Parsonsfield, Maine, USA (Kezar Falls)
1888 - Parsonsfield

The town of Parsonsfield is in the extreme northwest corner of York County, Maine. Center Square, on the northern slope of Cedar Mountain, is about 30 miles from the ocean, at Old Orchard and thirty-two from Wells Beach on an air line, and 33 miles west-north-west from Portland.

Its northern boundary is the Great Ossipee River (Ossipee signifies "River of Pines" in the Indian dialect.) The towns of Porter and Hiram are north of the river. Effingham and Wakefield, NH, are on the western border, Newfield is on the south, Limerick and Cornish on the east. The outer lines of the town have been measured several times, giving an area from 62.23 to 64 square miles. The length of the western line is nearly 8.5 miles, the eastern something over 9 miles, the northern and southern about 7.3 miles.

The surface of Parsonsfield is quite broken, or more properly, rises into high swells. Ricker's Mountain, in the southwest, is the highest, it being not far from 1,600 feet above the level of the sea. Cedar Mountain, in the center, comes up within one hundred feet of Ricker's, while Randall's Mountain in the east, may fall 100 feet below Cedar. The Seminary varies but little from 1,200 feet (366 m) above sea level, while the average altitude of the town is estimated at 1,000 feet (300 m). After Parsonsfield Seminary burned in 1854, Bates College was founded as a replacement.

Ricker's Mountain takes its name from Dea. Dominicus Ricker, who lived and died near the summit. Cedar is so called from the mountain cedar growing there. A legend tells how a hunter named Randall perished from cold on the mountain called by his name. Another tradition goes something like this: "Many years ago a famous hunter, named Randall, hunted hereaway among these mountains and caught much game. He usually reposed on the top of the high mountain by the rivulet, where it is supposed he was murdered by another hunter for his furs. The supposed murderer was absent only a few days from the settlements and returned heavily laden with valuable skins."

The high ridge, of which Cedar Mountain is the apex, runs east and west across the town. It is the water-shed, or divide, between the Great and Little Ossipee Rivers. The town is dotted all over with hills and swells, some of them hard to climb, but generally productive.

The principal river is the Great Ossipee. By estimation, the average yearly discharge is nine billion cubic feet, the length 33 miles, draining an area of about 240 square miles. There is an excellent water power at Kezar Falls, the descent being 50 feet per mile.

South River is next in size. It enters the Ossipee above Porter Bridge. The privilege at Lord's mills is the best within the town. The Bickford and Blaisdall mill streams run into the Little Ossipee. Smaller brooks are found in all parts of the town. It would be hard to find a lot of land not having one or more living springs, and as many never failing rivulets.

A small part of Province Pond is in Parsonsfield. The state line is one-fourth of a mile (400 m) from the eastern shore, and the distance across, by that line, is about one mile. Long Pond, in the northeast, is a beautiful sheet of water, 1.5 miles long, and about one-third that in width. West Pond, separated from Long Pond by a ridge, is nearly half as large. Smaller ponds are found among the hills.

Coarse granite rock projects here and there, but surface ledges cover only a small part of the town. Less than half the wells extend down to the rock bed. The prevailing soil may be denominated granite. There are patches of sand, but clay, even of inferior quality, is scarce. From one to two feet below the surface there is a hard pan or subsoil.

There are but few swamps or bog meadows, for the reason that the surface is tilted this, that, and every way, but valuable intervales lie along the brooks and rivers.

There are very few farms without stones enough to fence them. A large surplus of this imperishable fence material is the rule.

The original forest growth was maple, beech, hemlock, pine, birch, oak, and ash, with scores of other trees interspersed. Each variety prevailing in its favored locality, but not holding exclusive possession of a single farm. Where a second growth has been allowed to spring up, the soft woods in many cases have succeeded the hard, while the hard has been followed by soft. It is known that the present growth is a little more mixed than the first.

Since people made a break in the forest, there have been some climatic changes. Winter weather is more variable. Summer days are hotter and droughts more severe.

Roughly 20 percent of the town of Parsonsfield falls within the 8,603-acre Leavitt Plantation Forest, the largest contiguous block of forest land south of Sebago Lake. When the tract of forest was slated to be sold into smaller parcels, the Nature Conservancy and the state of Maine intervened, purchasing a conservation easement on the entire parcel and keeping it intact. That easement will protect Leavitt Plantation in perpetuity, while allowing sustainable forestry practices.

History of Parsonsfield, Maine: 1771-1888, published by Brown Thurston & Company, 1888

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