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

894    GAZETTEER    OF    MAINE.

Henry Butler, Herbert Boardman, Charles Luce, Henry Norton, Wil-
liam Farrand, Seth Hilman, Ezra Winslow and Calvin Burden. Set-
tlements were soon after commenced north of the mountains by people
mostly from Middleboro, Mass. Among these occur the names of
George, Eleazer, Paul and Remiah Pratt, Elias Bryant, Simeon Hackett,

Jabez Vaughn and Cephaniah Morton.

The town was incorporated in 1802. There are churches of the
Congregationalists, Methodists and Free Baptists in the town. New
Vineyard has ten public schoolhouses, valued with other school pro-    ^

perty, at $2,000. The estates in 1870 were valued at $228,812. In    *"

1880 they were valued at $202,867. The population in 1870 was 755.

In 1880 it was 627.

r

N obleborougli is situated near the centre of Lincoln
County on the eastern shore of Damariscotta Lake. Waldoboro’ bounds
it on the east, Jefferson on the north and west, Newcastle on the west
of the southern part, and Damariscotta on the south. The area is
about ten thousand acres. Damariscotta Lake extends along the whole
western side of the town, and a broad area of the lake, called Mus-    *

congus Bay, penetrates to the centre. From the head of this bay a
canal, excavated many years ago, extends southward for nearly 2 miles.

A section of Pemaquid Pond extends from the south-east corner nearly
2 miles toward the centre of the town. On the eastern line is Duck    ,

Puddle Pond, and in the north-eastern corner is Cook’s Pond.

The soil of the town is favorable to agriculture, in which pursuit
the inhabitants are chiefly engaged. The centres of business are Noble-
borough and Damariscotta Mills. There is a station of the Knox and
Lincoln railroad in each place. The distance from Bath is about 22
miles. The manufactures consist of lumber, boots and shoes, organs,
etc. There is a saw-mill at each village.

Nobleborough originally formed a part of the possession of Elbridge
and Aldsworth, under the Pemaquid patent. It was settled at about
the same date as Damariscotta, viz., about 1640. This territory was a
favorite resort of the Indians for hunting and fishing; and they held
possession here with great tenacity, remaining in solitary families long
after the white man, whose advance they vainly resisted, had com-
menced their settlements in the town. After the Indian wars closed,
the inhabitants were involved for many years in a harassing contro-
versy about the title to their lands, which was not sett ed until 1814.

The territory was claimed under the Brown right, which had its origin
in a deed from Capt. John Somerset (known to us as “ Somerset ”) and
Unnongoit, Indian sagamores. Its southerly boundary ran from
Pemaquid Falls to Brown’s house, on the eastern shore ; and from this
line extended northerly for 25 miles, including Muscongus Island, and
covering the most of Bristol, all of the towns of Nobleborough and
Jefferson, and part of the town of Newcastle. Brown in August, 1660,
conveyed to one Gould and his wife eight miles square, about midw^ay
of the original grant. A survey was made at a later period of the dif-
ferent claims; and William Vaughan, and, later, James Noble, claimants
under this right, improved all the lands lying on both sides of the
Damariscotta Fresh Pond, to the head of it; also on the west side of
the river half-way to Sheepscot, and on the easterly side half-way to
“ Pemaquid Pond.” Vaughan either commenced or revived the settle-