HISTORY OF LIVERMORE, Maine. pages 13-14 Notes, Historical, Descriptive and Personal, of the Livermore, Androscoggin County (formerly of Oxford Co) Maine. CHAPTER 11. TOPOGRAPHY, SOIL, AND PRODUCTS. SITUATED upon the middle ground between the hills of Oxford and the rolling lands of Kennebec, the township partakes in about equal proportions of the characteristics of both. It has high hills like Hamlin's (or Mount Sier), Fuller's, and Waters' or Lovewell's, from which extensive views are obtained-grand, as the eye turns towards the White Mountains and the mountains of the northwest; beautiful, as it rests upon the quiet landscapes that extend to the confines of Casco Bay on the south, and to the Megunticook Mount- ains, whose bases are washed by the waters of Penobscot Bay, on the southeast. The town, without being rough, is picturesque. It was when first settled heavily wooded, principally with pine, bemlock, maple, beech, birch, and oak. The original growth, however, has been nearly all cut off; but the area of second growth is rather increasing than diminishing. There are in the town many noble elms, and upon the firm formerly owned by Isaac Livermore there is, or was recently, a fine row of chestnut trees. While in large portions of the town the land is more or less rocky, there are considerable sections quite free from stones and where the soil is of a sandy loam, as in the immediate valley of the Androscoggin, and in the neighborhood of the village. The river in its course along the eastern boundary of the town is broken by falls or rapids in three places, to wit, at a point near the South line of Jay, at Roccomeco, and at the Rips, so called, in "Tollawalla." It has several fertile and beautiful islands, varying in size from five to twenty acres. At Strickland's Ferry (near the lower end of Tollawal- la) is a view of surpassing beauty, which has been photographed by Capt. George W. Brown, of Portland, who has taken several other views in the town, and with great success; among them that of the residence of Dea. Livermore, erected more than eighty years ago. He has also taken a photographic picture from a very fine oil paint- 14 HISTORY OF LIVERMORE. ing of the Norlands by his brother, H. B. Brown, the well-known Portland artist-especially distinguished as a marine painter-for Elihu B. Washburne, the American Minister to France. It has been forwarded to Paris, where it is greatly admired. The copy forms one of the illustrations of this volume. The soil is generally strong and productive, and there is scarcely an acre of what may be called waste land within the town. Requir- ing more labor in cultivation than the lands in the valleys of the Kennebec and Penobscot, it yields equal returns to the labor of the farmer. Apples and the products of the dairy are among the more noticeable sources of income, while Indian corn and potatoes are crops which will average with those of other towns in this part of the State. In 1800 Rev. Paul Coffin, of whose visits to Liver- more mention will be made hereafter, says, "A Mr. Bemis raised two hundred bushels of rye, and his corn is believed to be five bull- dred bushels." He adds, I "Dea. Livermore bad a most thrifty and bearing orcbard." In Mr. Coffin's journal for 1798, under date of September, lie says, "Went to Dea. Livermore's and put up at that good house. He and son have about fifty excellent cattle, many sheep, horses, and an orchard. Their house is large and high, of four rooms and two chimneys. They have four barns and many sheds." There are four ponds in the town. Round and Long in the north- erly part, and separated by a few rods only from each other; Bart- lett's, Dear the centre, and Brettun's, in the southwesterly quarter of the town. There are several streams, none of them large, but two of them severally furnish a fair supply of water in ordinary seasons for grist and saw-mills, and (in their day) furnished it for carding and clothing mills. There are, however, excellent powers on the westerly side of the Androscoggin River, one at Livermore Falls, and another a short distance above. These powers are as yet unem- ployed. (c) 1998 Courtesy of the Androscoggin Historical Society ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. * * * * The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification.