Maine: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries

Maine Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

John H. Long, Editor and Historical Compiler; Peggy Tuck Sinko, Associate Editor; Douglas Knox, Book Digitizing Director; Emily Kelley, Research Associate; Laura Rico-Beck, GIS Specialist and Digital Compiler; Peter Siczewicz, ArcIMS Interactive Map Designer; Robert Will, Cartographic Assistant

Copyright The Newberry Library 2008


10 April 1606

King James I chartered two Virginia Companies, headquartered in different English cities, to establish colonies along the coast of North America: the Virginia Company of London, assigned coast between 34 degrees and 41 degrees north latitude; and the Virginia Company of Plymouth, assigned coast between 38 degrees and 45 degrees north latitude, including present Maine. (Paullin, pl. 42; Swindler, 10:17-23; Van Zandt, 92)

3 November 1620

King James I replaced the charter to the Virginia Company of Plymouth with a charter for a Council for New England to establish colonies in a region between 40 degrees and 48 degrees north latitude and extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, including present Maine. (Swindler, 5:16-26)

20 August 1622

The Council for New England granted to Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason all land along the Atlantic coast between the Merrimack and Sagadahoc (now Kennebec) Rivers, to be called the province of Maine. It covered the eastern part of present New Hampshire and the southwestern part of present Maine. (Andrews, 1:334; Swindler, 4:264)

4 March 1629

[4 March 1628/1629] King Charles I chartered the Massachusetts Bay Company to establish a colony in the territory stretching from three miles north of the Merrimack River ("to the Northward of any and every Parte thereof") to three miles south of the Charles River and extending westward from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific Ocean. Area included a three-mile wide strip of Maine (area south of the Kennebec River) north of the Merrimack River. (Andrews, 1:359; Swindler, 5:32-42)

7 November 1629

After Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason divided their 1622 land grant, the Council for New England granted to John Mason the territory to be called New Hampshire, lying between the Merrimack and Piscataqua Rivers and extending up to 60 miles inland from the coast. The remainder of the 1622 grant between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers was left to Gorges and continued to be known as Maine. (Swindler, 6:304)

26 June 1630

The Council for New England patented the Province of Lygonia, consisting of a square territory south and west of the Sagadahoc (now Kennebec) River measuring 40 miles long and 40 miles wide. Lygonia overlapped part of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers). The patent included "power to make Laws &c." (Farnham, 7:134)

7 June 1635

The Council for New England, faced with competition from Massachusetts and less success than expected in managing its own colonies, tried to protect the interests of its principal members, including Ferdinando Gorges (for Maine) and John Mason (for New Hampshire), by first distributing all its land among them and then, on this date, surrendering its charter to the crown. Members hoped the king would a) confirm the land grants they had made to themselves, b) abrogate the Massachusetts charter, and c) create a new royal colony for all of New England with Gorges as its governor. Technically, this threw all of New England, outside of Massachusetts, under the direct jurisdiction of the crown, but some earlier grants remained effective. (Preston, 305)

3 April 1639

King Charles I granted Maine to Ferdinando Gorges as a proprietary colony. Territory included the area in present western Maine between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers inland (up river) 120 miles from the Atlantic coast, plus two islands south of Cape Cod in present Massachusetts: Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Thomas Gorges, a distant relative of Ferdinando Gorges, established a government in 1640, created several "counties" (without specified names or boundaries), and conducted the colony's affairs until annexation by Massachusetts in 1652. (Preston, 321-322, 334, 344; Swindler, 4:269)

14 June 1641

Massachusetts gained all of New Hampshire when the colonists there voluntarily accepted Massachusetts's jurisdiction; there had been no effective government or judicial system there since the dissolution of the Council for New England and the death of John Mason, New Hampshire's principal land holder. (Swindler, 6:319)

March 1646

[March 1645/1646] The Province of Lygonia gained from Maine when the English government settled the jurisdictional dispute between the two provinces in favor of Lygonia, effectively reducing Maine to a few settlements between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers. (Williamson, 1:302)

26 May 1652

Massachusetts declared an interpretation of its 1628/1629 charter that would make its northern boundary an east-west line through a point three miles north of the most northerly part of the Merrimack River, which it decided later (1 August 1652) was the parallel of 43 degrees, 40 minutes, 12 seconds north latitude, cutting the Atlantic Coast near present Casco Bay, Maine. Massachusetts used this interpretation to claim part of Maine. (Van Zandt, 64; Williamson, 1:337)

20 November 1652

Massachusetts created YORKSHIRE (now YORK) in Maine after southern Maine towns (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) acknowledged Massachusetts's jurisdiction over all territory within the new boundaries that it declared on 26 May 1652. Towns located farther north near Casco Bay gave their allegiance later, the last in 1658, practically eliminating the Province of Lygonia. Massachusetts claim conflicted with the 1635 grant of Maine to Ferdinando Gorges. (Farnham, 7:274, 288; Mass. Recs., vol. 4, pt. 1:124; Reid, Maine, 21)

12 March 1664

[12 March 1663/1664] King Charles II granted to the Duke of York the area between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers extending inland from the Atlantic coast to the St. Lawrence River, including most of present Maine and part of Quebec, Canada. (Swindler, 4:278-280)

November 1664

In November 1664, representatives of the Gorges family rejected Massachusetts's claim and resumed the government of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers). YORKSHIRE (now YORK) went into abeyance. (York County, 2:5)

23 June 1665

Royal commissioners replaced Gorges's jurisdiction over Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) with a new government under direct authority of the crown. (Farnham, 7:308)

5 September 1665

CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct) created by New York to cover all of the Duke of York's grant between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine and Quebec, Canada. (Williamson, 1:421)

21 July 1667

The Peace of Breda, between England and France and the Netherlands, confirmed the English conquest of New York from the Dutch in 1664 and removed Acadia (now Nova Scotia) from English to French control, including a fort on the Penobscot River in present Maine. Actual transfer of Acadia did not occur until 1670. (Farnham, 7:311, 314; Parry, 10:231)

27 May 1668

Massachusetts reasserted authority over all of Maine west of the Kennebec River, an area that had been put under royal government in June 1665. YORK (formerly called YORKSHIRE) was reinstated. (Farnham, 7:317)

1670

In 1670, the English surrendered to France the forts of Acadia (now Nova Scotia), including one on the Penobscot River in present Maine. France claimed the remainder of territory east of the Kennebec River in present Maine. (Farnham, 7:312; Hart, 1:511)

by 7 October 1673

Massachusetts, relying on a new survey of its northern limit and responding to the Dutch capture of New York in August 1673, claimed some of the Duke of York's grant east of the Kennebec River in present Maine (including the Pemaquid settlement) and created an unnamed county that on 27 May 1675 was named DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct). This unnamed county overlapped part of CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct), but the Duke of York did not recognize the Massachusetts claim. (Mass. Recs., 5:16; Reid, Maine, 138; Williamson, 1:443)

29 June 1674

Following the Treaty of Westminster (9 February 1673/1674) that ended the Anglo-Dutch war and restored New York to the English, King Charles II regranted to the Duke of York the territory he had granted on 12 March 1663/1664, including the area between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine and part of Quebec, Canada. Massachusetts's DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct) continued to operate for settlements in present Maine situated east of the Kennebec River, although they were within the formally defined area of jurisdiction of New York's CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct). (Parry, 13:136; Swindler, 4:282; Williamson, 1:446)

Fall 1675

In the fall of 1675, CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct) and DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct) were apparently eliminated when war broke out between the Abnaki Indians and the English in present Maine. (Williamson, 1:446)

20 July 1677

YORK continued as a de facto county in present southwestern Maine after England's Committee for Trade and Plantations ruled that the 1639 proprietary grant of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) to Ferdinando Gorges was valid and that Massachusetts had exceeded the intent of its charter by extending its jurisdiction more than three miles north of where the Merrimack River meets the Atlantic coast. (Farnham, 7:339)

15 March 1678

[15 March 1677/1678] Massachusetts purchased the proprietary rights granted in 1635 to Ferdinando Gorges, an attempt to legitimate the extension of its jurisdiction northeastward to the Kennebec River in present New Hampshire and Maine. (Farnham, 7:350)

17 March 1680

[17 March 1679/1680] YORK eliminated when Massachusetts organized a new government for Maine (area between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers) in accordance with terms of Ferdinando Gorges's 1635 grant. (Farnham, 7:356; Williamson, 1:556, 563)

1 November 1683

New York re-created CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct) to cover all of the Duke of York's grant in present Maine and Quebec, including the Pemaquid settlement governed since 1674 by Massachusetts. (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 4/1:122)

18 June 1684

England's Court of Chancery annulled the Massachusetts charter, technically putting Massachusetts and Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) directly under the authority of the crown. Actual transfer of authority occurred when the royal governor arrived 17 May 1686. (Farnham, 7:359; Van Zandt, 66)

17 May 1686

The arrival of its first royal governor inaugurated the Dominion of New England, the new single province that King James II created (8 October 1685) by uniting King's Province (present southwestern Rhode Island), Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine (area between New Hampshire and the Kennebec River). (Farnham, 7:367; Hart, 1:573; N.H. Early Laws, 1:99; Williamson, 1:576)

Spring 1687

In the spring of 1687, CORNWALL (N.Y.) was eliminated when the area was incorporated into the Dominion of New England, a new province into which New York, New Jersey, and the New England colonies eventually were consolidated. (Barnes, 69; N.H. Early Laws, 1:144)

18 April 1689

Upon learning of the Glorious Revolution (replacement of King James II by King William III and Queen Mary II) in England, Bostonians imprisoned the royal governor and others, thereby ending the Dominion of New England. Massachusetts resumed self-government and attempted to re-establish its authority in southern Maine, but a new war between England and France left the area east of New Hampshire either in turmoil or under French control until the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697. (Craven, 224; Morris and Kelly, pl. 11)

7 October 1691

King William III and Queen Mary II issued a new charter for the province of Massachusetts Bay. The new charter included the former colonies of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers), Acadia (now Nova Scotia), and all remaining territory of present Maine between Acadia and the Kennebec River. This legitimized Massachusetts's control of Maine. Northern limit was indefinite. YORK was reinstated under the new Massachusetts charter (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 1, ch. 27 [1692-1693], sec. 1/p. 63; Swindler, 5:80)

20 September 1697

Acadia (now Nova Scotia) was effectively separated from Massachusetts and confirmed to France by the Treaty of Ryswick that ended King William's War between England and France and restored the pre-war empires. No boundaries were specified and France threw the jurisdiction of present Maine into doubt by claiming all territory east of the Kennebec River. (Farnham, 8:29; Hart, 2:76-77)

15 April 1713

Following the Treaty of Utrecht (31 March 1713), by which Acadia (now Nova Scotia) was formally transferred from France to Great Britain, Massachusetts lost nominal jurisdiction over Nova Scotia when that area was made a separate province. Limits specified in the treaty ("ancient boundaries") were vague, but from this date Massachusetts held actual control of territory west of the St. Croix River that is present Maine. (Farnham, 8:33; Gipson, 3:29 n.74, 5:334)

26 June 1716

YORK gained all Massachusetts territory between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine. Northern limit was indefinite. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 9, ch. 75 [1716-1717]/p. 485)

5 August 1740

King George II settled the lines between Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The eastern boundary of New Hampshire with Maine went up the Piscataqua and Salmon Falls Rivers and thence on a straight line north to a point 120 miles inland or, if closer, the limit of the colony. The boundary has remained unchanged to the present. (Farnham, 8:47; Van Zandt, 59)

12 April 1753

YORK was redefined to cover all territory east of New Hampshire that was not specifically part of any other Massachusetts county [no change]. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 3, ch. 27 [1752-1753]/p. 656)

1 November 1760

CUMBERLAND and LINCOLN created by Massachusetts from YORK. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 4, ch. 7 [1760-1761], secs. 1, 2, 6/pp. 372-374)

7 October 1763

CUMBERLAND, LINCOLN, and YORK were extended northward to the Atlantic watershed when King George III created the new royal province of Quebec, which was bounded on the south by the watershed between the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. This implicitly set the northern limit of Maine. (Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 1, 77; Shortt and Doughty, 119-120)

4 July 1776

Massachusetts, including Maine, became an independent state. (Declaration of Independence)

3 September 1783

Commissioners from Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris (ratifications exchanged 12 May 1784) ending the War of the American Revolution, recognizing American independence, and defining the northern U.S. boundary around Maine as the St. Croix River to the Atlantic watershed and thence westward to the parallel of 45 degrees north latitude. Later treaties and surveys settled details of this boundary (and some disputes over them), but there were no later changes in its essential definition. (Parry, 48:481-486; Van Zandt, 12)

3 March 1786

CUMBERLAND gained from YORK. (Mass. Acts 1786, ch. 18, sec. 1/p. 407)

1 May 1790

HANCOCK and WASHINGTON created by Massachusetts from LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1789, ch. 25, sec. 1/p. 25)

1 May 1791

LINCOLN gained from HANCOCK. (Mass. Acts 1790, ch. 10, sec. 1/p. 81)

25 October 1798

Commissioners from Great Britain and the United States agreed on the true course of the St. Croix River, fixing part of the U.S.-Canadian boundary in accordance with the 1783 Treaty of Paris and settling a dispute between Massachusetts and Nova Scotia that dated back to 1764 [no change]. (Van Zandt, 12)

20 February 1799

KENNEBEC created by Massachusetts from LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1799, ch. 23, sec. 1/p. 257)

28 February 1799

Boundary between HANCOCK and KENNEBEC was clarified [no change]. (Mass. Acts 1799, ch. 39, sec. 1/p. 275)

4 March 1805

OXFORD created by Massachusetts from CUMBERLAND and YORK. CUMBERLAND gained from YORK, lost to KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1805, ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 573-574)

8 March 1808

OXFORD gained from KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1808, ch. 97/p. 323)

1 June 1809

SOMERSET created by Massachusetts from KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1809, ch. 62, sec. 1/p. 459)

6 March 1810

Boundary between KENNEBEC and LINCOLN was redefined in part when the line between the towns of Gardiner and Litchfield was redefined [no change]. (Mass. Acts 1810, ch. 108/p. 194)

25 February 1811

LINCOLN gained from KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1811, ch. 61/p. 290)

21 June 1811

HANCOCK gained from SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1811, ch. 36/p. 430)

29 February 1812

KENNEBEC exchanged with LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1812, ch. 160/p. 309)

12 June 1812

HANCOCK gained from SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1812, ch. 4/p. 7)

16 February 1813

SOMERSET gained from HANCOCK. (Mass. Acts 1813, ch. 85/p. 157)

26 February 1813

KENNEBEC gained from SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1813, ch. 108/p. 179)

28 January 1814

OXFORD gained from KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1814, ch. 79/pp. 316-317)

15 February 1816

PENOBSCOT created by Massachusetts from HANCOCK. (Mass. Acts 1816, ch. 121, sec. 1/p. 156)

17 June 1816

PENOBSCOT gained from HANCOCK when town of Hampden gained from town of Frankfurt and town of Orrington gained from town of Buckstown (now Bucksport). (Mass. Acts 1816, ch. 13, sec. 1/p. 195 and ch. 14/p. 196)

14 June 1817

PENOBSCOT gained from SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1817, ch. 15/p. 398)

24 November 1817

Under authority of the Treaty of Ghent (24 December 1814) commissioners from Great Britain and the United States agreed on the division of the islands in Passamaquoddy Bay. Moose, Dudley (now Treat), and Frederick (now Dudley) Islands were assigned to the U.S. and made part of WASHINGTON [not mapped]. (Paullin, 59)

2 February 1819

SOMERSET gained from OXFORD. (Mass. Acts 1819, ch. 41, sec. 1/p. 71)

15 March 1820

CUMBERLAND, HANCOCK, KENNEBEC, LINCOLN, OXFORD, PENOBSCOT, SOMERSET, WASHINGTON, and YORK became counties in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

5 February 1821

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and OXFORD was clarified [no change]. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 26/p. 28)

8 February 1821

KENNEBEC gained small area from OXFORD. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 35/p. 36)

28 February 1821

OXFORD gained from CUMBERLAND. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 47/p. 45)

8 March 1821

KENNEBEC gained small area from LINCOLN. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 58/p. 58)

17 March 1821

KENNEBEC gained from SOMERSET. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 76/p. 83)

31 January 1823

SOMERSET gained from OXFORD. (Me. Priv. Acts 1823, ch. 188/p. 269)

17 February 1824

CUMBERLAND gained small area from YORK. (Me. Priv. Acts 1824, ch. 276/p. 397)

3 July 1827

WALDO created from HANCOCK, KENNEBEC, LINCOLN, and PENOBSCOT. (Me. Pub. Acts 1827, ch. 354, sec. 1/p. 1109 and ch. 362/p. 1125)

1 July 1829

New Hampshire agreed to a new definition of its boundary with Maine; Maine had agreed to the boundary on 28 February 1829 [no change]. (Van Zandt, 60)

6 March 1830

KENNEBEC gained small area from SOMERSET. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 71/p. 123)

12 March 1830

CUMBERLAND gained small area from OXFORD when town of Sebago gained from town of Denmark. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 94/p. 159)

17 March 1830

OXFORD gained small area from CUMBERLAND when town of Oxford gained from town of Otisfield. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 115/p. 194)

15 March 1831

PENOBSCOT gained from WASHINGTON. (Me. Priv. Acts 1831, ch. 151, sec. 2/p. 244)

17 March 1831

HANCOCK exchanged with WASHINGTON. (Me. Priv. Acts 1831, ch. 154/p. 247)

10 February 1833

PENOBSCOT gained from SOMERSET. (Me. Priv. Acts 1833, ch. 314/p. 488)

10 March 1835

KENNEBEC gained from LINCOLN. (Me. Priv. Acts 1835, ch. 553/p. 817)

PENOBSCOT gained from HANCOCK. (Me. Priv. Acts 1835, ch. 559/p. 826)

10 February 1836

WALDO gained small area from LINCOLN when town of Camden gained from town of Warren. (Me. Priv. Acts 1836, ch. 17/p. 18)

15 March 1838

WALDO gained North Haven Island and Vinalhaven Island from HANCOCK. (Me. Priv. Acts 1838, ch. 451/p. 552)

30 April 1838

PISCATAQUIS created from SOMERSET and PENOBSCOT. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 353, sec. 1/p. 512)

9 May 1838

FRANKLIN created from KENNEBEC, OXFORD, and SOMERSET. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 328, sec. 1/p. 476; Me. Gov. Proc. 2:99-100)

1 May 1839

AROOSTOOK created from PENOBSCOT and WASHINGTON. (Me. Pub. Acts 1839, ch. 395, sec. 1/p. 562)

29 February 1840

SOMERSET gained from KENNEBEC. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 27, sec. 1/p. 26)

6 March 1840

KENNEBEC gained from LINCOLN. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 5, sec. 1/p. 5 and ch. 37/p. 39)

18 March 1840

SOMERSET gained small area from FRANKLIN when town of Anson gained from town of New Vineyard. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 75/p. 100)

20 February 1841

PENOBSCOT gained from HANCOCK when town of Lowell gained from Page's Mill Settlement. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 102/p. 296)

27 March 1841

YORK gained small area from CUMBERLAND when town of Saco gained from town of Scarborough [location unknown, not mapped]. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 136, sec. 1/p. 330)

6 April 1841

FRANKLIN gained from SOMERSET when town of New Sharon gained from town of Mercer. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 148/p. 349)

10 April 1841

PENOBSCOT gained small area from HANCOCK when town of Brewer gained from towns of Bucksport and Dedham [change too small to map]. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 161/p. 357)

7 March 1842

CUMBERLAND gained small area from OXFORD when town of Bridgton gained from town of Denmark. (Me. Laws 1842, Priv., ch. 16/p. 15)

9 August 1842

Webster-Ashburton Treaty between Great Britain and the United States settled the U.S.-Canadian boundary, fixing the northern limits of AROOSTOOK, FRANKLIN, OXFORD, PENOBSCOT, PISCATAQUIS, and SOMERSET [no change]. (Van Zandt, 17-18)

21 March 1843

AROOSTOOK gained from PENOBSCOT. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 15/p. 51)

24 March 1843

LINCOLN gained Matinicus Island from HANCOCK. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 118/p. 137)

by 29 February 1844

PENOBSCOT exchanged with SOMERSET, placing county line along town boundaries. (Me. Laws 1844, Priv., ch. 148/p. 190)

1 March 1844

KENNEBEC gained from OXFORD. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 97, sec. 1/p. 102)

7 March 1844

OXFORD gained small area from CUMBERLAND when town of Hiram gained from town of Baldwin. (Me. Laws 1844, Priv., ch. 156/p. 194)

12 March 1844

AROOSTOOK gained from SOMERSET and exchanged with PISCATAQUIS; PENOBSCOT gained from WASHINGTON and exchanged with PISCATAQUIS; SOMERSET gained from PISCATAQUIS. Part of the boundary between HANCOCK and WASHINGTON was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1844, Pub., ch. 99, secs. 1-5/pp. 92-94)

2 August 1847

CUMBERLAND gained from OXFORD when town of Bridgton gained from towns of Fryeburg and Denmark. (Me. Laws 1847, Priv., ch. 84, sec. 1/pp. 110-111)

FRANKLIN gained from KENNEBEC when town of Chesterville gained from town of Vienna. (Me. Laws 1847, Priv., ch. 93/p. 132)

24 July 1849

SOMERSET gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Canaan gained from town of Clinton. (Me. Laws 1849, Priv., ch. 234/p. 334)

8 August 1850

KENNEBEC gained small area from SOMERSET when town of Clinton gained from town of Canaan. (Me. Laws 1850, Priv., ch. 351/p. 487)

20 August 1850

PENOBSCOT gained small area from HANCOCK when town of Orrington gained from town of Bucksport. (Me. Laws 1850, Priv., ch. 376, sec. 1/p. 519)

9 April 1852

Boundary between FRANKLIN and KENNEBEC was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 566/p. 567)

LINCOLN gained islands of Hacketash (now Ragged Island), Wooden Ball, Tenpound, No Man's Land, Two Bush, and Matinicus Rock from HANCOCK. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 578/p. 577)

20 April 1852

LINCOLN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Lewiston gained from town of Greene to accommodate local property owner [location unknown, not mapped]. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 617/p. 614)

31 March 1854

ANDROSCOGGIN created from CUMBERLAND, KENNEBEC, LINCOLN, and OXFORD. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 60, sec. 1/p. 74)

4 April 1854

SAGADAHOC created from LINCOLN. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 70, sec. 1/p. 82)

11 April 1854

LINCOLN gained small area from WALDO when town of Washington gained from town of Palermo to accommodate local property owners. (Me. Laws 1854, Priv., ch. 327/pp. 336-337)

16 March 1855

ANDROSCOGGIN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Wales gained from town of Monmouth. (Me. Laws 1855, Priv., ch. 526/p. 588)

12 March 1856

ANDROSCOGGIN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Wales gained from town of Litchfield. (Me. Laws 1856, Priv., ch. 592/p. 650)

15 March 1858

PENOBSCOT gained from HANCOCK. (Me. Laws 1858, Priv., ch. 198/p. 170)

20 March 1858

CUMBERLAND gained small area from ANDROSCOGGIN when towns of Casco and Otisfield gained from town of Poland. (Me. Laws 1858, Priv., ch. 220/p. 185 and ch. 222/p. 187)

2 April 1859

KENNEBEC gained small area from ANDROSCOGGIN when town of Wayne gained from town of Leeds. (Me. Laws 1859, Priv., ch. 344/p. 317)

1 April 1860

KNOX created from LINCOLN and WALDO. (Me. Laws 1860, Pub., ch. 146, sec. 1/p. 129)

14 February 1867

ANDROSCOGGIN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Webster gained from town of Litchfield. (Me. Laws 1867, Priv., ch. 270/p. 226)

26 February 1873

WALDO gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Burnham gained from Clinton Gore Plantation. (Me. Laws 1873, Priv., ch. 384, sec. 1/p. 368)

27 February 1873

SOMERSET gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Fairfield gained from town of Benton [change too small to map]. (Me. Laws 1873, Priv., ch. 390, sec. 1/p. 378)

13 March 1883

Boundary between PISCATAQUIS and SOMERSET was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1883, Pub., ch. 210/p. 173)

27 February 1885

SOMERSET gained small area from PISCATAQUIS when town of Cambridge gained from town of Wellington. (Me. Laws 1885, Priv., ch. 464/p. 634)

4 March 1885

WASHINGTON gained small area from AROOSTOOK when town of Danforth gained from town of Weston. (Me. Laws 1885, Priv., ch. 499/p. 677)

5 March 1889

AROOSTOOK gained from PENOBSCOT when Reed Plantation gained from Drew Plantation. (Me. Laws 1889, Priv., ch. 514/p. 874)

5 February 1891

CUMBERLAND gained Ragged Island in Casco Bay from SAGADAHOC. (Me. Laws 1891, Priv., ch. 25/p. 25)

28 March 1903

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and SAGADAHOC was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1903, Priv., ch. 415/p. 628)

PENOBSCOT gained from AROOSTOOK when Drew Plantation gained from Reed Plantation. (Me. Laws 1903, Priv., ch. 364/p. 550)

15 March 1905

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and SAGADAHOC was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1905, Priv., ch. 200/p. 231)

21 February 1907

LINCOLN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Whitefield gained from town of Windsor. (Me. Laws 1907, Priv., ch. 96/p. 316)

21 May 1910

Great Britain and the United States refined the U.S.-Canadian boundary through Passamaquoddy Bay between Maine and New Brunswick [not mapped]. (Van Zandt, 20)

12 March 1913

KNOX gained Isle au Haut from HANCOCK. (Me. Laws 1913, Priv., ch. 83/p. 425)

19 March 1917

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and SAGADAHOC was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1917, Priv., ch. 68/p. 501)

1 July 1978

OXFORD gained from CUMBERLAND when the town of Otisfield was annexed to OXFORD. (Me. Laws 1977, priv. & spec., chs. 10, 83/pp. 1349-1351, 1475)

20 June 1985

Legislature authorized SAGADAHOC to gain the towns of Brunswick and Harpswell from CUMBERLAND, dependent on local referendum to be held during the 1986 general election. Change did not take effect. (Me. Laws 1985, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 37/pp. 2076-2078)

10 July 1991

Legislature authorized LINCOLN to gain the town of Richmond from SAGADAHOC, dependent on local referendum to be held in November 1991. Change did not take effect. (Me. Laws 1991, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 52/pp. 856-857)

13 October 1993

Boundary between KENNEBEC and LINCOLN was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1993, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 15/p. 1095)

18 September 1999

Boundary between ANDROSCOGGIN and CUMBERLAND was clarified when the boundary between the towns of Durham and Pownal was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1999, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 9/pp. 964-965)