Gazetteer of the State of Maine, 1882 page 314
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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

314    GAZETTEER    OF    MAINE.

town is about 5 miles wide at the middle portion, and nearly 13 miles
long. It is also about 13 miles from West Leeds to Lewiston Falls,
and the same distance from Livermore Falls. On the west lies Turner
and a small portion of Livermore; the latter town and East Liver-
more are on the north, Wayne and Monmouth on the east; on the
south is Greene and the western part of Wales. The Androscoggin
River forms the western line, and by a bend to tbe eastward, nearly
two-thirds of the northern line. Androscoggin Pond, on the eastern
side, is about 4 miles long and 3 wide in its greatest extent, and
has an area of nearly 6 square miles. The town contains about 23,000
acres of land. The Androscoggin Railroad passes through the midst
longitudinally. Three villages of the town,Curtis’s Corner, Leeds Centre,
and North Leeds, are on this road. West Leeds, the other village, is on
the Androscoggin River, about midway of the town. The manufactories
consist of a board and shingle-mill at the Centre; a saw-mill and grist-
mill at West Leeds, and a board and shingle-mill at Curtis’s Corner.

The streams are all small, Dead River being the largest. This
stream is the outlet of a chain of ponds, of which Androscoggin Pond
is the largest and last. It has the rare powTer of running either way at
different times. Upon a sudden rise of the Androscoggin River, the
flow sets back the current of Dead River into the pond. It sometimes
flows into the pond for three or four days. The face of tbe county is
diversified with hill and dale. North Mountain, Boothby Hill, Bishop’s
Hill and Quaker Ridge are the principal eminences, the highest being
about 100 feet. Woodland, containing the usual trees of the region,
exists in due proportion. The valleys of the larger streams contain
much good interval, usually the best for cultivation ; yet the dark soil
of the high land yields well and is the best for fruit, and less liable to
frost. Tlie town has several peat bogs, the largest of which contains
about 300 acres from 10 to 30 feet deep. The surface of the bog is
75 feet higher than Dead River, and a ditch less 75 rods in length
would drain it. The amount of fuel this might afford is immense.

The territory was first called Littleborough from the Massachusetts
family of that name, who were the largest proprietors. It was incor-
porated as the town of Leeds in 1801. A portion of Livermore above
Dead River was annexed to it in 1802 ; in 1809 a strip half a mile in
width, including Bishop’s Hill, was set off from Monmouth and
annexed; in 1810 the section known as Beech Hill w*as set off to
Wayne, and in 1852 the south-east corner of Leeds was set off to
Wales.

The first settlers were Thomas and Roger Stinchfield, who removed
their families to Dead River in June, 1780. The two brothers had be-
come acquainted with the vicinity in their hunts; and the year be-
fore had raised corn and vegetables, and in the winter transported
thither four goats and sundry household implements on the snow crust.
They had also provided venison and maple sugar; so that their families
were supplied with comfortable housing and subsistence at once. Other
names of early families are Fish, Millett and Bishop. Several soldiers
of the Revolution followed, of whom were Gilbert and Lothrop, Lead-
better, Lane, Lindsay, Pettengill, Turner, Morgan, Brewster, George,
Cushman, and Robbins. The oldest inhabitant the town has had was
Robert Gould, who died in 1868, aged ninety-nine years.

The Jennings family of this town has given some able men to the



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