Evolution of a Town

by Gary Beers¹

Our limited knowledge of the past tells us that the Passamaquoddy or their forebears were the first to live in this place we call Washington County. Their knowledge and skills allowed them to live on the resources the land and waters provided. These nomadic people had no need for the concept of land ownership.

The Passamaquoddy (Passamaquoddy: Peskotomuhkati, Plural: Peskotomuhkatiyik) are a Native American/First Nations people who live in northeastern North America. Their traditional homeland, Peskotomuhkatikuk, straddles the Canadian province of New Brunswick and the U.S. state of Maine in a region called Dawnland. They are one of the constituent nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy.

EXPLORERS FROM EUROPE

The concept of land ownership came first with the Europeans who explored the Maine coast when they claimed the land for the king for whom they sailed. This concept was further solidified by the Europeans who attempted to settle here in 1604 and 1607. Successful settlement by Europeans and their descendants codified land ownership as given by Stanley Attwood in his Length and Breadth of Maine.

The Royal Charter issued by Charles I to the Colony of Massachusetts Bay March 4, 1628; through grants directly from the Colony after its assertion of a claim thereunder to Latitude 43 degrees, 43 minutes, 12 seconds and to 43 degrees, 49 minutes, 12 seconds in 1652 and 1673.

“The Province of Massachusetts Bay, which sent delegates to the Congress, was chartered by William and Mary on October 7, 1691. That charter is, strictly speaking, the basis of government of the States of Massachusetts and Maine.” We all know that the Passamaquoddy and other native peoples to this day challenge this concept we call land ownership.”

The political sovereignty and authority of the government of Maine is derived directly from the Act of Congress admitting Maine into the Union, passed March 3, 1820, and in consent of Massachusetts expressed in an act of its General Court passed on June 19, 1819.

The Massachusetts Committee for Sale of Eastern Lands was responsible for the management of land in Maine to benefit the Commonwealth, especially land containing the largest white pines for ship masts. The Committee commissioned surveys of the main branch of the Schoodic (now known as the St. Croix River) from its northerly source at the St. John River to the mouth of Passamaquoddy Bay. The St. Croix is a one-million-acre watershed lying within the heart of the Passamaquoddy homeland.

According to the terms of the 1794 treaty between the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the tribe was granted “… the privilege of fishing on both branches of the river Schoodic without hindrance or molestation and the privilege of passing the said river over the different carrying places thereon; all which islands, townships, tracts or parcels of land and privileges being marked with a cross, thus X, on the plan taken by Mr.  Samuel Titcomb, with the reservation of all pine trees fit for masts on said tract of land to government; they making said Indians a reasonable compensation therefor…”

This map by Samuel Titcomb is the one referenced in the Treaty. Visible on the map are the notations mentioned in the 1794 Treaty, namely the “Indian carrying places” marked by dashed or straight lines across the river, the “Indian towns” marked by triangles, and the cross near Nemcass Point on the west branch of the river. Scale: 1 inch = 3 miles

SURVEYS & SURVEYORS

The first European mapmakers were the explorers who followed Columbus across the Atlantic. They made maps of the coast to show claims and grants. This mapping of the coast was continued by Samuel de Champlain starting in 1604, followed by Cypian Southack in 1631 and by the master mapmakers Samuel Holland and DesBurres from 1760 to 1775.  Joseph Chadwick in 1764 mapped the first East – West highway, actually a water route.  He started at the Penobscot at Passadumkeag, went up the river of that name, portaged to Upper Sysladobsis on St. Croix waters.

T1 R3 TS (Lambert Lake) – (23,700 acres) T1 R4 TS (Vanceborough) – (23,700 acres). Note bounds with Lambert Lake and Kilgore (AKA Hill Gore) are at 45-degree angle to most township bounds. Titcomb tells the Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands that he has marked the mill sites on the Plan. Also he rated the quality of the land as A, B, and C, and within each township is reported the “growth” being the species of trees observed.

CLOSER IN VIEWS OF TITCOMB’S 1794 SURVEY:

Moses Greenleaf’s information on the Titcomb Survey townships.

WASHINGTON, SS, SCOODIC RIVER JUNE 2D, 1794

Personally appeared Abial Sprague, Jun’r, Joseph Frost, Trueworthy Tuttle, and Joseph Pomeroy, and made oath to act impartially according to their best skill & Judgement in the capacity of chain men and assistants for Samuel Titcomb, agreeably to the instructions of the Committee for the sale of Eastern Lands dated April 3, 1794.”

1822

SILAS HOLMAN & COLONEL LEWIS SURVEY OF NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY

In Roger Milliken’s book on the Baskahegan Company is a map of an area between the Penobscot and St. Croix. The survey was completed in 1822 and shows the land divided into townships “ready for settlers”.  Shown are Range 2, townships 4 – 9, in Range 3, townships 6 – 11, and in Range 4 townships 6 – 9 plus Danforth Tract. Not all those townships are in Washington County. Topsfield and Kossuth may also have been surveyed by Holman and Lewis.

SURVEY – – 12-25-1822:  Schoodic River; St. Croix River; Penobscot River; Titcomb’s Survey; Piscataquis River; Williams College Township; Hingham Academy Grant; Watt Township; Bascahegan Lake.

MAINE – 1832

Note then-defined Northern border. Present border established in 1842 after the “Aroostook War”.

The Aroostook War (sometimes called the Pork and Beans War), or the Madawaska War, was a military and civilian-involved confrontation in 1838–1839 between the United States and the United Kingdom over the international boundary between the British colony of New Brunswick and the U.S. state of Maine. The term “war” was rhetorical; local militia units were called out but never engaged in actual combat. The event is best described as an international incident.

Negotiations between British diplomat Baron Ashburton and United States Secretary of State Daniel Webster settled the dispute. The Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842 established the final boundary between the countries, giving most of the disputed area to Maine while preserving an overland connection between Lower Canada and the Maritime colonies.

WILLIAM ANSON – 1836

Vanceboro, owned by William Vance of Baring (with the State holding the mortgage) had no roads, no homes marked, but had an Indian Settlement. See also “Kill Me Quick” Rips on the river. The triangle gives the elevation for that part of the river and the rectangle gives bottom conditions and depths. All this was important for river driving.

Township 11, Range 3 NBPP was once called Hill Gore and now Kilgore. South of Kilgore is Lambert Lake Township and to the west is T 10, R 3 called Forest. Note the Hay Road and path to the settlement east of the lake. That bay of water north of the St. Croix is Palfrey Lake. Samuel Titcomb followed the north shore and up Palfrey Brook to Skiff Lake, then due north to Meductic on the St John River in 1794.

TOWNSHIP NO. 1 RANGE 3 – LAMBERT LAKE

TITCOMB SURVEY AREA IN 1881

TOWN LAYOUT IN 1881

Note: New Brunswick & Canada RR line – crossing present vehicle bridge.

THE MASSACHUSETTS LAND LOTTERY

The Land Lottery was to pay off the war debt of Massachusetts. It failed. But the map/plan of Rufus Putnam showed a European style organization to the land. The war was over and a government was ready to give good deeds showing land ownership. In 1789, Washington County was created.

From Greenleaf’s Survey of Maine

At least three surveyors were involved in mapping out townships in this part of Washington County. Rufus Putnam in 1784 – 86 who surveyed for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts land some of what became William Bingham’s million acres. These townships carry identity as ED BPP or MD BPP.  I believe another surveyor did the ND BPP and the Two Mile Strip.  Samuel Titcomb surveyed eight townships in 1794 marked as TS. These bordered the St. Croix River and were north of Baileyville, Princeton, TWP 21 ED BPP and TWP 27 ED BPP.

RANGE 2

RANGE 3

Township 1, Range 4 TS is Vanceboro where the commission met at the home of Seth Walker on December 1, 1845. The map/plan of Vanceboro shows the St. Croix River on the east and the public lots in the western part of the township, but no roads. This township was named TWP 1 Range 4 TS on early maps. William Vance of Baring purchased that township on June 16, 1824, from the Agent for the Sale and Settlement of the State of Maine. The State held the mortgage for Vance, who immediately put his name on this piece of land.  [no official population in 1840].

T1 R4 TS – VANCEBORO was incorporated as a Town in 1874

T11 R3 NBPP KILGORE known in 1845 as HILL GORE

TANNERIES

The tanning process predated the arrival of Europeans here and was part of each settler’s community; shoes for the family and harnesses for oxen or horses were necessary.  Generally large-scale tanning started in Maine about 1840 and reached its peak by 1880. In rural Washington County were tanneries at Beddington, Grand Lake Stream, Jackson Brook (Brookton), Princeton, Vanceboro, and Forest City. Large scale Tanning depended on three natural resources, water, hemlock bark and hides.

The hides were brought to Maine by ship from South America or the American Midwest. Out of work loggers and immigrants moved to the site and did the dirty work. Four tanneries were near rail lines.  E. E. Church at Beddington and Shaw Brothers at GLS hauled a far distance by ox carts. This industry came to an end when hemlock bark was harder to get, and chemical agents became available and cheaper. The tanning giant Shaw Brothers made poor investments and failed in 1885. Their tanneries operated for another decade under a trustee. Shaw had at least two tanneries in Penobscot County, Lincoln and Kingman.  Hemlock bark was getting scarce and was replaced by chromium and oak extract, chemicals.

MAINE CENTRAL RAILROAD TRACKAGE 1890

TOPO MAP 1930

1950 HIGHWAY STATE ROAD MAP

VANCEBORO 2024

_______________________________

1. Author Note:  Some of the narrative in this document is in the public domain, but most is excerpted from, and somewhat adapted, to address Vanceboro / Lambert Lake specifically. ↩︎