Bristol, Maine, USA (New Harbor)
1839 - Bristol

Bristol, Maine
Lincoln county. Ths town is bounded N. by Nobleborough and Bremen, W. by Damariscotta river, S. by the sea, and E. by Muscongus bay. "Bristol Mills," so called, is the centre of the town, or the chief place of business. The town is finely watered by the Damariscotta and Pemmaquid, and possesses great hydraulic power and navigable facilities. There are a number of islands in the waters around Bristol, which make a beautiful appearance; some of them are quite large, and inhabited. The surface of Bristol is not mountainous, but elevated, with a good soil. A number of square rigged vessels belong to this town; about 20 sail are engaged in the coasting trade, and a great number of smaller vessels are employed in the bank and shore fisheries. Bristol lies 15 miles S.E. from Wiscasset, 60 N.E. from Portland, and 32 S.E. from Augusta. Population, 1837, 2,788. This town was incorporated in 1765. There was a temporary settlement here as early as 1625. In an old fort, on the banks of the Pemmaquid, once called William Henry, and afterwards Frederick George, built of stone, in 1692, and taken by the French in 1696, "are found grave stones of a very early date, and streets regularly laid out and paved, in the vicinity of the fort. On the side of the river, opposite to the fort, tan pits have been discovered, the plank remaining in a state of preservation. In other places coffins have been dug up, which bear indubitable evidence of a remote antiquity." "A considerable portion of the inhabitants of Bristol are of Irish extraction, a small part of Scotch, a few of German and English. The predominant characteristics of the inhabitants are frankness and hospitality, a generous liberality of sentiment, and an ardent love of liberty and independence. There are few of that class of men who are esteemed opulent. The most wealthy are those who labor daily with their hands, and raise by their own individual exertions the bread they consume. On the other hand, the population of the miserably poor is very small, and the town is burthened with but few paupers." Bristol was the residence of Commodore Samuel Tucker, distinguished for his bravery in the revolutionary war.

The New England Gazetteer containing descriptions of all the states, counties and towns in New England: also descriptions of the principal mountains, rivers lakes, capes, bays, harbors, islands and fashionable resorts within that territory. By John Hayward, author of the Columbian Traveller, Religious Creeds, &c. &c. Boston: John Hayward. Boyd & White, Concord, N.H. 1839

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