Historical Researches of Gouldsboro, Maine Copyright, 1904 by the Daughter of Liberty West Gouldsboro, Maine Press of W.H. Sherman, Printer and Stationer Bar Harbor, Maine. Pg. 5-7. Town of Gouldsboro On February 16, 1789, the General Court of said Commonwealth of Massachusetts formally organized Township 3, or the plantation of Gouldsboro, as a town, in the County of Lincoln. (The county not bearing General Hancock's name until June 25, 1789) which took effect May 1, 1790, Maine not becoming a state until March 15, 1820. The original grant was given to Nathan Jones, Francis Shaw and Robert Gould, in 1764. The disposition of Francis Shaw's portion is spoken of elsewhere. William Bingham of Philadelphia, purchased of 2,000,000 acres of land in Maine. On July 12, 1796, William Shaw conveyed to William Bingham all the eastern portion of the town not sold with reserves of Harvard College lot, Schoodic peninsula and Public School lot, of 484 acres each, also three settlers' lots of 100 acres each near Mosquito Harbor, (Winter Harbor,) all in 6, 789 acres, for £4,415 or $22,075. In the division in 1790, William Shaw had the southwestern quarter section and bought his eastern interest of John Lane, a London merchant. It is stated that Mr. Lane furnished money to Robert Gould the surveyor, but the town bears the name of the latter from his earnest efforts to procure the desired number of citizens to establish the town. Even the dogs were named Tobias, etc., to swell the list. Gouldsboro is twenty-one miles east of Ellsworth and is on the Shore stage line. The area is about 30,000 acres. Forbes and Jones ponds are the chief bodies of water. The principal eminence is Mt. Comer; 600 feet high. This mountain was named for a hermit who lived at the back of the mountain and, when the larder was empty, foraged the farms near by; sometimes a store was broken into, and groceries missed. Then the proprietors, after looking over their loss, accepted the inevitable, only remarking, "I know well enough it was Old Cromer." The surface of the town is much broken, abounding in rocky cliffs of granite penetrated by veins of galena, zinc and cooper. There is also greenstone and slenite. At Grindstone Point is an immense deposit of metamorphic or silicous slate which might prove excellent material for grindstones. The soil is clay loam and gravelly loam, one-third of the area being unsuitable for cultivation. Potatoes and oats are staple products. Market gardening is increasing. Fishing is an important industry. The water powers employed in 1903 are Chicken Mill stream, stream mill; West Bay stream, shingle and stave mil; Jones Pond, saw mill and grist mill. The waster power from Forbes Pond is not used at present for milling purposes. There were squatters as early as 1700. The first male child born was Robert Ash Jr., the first female, Mary (called Polly) Libby, daughter of Samuel Libby. In 1861 there were 913 men in Gouldsboro. In 1900 the town's population was 1,259. This decrease is due to the exodus of many townsmen to various parts of the United States to engage in business strife. Although the town is a severe loser, yet the able management of town affairs proves there are yet citizens of New England Type within her precincts. The octogenarians have witnessed many changes of which perhaps the greatest are the coming of the mail six times a week bringing the daily papers; steamboat connection and railway service but seven miles distant; and the long distance telephone. The Winter Harbor octogenarians are: Capt. Nathan Hammond, aged 93; Charles Norris, 83; William Rand, 85; Albert Rand, 82; Nathan Bickford, 84; Elisha Bickford, 82; Mrs Rachel Decker Sargent, 88; Mrs Rhoda Joy Southard, 82; Jerry Tracy of Corea, 81; Mrs. Flora Whittaker Soule, 90; and Mrs Abbie Guptill Hill, 83, of Gouldsboro; John Bunker, 90; William Wood, 89; Mrs. Eliza Spurling Bunker, 90; and Mrs Mary Shaw Kingsley, 81, of West Gouldsboro. ************* Enjoy, (c) 1997, Tina Vickery * * * * 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.