By Frank Connors
Bowdoinham was the 14th municipality incorporated as a town in the old District of Maine. Her papers of incorporation were affirmed September 18, 1762, in the days when Maine was a province in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Bay State was a colony in the British Empire.
For many years, scholars who worry about such things have argued about old Bowdoinham's exact place among the state's oldest towns. In 1912, Silas Adams' history of the town proclaimed Bowdoinham was the 14th town in the state, but by 1962, the town's bicentennial booklet had pushed the town back to number 17. During those 50 years (1912-1962) several published accounts said Bowdoinham was the 18th town in Maine, and there's even one essay which says ours was the 15th town in Maine. Technically, 14th and 17th may both be considered correct.
The confusion arises around several communities that were accepted as districts in the years preceding Bowdoinham's incorporation as a town. If we count towns incorporated prior to 1762, the total is 13, but if we count towns and districts in Maine before Bowdoinham, the total becomes 16. The two oldest towns in Maine are York and Kittery. Both incorporated in 1652. Wells and Kennebunkport followed in 1653 and Scarborough was added in 1658, completing the list of Maine towns incorporated before 1700.
Berwick was incorporated as a town in 1713 and 1716, old Georgetown became the first town in the Kennebec River basin to get incorporation papers. Falmouth (Portland) and Biddeford were added in 1718, North Yarmouth in 1732, and Brunswick on the Androscoggin River was incorporated in 1739. Wiscasset was incorporated as the Shiretown of Lincoln County in 1760, and on June 12, 1762 (just three months before Bowdoinham was incorporated) the town of Windham was incorporated. Communities established as districts which pre-date out town's incorporation are Newcastle in 1753, Harpswell in 1758, Woolwich in 1759, and Saco on June 16, 1762. All Maine districts were accepted as towns by an act of the Maine Legislature in 1775.
Richmond set off from Bowdoinham in 1823 and incorporated as a town that same year. Other area town and their dates of incorporation include Bowdoin in 1888, Topsham in 1764, Dresden in 1294 and Arrowsic in 1841. Bath incorporated as a town in 1781, and as Sagadahoc County's only city in 1847.
It is interesting to note that today, Maine has 500 organized towns. Of this total, only 125 were incorporated prior to 1800, and of that first 125, Bowdoinham was among the very earliest.
Bowdoinham Advertiser, July 1978
Frank Connors, Editor
From
HISTORY of BOWDOINHAM BY SILAS ADAMS, 1884
The Indian name for Merrymeeting Bay was QUABACOOK, meaning, "the duck water," or "Duck watering place." There are some ancient deeds that call the Bay "Swan Pond" (from the Pejepscot Papers) but the long-held English name, by fact and tradition, was "Merrymeeting." Merrymeeting had its origin from the meeting of the waters of five rivers: The Mighty Kennebec, the Androscoggin, the Cathance, the Abagadassett, and the Muddy. Still another tradition says that the name is due to a pair of early surveying parties that had a chance meeting at the bay, the name coming from the enjoyment and the "merry meeting" they had on the shore. In many old deeds and boundaries, the Bay was known quite generally as New Somerset Lake. Cathance, or the Indian name "Kat-ahah-nis," was used by them to mean bent, or crooked.
CENTER'S POINT
Center's Point was early known as Somerset Point, but the "History of Topsham" calls it Moffitt's Point. We can find no authority for the latter name, either from tradition or records. In a deed from Sir Ferdinando Georges to Sir Richard Edgecombe (1637) it was called Somersett Point. Sometimes the name was spelled Samoset. Center's Point was permanently settled by Samuel Center, about 1802. Tradition says there was no sign of previous occupation at that date, with the exception of an old cellar hole, slightly south of Bluff Head, with a pine tree in the cellar a foot in diameter. This cellar hole we infer to have been the McFadden family cellar hole.
REED'S POINT
Reed's Point was settled by a Whittmore prior to the Incorporation of our town, and he kept a store there. His trade was mostly with the Indians, so he was never disturbed by them. Whittmore lived there in 1800, or before the settlement of Somerset (or Center's) Point. The early settlers found the west bank of the Bay an inviting locality to make pleasant homes, there being good soil and fine water privileges.
CATHANCE NECK
The piece of land bordering on the Cathance River and mostly
surrounded by it was known as Cathance Neck, or Cathance Point. From
the Lilly Farm along the river were the following settlers: Gowen
Fulton's farm south of George Sampson's; William Patten on the George
Sampson Estate; A Capt. Jameson on John Hall's; a Samuel Jameson on
Capt. John Fulton's; a Robert Fulton on Capt. Reed's; and a Capt.
Robert Patten on Capt. Bard well Patten's farm. By the courtesy of
Mr. George Sampson, I have been shown a very fine map of Cathance
Neck, showing the lines and giving the names of the settlers. This
map is a most valuable relic, it having been drawn in 1769. It
appears from both records and traditions that Cathance Neck was a
small colony settled at one time. Those first farms, especially those
on the north, run across the neck. Tradition informs us that a man
named Gyles settled near the river on the Lilly farm at a very early
date, and that the whole family was murdered by Indians, except one
boy. This boy was carried off into captivity and kept several years;
but he was finally released, and afterwards lived at Pejepscot Falls,
where he became an interpreter. Whether this is true or not, an old
cellar hole is there and speaks of something ancient for itself.
Early settlers once cut a poplar tree nearly twenty inches through
that was standing in the old cellar.
One Watkin settled upon the George Sampson estate at a very early
date, and previous to those names that appear upon the map of 1759.
The Watkin cellar is visible now. Watkins is also believed to have
been either murdered or driven off by the Indians. It is possible
that he settled at the time of Gyles, and the two shared the same
fate.
ABAGADASSETT SETTLED
On the west bank of the Abagadassett River, the land was generally taken up about 1749 or 1750. The area was settled by people from Old York, and many names of that day are familiar to us now. Elnathan Raymond settled at Henry Campbell's; Nath Jellerson at Jas. Allen's; Robert Sedgley at George Weymouth's; Andrew Tibbits at Everett Williams'; Jas. Buker at Amasa Williams; Joseph Sedgley at N.H. Williams; Richard Temple at J.M. Cromwell's; George Thomas at Dr. Elliot's; and there was a Beals at Capt. Jos. Hall's. Many of these names appear upon our town's earliest town records as local officials.
On the Kennebec, Zethro Hatch made the first permanent settlement near M.H. Power's shore. Elihu Getchell was at Hill's; a Capt. Whitmore on the Benjamin Whitmore estate; and a Harward was already on the farm that now bears that name. The dates for the settlement on the Kennebec are believed to have been made at about the same time as those on the Abagadassett.
FORT RICHMOND
Fort Richmond, which was built in 1719, was within the early limits of Bowdoinham. Bowdoin ham then extended from Merrymeeting Bay to Gardiner line, and Richmond was then known as Richmond Plantation, (or later, White's Landing) and belonged to Bowdoinham. The fort was about a half mile above Richmond village, on the West Bank of the Kennebec. The fort was built as a better protection for the settlers against the Indian depredations, to deter them and to keep them quiet. In reality, the fort acted in an opposite direction, that of a menace against the Indians' territory, and as evidence of further encroachment. The fort no doubt produced more Indian wars and raids in this vicinity than it prevented and the early settlers probably suffered more bitterly because of its threatening appearance. The Fort was dismantled in 1754.
MILLS AND DAMS
When people settle in a new country, one of their first needs for their permanent stay is a mill, for both the sawing of lumber and the grinding of grain. The first evidence of any business of that kind here is now on the south line of Capt. Hiram Stinson, where they at least attempted to build a dam across the Abagadassett River. They doubtless wanted to build a tide mill. This dam is about two-thirds of a mile below the head of tide water. If a mill was ever built, the oldest inhabitants never knew or heard of it, either by record or tradition. But the dam is there, now still in quite good condition, and built of stone and earth by white men. As this dam is in Capt. Whitmore's tract, from Maxwell's south line to the Stinson's north line, one mile wide, it might have been at least begun by Capt. Whitmore, and the mill never rebuilt. A mill was built above, at the head of Tide, by Elihu Getchell. We find by records dated 1763 that there was a bridge built in the vicinity, and we conjecture that this dam was used as a bridge for foot people or perhaps even horses, as people traveled on horseback considerable in those days. People were often obliged to build mills where they could get a fall of water, to turn their wheel, and not always at the most convenient place for themselves. They were often obliged to go a distance from their settlements for this purpose.
Bowdoinham Advertiser &endash; June 1982
Frank Connors, Editor