joined in the southern part by the South
Branch, coming from the west. The Carrabasset is extremely rapid,
affording¹ within the town at least twenty good and available powers
for mills. The northern part of the town is very mountainous, and
affords much fine scenery. The principal peaks in Kingfield are Vose,
Black, Owl’s Head, and Blueberry mountains. These belong to the
group of Mount Abraham, which stands in the adjoining township on
the west. Tho forest trees are principally rock-maplc, birch and spruce.
The principal sheets of water are Tuft’s, Grindstone, and Dutton
Ponds, having areas of 100, 10 and 50 acres respectively. The soil is
sandy to a considerable extent, yet along the streams there are
some excellent intervals. The principal crop is hay. Kingfield
village is situated on Carrabasset River in the south-western part of the
town. Kingfield has a lumber and shingle-mill, and a grist-mill. Other
manufactures are carriages, rakes, axes, saw-horses, etc. The village
is 20 miles from Farmington in a northerly direction. The station of
the Sandy River railroad in Strong is about 12 miles distant.

Kingfield was formerly Plantation No. 3, Range 1, of Bingham’s
Purchase, and was surveyed by Solomon Adams in 1808. Settlements
commenced a year or two earlier, the pioneers being a Mr. Blanchard,
from Weymouth, Mass., Rev. Nathaniel Gilbert, of Kingston, Eben
Pillsbury, Solomon Stanley, Joseph Longley, Benjamin Foster, William
Trash, Charles Pike and others. The town was incorporated in 1816,
being named in honor of William King, the first governor of Maine,
who was a large proprietor and a temporary resident.

The Methodists, Free Baptists and Universalists each have a church
in this town. Kingfield has three public schoolhouses; and the school
property is valued at $2,800. The village schools are graded. The
valuation of real estate in 1870 was $110,910. In 1880 it was $119,095.
The population in 1870 was 560. In 1880 it was 454.

Kingman is a new town in the eastern part of Penobscot
County, on the European and North American railway, 66 miles N.
N.E. of Bangor. It is bounded on the east by Drew Plantation, south
by Webster Plantation, west by Mattawamkeag, and north by Mac-
wahoc Plantation in Aroostook County. The area is about 15,000
acres. The Mattawamkeag River runs through the midst of the town
from east to west, where it receives the Molunkas Stream from the
north. The settlements are along the Molunkas road, and at the vil-
lage on the Mattawamkeag, near the centre of the town. There are
here a large sole-leather tannery of F. Shaw & Brothers, a saw-mill for
long and short lumber, one for shingles, and a steam-mill making short
lumber.