History of Waterville, Maine, USA

Waterville, Maine
Kennebec county. This town is situated on the west bank of the Kennebec river, 18 miles N. from Augusta. It was incorporated as a part of Winslow in 1771, and as a separate town in 1802. Population in 1820, 1719; in 1830, 2,216; in 1837, 2,905. It contains 30 square miles, mostly of the best quality of farming land of the Kennebec region. Seven twelfths of the population is estimated to be agricultural. The principal village, of about 180 houses, is on the Kennebec at Ticonic Falls. These falls are 18 feet in height, extending quite across the river. In the town, there are 17 saws, four grist mills, carding machines, three plaster mills, two extensive tanneries and a machine shop. One iron foundry, a branch of the celebrated Fairbanks establishment in Vermont, supplies a great portion of the interior of the state with ploughs. The public structures are 4 meeting houses, an Academy, and the Liberal Institute, a Seminary founded by the Universalists. This latter...

A correspondent of the Boston Atlas, writing from Gardiner, Me., states that a large fire occurred at Waterville on Saturday evening.

"Property to the amount of between fifty and sixty thousand dollars was destroyed on that evening by one conflagration. The loss is severely felt, as the most active and industrious of the population of that thriving village are the sufferers, and with them upwards of two hundred hard working men are thrown out of employment, thus depriving them and their families of the means of subsistence.

The fire was undoubtedly the work of base incendiaries, as no fires had been in the Mills for several days previous.

There were seven saw mills consumed, three of which valued at $12,000, were owned by the Messrs. Gatchells, of Waterville; one by Moore of the same place; one by Parker Sheldon, Esq., of this town; one by Mr. Reddington, of Waterville; and one owned in Portland. With the Mills was consumed from three to four million feet of lumber. Also...

Waterville, a flourishing post-village of Kennebec CO., Maine, on the right bank of the Kennebec river, at the Ticonic falls, (18 feet in height,) and at the northern ter minus of the Androscoggin and Kennebec railroad, 82 miles N. N. E. from Portland. The Kennebec and Penobscot railroad, now in course of construction, will connect it with Bangor, and it is also to be the terminus of the Kennebec and Portland railroad. The water-power afforded by the Ticonic falls and others in the vicinity is very great, and might easily be made available to almost any extent; only a small part of it is at present employed. There are here in operation numerous mills for grinding grain and plaster, sawing lumber, carding, &c. There are also various manufactories, principally of machinery, castings, and farming implements. An important trade is carried on with the surrounding country and through the Kennebec river, which, by means of a dam and locks at Augusta, is navigable to the foot of the falls...

On Thursday evening of last week, seven young ladies, residing in Waterville, Me., went into what is called Crummett's Stream, about one-fourth of a mile from Waterille Village, for the purpose of bathing, and in a very few moments four of the seven found a watery grave. Their ages varied from eleven to fourteen.

WATERVILLE, Me., Jan. 28. - The boiler in the steam mill of the Kennebec Framing Company at Fairfield exploded this morning with terrific force. A son of ex-Warden Rice was killed, and John Avery, the engineer, were buried in the ruins. George McKeown and John Smith, a foreman, were wounded, and several others were slightly injured. The underwork of the mill is on fire and still burning. The accident is suppose to have been caused by a lack of water in the boiler. The loss by the explosion cannot now be estimated.

WATERVILLE, Me., April 3. - PETER VIGNE, a young man from Fairfield, Me., who was put in the lock-up last night, set the building on fire and perished in the flames.

Waterville lies on the western bank of the Kennebec River, adjoining Fairfield, in Somerset County, on the north. Winslow lies opposite on the east side of the river, Sidney forms the southern boundary, and West Waterville, the western. The town is 6 miles long, and about 2 in width. West Waterville was formed from it in 1873. The eastern and western lines of the Maine Central railway form a junction at the village; and extensive repair shops of the railroad company are there located. The principal stream in town is the Messalonske, which furnishes power near the village for several manufactories, among which are a grist-mill, a sash and blind factory, a shovel-handle factory, a tannery, a boot and shoe-shank factory, etc. On the Kennebec are two large cotton factories of the Lockwood Company, and one or two saw-mills.

The surface of the town is little varied by hills, the soil being largely alluvial. The village itself is built along rambling streets shaded by elms on a broad...

WATERVILLE (Me.), Oct. 24. - At 7 o'clock this morning the gashouse of the Lockwood Cotton Mills exploded lifting the roof from the building, which took fire.

Henry E. Washburn, aged 30 years, a workman in charge, perished in the flames.