11/06/2014

SHS: The History of Starks, Penned by William Allen in 1869

 

HistoryofStarks-1From the Starks Historical Society:

The History of the Town of Starks from the First Settlement in 1774.

The original document, penned by William Allen in 1869

Download The History of Starks, by William Allen

(A few pages were too damaged to include. Please forgive any obvious omissions.)

 

Click here to read a related newspaper article about the William Allen document (Use the magnifier for a larger version once the image is loaded.)

 

Nov 6, 2014 1:53:50 PM

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Community Resources Document for the Starks Area Below is a link to a document listing community resources including: Child and Family Services Health and Human Services Housing Food Legal Services and more Download using this link: RESOURCES FOR THE STARKS AREA For more information or questions call the Starks Town Office.
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A Brief History of Starks by Dr. Paul B. Frederic, PhD. HISTORY OF STARKS, MAINE by Dr. Paul Frederic, Professor of Geography (Emeritus) Pre-1600 Aboriginal people occupied the area now contained in Starks for 7,000-8,000 years. They relied on agriculture, fishing and hunting. Extensive intervale land along the Sandy and Kennebec Rivers produced excellent yields of corn. Fish were plentiful in the waterways and game was available. Canoe routes led to western mountains, the St. Lawrence River and the coast. 1610 French Jesuit priest visits Indian settlement in area. 1614 Earliest detailed European reference to a major Indian village called Naragooc, on the west bank of the Kennebec and north side of the Sandy. There were 50 households and 150 men in the community. The settlement, because of its size, was considered by the English as the third town north of the mouth of the Kennebec. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places (1993). 1646 French Jesuits construct a chapel at the village. 1695 Father Sebastian Rasle arrives at the village. Mid-1690’s Village moved to Old Point on the east side of the Kennebec River in an effort to keep it in French territory. This was a single event within the larger geo-political struggle between France and England for control of North America. At this time, the Kennebec River was considered a possible permanent boundary between French and English land. 1722 English raid Old Point village. 1724 English destroy village at Old Point killing Father Rasle. Some inhabitants escape across Kennebec to the Starks side of the river. 1772 James Waugh arrives and selects a site for a farm on the south side of the Sandy River. Waugh was born in Townsend, Massachusetts about 1749 and had migrated to Clinton (Maine). He accepted the offer made by the Kennebec Proprietors to settle on land they owned. James Waugh is recognized as the first settler in Starks. 1773-74 Waugh is joined by others including his young bride, Bathsheba Fairfield. 1775 Benedict Arnold and his army passes up the Kennebec on his way to be vanquish at Quebec City. Waugh provides yoke of oxen to assist in portage around Norridgewock Falls (Madison). Luke Sawyer arrived in the area in 1774 served as guide for Arnold between Starks and Flagstaff. 1784 Luke Sawyer builds a mill at the site of Starks Village. 1790 Population reaches 327 as settlers arrive. 1795 Samuel Weston surveys great lots along the Sandy River. The Town incorporates on February 28 and is named Starks in honor of Revolutionary War hero General John Stark. 1802 Much of the land back from the Sandy River is surveyed by Samuel Perham. 1810 Six or seven Revolutionary War Veterans have settled in Starks by now. 1812-15 Starks sends 11 men to war (War of 1812). 1820 Population reaches 1,055 with significant migration from eastern Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard, New Hampshire and southern Maine. The decades between settlement and now experience extensive land clearing. Lumber fraud dominates much of the timber harvest at this time. Work was done on credit with suppliers...