Winthrop, Maine, USA
1886 - Winthrop

Winthrop, a thrifty agricultural town, lies in the southwestern part of Kennebec County, 10 miles west by south-west from Augusta. It is bounded on the east by Manchester, and has West Gardiner at the south-east and Monmouth at the south, Wayne on the west and Readfield on the north. Winthrop has an area of 25,540 acres, a portion of which is water. The greater part of Cobbossee Contee Great Pond, of Annabessacook, Maranocook, Wilson's and several smaller ponds lie within the limits of the town. Maranocook Lake has now become a place of much resort in summer. It has a pretty steamer; and on the shores are convenient buildings for the regattas, musical and other entertainments held here. The lake is about 8 miles in length. The Maine Central Railroad, back route, has a station here. The numerous places where Indian relics are found show these ponds to have been favorite resorts of the aborigines. The surface is quite hilly, forming with the ponds much variety and beauty of scenery. From the town-house, which occupies an elevated position, the hills of Dixmont, a little west of the Penobscot, and a section of the White Mountains, are plainly visible. A high hill called Mount Pisgah extends nearly across the western portion of the town. The soil is good, and agriculture is the leading pursuit, the farms generally being in high cultivation. Dr. Ezekiel Holmes, widely known in connection with the Maine Farmer, formerly resided in Winthrop; and chiefly from his influence, stock-raising has been made a specialty, so that the Winthrop Jersey cattle have attained a wide reputation. The town has also long been noted for its fine apple-orchards.

At the village, situated between Annabessacook and Maranocook ponds, which divide the town, considerable manufacturing is done. There are here a woolen factory, producing about $150,000 worth of goods per annum; a grain-mill, grinding upwards of 12,000 bushels of grain of all kinds annually; bark and fulling-mills, a saw-mill, manufacturing about 200,000 feet of lumber every year; a cotton-factory, which manufactures cotton yarn and lines; a foundry and machine-shop; “Whitman's Agricutural Tool Manufactory,” which makes cider-mills, horse and hand-rakes, planning, threshing and winnowing-machines, etc., to the amount of from $75,000 to $100,000 yearly. In other localities are several small mills and a tannery; and at Baileyville, in the eastern part of the town is a large manufactory of oil-cloths. The other village is East Winthrop, situated in the north-eastern part of the town, near the northern extremity of Cobbossee Contee Pond. The National Bank of Winthrop has a capital stock of $100,000. The territory of Winthrop was a part of the Plymouth Patent. The first settler was Timothy Foster, who, in 1765, located his habitation by the great pond. A hunter named Scott was then occupying a hut on the
same lot. The next settler was Squire Bishop, who came in 1767.
The families of Foster, Fairbanks, Stanley, and Pullen, soon after settled near. These being accustomed only to cultivated farms, suffered many hardships from their inexperience in subduing the wilderness, and must have perished, had it not been for the abundance of game and wild fruits. Three brothers, Nathaniel, William and Thomas Whittier, came in soon after; and felling at once some twenty acres of timber, burned over the ground, and planted their corn without ploughing, obtaining a wonderful crop. The other settlers, profiting by observation of the Whittiers, as well as by their own experience, soon began to thrive. The first saw-mill was built by John Chandler, in 1768, and a grist-mill soon after, on the site now occupied by the cotton factory. It is said that it required the whole strength of the settlement for nearly a week to get the mill-stones from the Kennebec to their place in the mill. For building those mills Mr. Chandler was granted by the proprietors of the township 400 acres of land. The first road was cut through to the “Hook,” now Hallowell. The first tax levied in town was in 1784 and the first payment was by Benjamin Fairbanks; the money used being the sum received for bounty on the head of a wolf.

As a plantation, Winthrop was called Pondtown. It was incorporated in 1771, being named for John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts. It included Readfield until 1791. Winthrop was first represented in the General Court in 1783, the representative in that year being Jonathan Whiting. A post-office was first established in town in 1800. The Winthrop Woollen company was incorporated in 1809 and went into operation in 1814. Among those who received grants of land in the early years of the settlement, were Samuel and John Needham, Abraham Wyman, Nathaniel Stanley, Peter Hopkins, Amos Boynton, Jonathan Whiting, John and Joseph Chandler, Samuel and Amos Stevens, Joseph Baker and Elisha Smith. The first town-officers were John Chandler, Timothy Foster, Robert Waugh, Jonathan Whiting, Stephen Pullen, and Gideon Lambert.

The first ministers resident in Winthrop were Messrs. Thurston Whiting and Jeremiah Shaw. Rev. David Jewett was settled in 1782, and died the next year, when the town was divided into two parishes. Mr. Jonathan Belden was ordained in 1800, and was succeeded by Rev. David Thurston, in 1807. At present the Congregationalists, Methodists, Universalists, Baptists and Friends have each a society and church edifice in the town. Winthrop has ten public schoolhouses, valued at $16,000. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $1,122,839. In 1880 it was $1,125,317. The population in 1870 was 2,229. By the census of 1880, it is placed at 2,136.

A Gazetteer of the State of Maine By Geo. J. Varney Published by B. B. Russell, Boston 1886

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