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1898 Map of Norridgewock

Name: 1898 Topographic Map of Norridgewock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1937
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1937

About this map

The Kennebec River carves through the northern half of this landscape, its path marked by Bombazee Rips and a series of sharp bends near South Norridgewock. Before the widespread construction of bridges, the river was traversed by Davis Ferry, a vital crossing point connecting Starks and the surrounding farmland. The terrain is characterized by a dense network of glacial lakes and ponds in the southern reaches, including the expansive Great Pond and North Pond, which dominate the central topography.

Settlement patterns follow the water and rail lines, with Belgrade Mills established at the southern narrows and the Maine Central RR skirting the edge of Messalonskee Lake. Numerous family-named peaks like McIntyre Hill, Willard Hill, and Dodling Hill rise between the valleys, suggesting a late 19th-century economy deeply rooted in small-scale agriculture and timber. This survey preserves the exact locations of many small villages, including East Mercer and South Smithfield, which anchored these rural townships.