Weston History

Long before Weston was named as a town, the area was important in early water transportation for early Native American, European trappers and followed by early settlers. There were many waterways and directions in which to travel, but one route stands out as a major artery extending from the Bangor area to Houlton.

The first water travelers leaving Bangor and traveling up the Penobscot and Mattawamkeag rivers would make a sharp turn (to the right) and continue up the Baskahegan River... often stopping at Cleaves’ Landing. At this point the travelers would follow a ‘carry’ to Butterfield Landing whereupon they would enter the waters of the Chiputneticook Lakes, and travel northward where they would reach land, conduct a portage to the Eel River, then onto the St. John River where they could travel north to Houlton, or on to other northern destinations.  

The Legislature of Massachusetts on June 18, 1803 passed a resolve granting the land referred to as 45° north latitude and 67° 53’ west longitude, as a half township and named it the Hampden Academy. The Hampden Academy was a parallelogram two and one-half miles wide and seven and one-fifth miles long, laying in a northwesterly and southeasterly direction, the northwest corner projecting a short distance beyond a bend in the Mattawamkeag River, and its southwest corner extending something over half mile south of the Baskahegan Stream. 

The town of Weston is the ‘southeastern most’ town in Aroostook County and shares its eastern international boundary with Canada, and its southern boundary with the town of Danforth in Washington County.

Weston Vital Statistics 1850 - 1891  - - - - - >

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This Hampden Academy grant became known as Baskahegan from the writings by Squire William Butterfield when he wrote of his travels to the area in June of 1827. The first settlers upon the Hampden Academy Grant (or Baskahegan) were John Davenport, Thomas Gilpartrick, Simon Scribner and William Butterfield. In 1824 John Davenport of St. Albans cut some trees and cleared some land. In 1825 Thomas Gilpatrick from Unity, Maine “purchased from the Hampden Academy trustees one thousand acres of land for twenty-five cents per acre.” He cleared the cut land done by Davenport and put it into crops on the halves with John. Mr. Thomas Gilpatrick was the first settler who brought a family to the grant; believed to be in October of 1827.

Thomas Gilpatrick had the agency of the half-township and was instructed to locate someone to survey the land. When finding that W. Butterfield was a surveyor, he was recommended to do the job. In September of 1827 when he returned with his surveying instruments, William H. Reed, a trustee of Hampden Academy, employed Butterfield to do the work, which took three weeks to complete.

Squire Butterfield arrived shortly behind Gilpatrick with his family in February of 1828. From Butterfield’s account, he took four days to fashion some furniture for the homestead. He reported that he had a cow, a pig, and a horse. He fashioned some type of maple sap spiles and tapped some trees and made a lot of maple sugar and what he called molasses (I assume that it was dark maple syrup.) He then went trapping for furs and left the boys to gather the sap and help their mother boil it down. There was only one other white female for a companion for his wife within twenty miles. Abigail (Ross) Gilpatrick and Tenny (Loveland) Butterfield were the first women of Weston.

The 1830 U.S. Census records in the Hampden Academy Grant show eleven households containing a total of 69 souls.

Weston Geography & Demographics  - - - >

Formerly known as the Hampden Academy Grant, Weston was Incorporated on March 16, 1835, the Town being named Weston after the Surveyor. The act of incorporation was passed on March 16, 1835, and was signed by Gov. Dunlap on the following day.

Not only did individual lots change, but the bounds of the town itself were in a state of flux until 1907. The first change came in 1855 when the unincorporated Monroe Gore and Nelson Tract were annexed.

“Eastward of the Academy Grant and between the east line of that grant and the irregular coast line of the Grand Lake (then called Scoodic Lake) is a tract of nearly six thousand acres known as the Monroe Gore. Between the south line of the Academy Grant and the north line of the half townships granted to Thomas Danforth (now the town of Danforth) is a strip of 147 rods wide, a part of which is known as the Nelson Tract. David Nelson conveyed the tract to Mr. Joseph L. Kelsey of Bangor, by his deed dated April 25, 1835. The land has since been sold to settlers and, through now a part of the town of Weston, is still known as the ‘Nelson Tract.’” (Kinney, p.7)

Thirty years later, in 1885 all land south of the Baskahegan River was set off to Danforth thus removing Cleaves’ Landing from Weston and allowing Danforth to claim Seth Cleaves as one of its early settlers.

In 1907 lots 14, 15, 16 and 23 of Bancroft were annexed. This was the area to which John W. Smart (1860) and James T. Houghton (1852) lived and became known as Trout Brook or Smart Ridge. Before the land boundaries changed these people were part of Weston, and for all practical purposes will always be determined as such. However, even today a cemetery established in the Trout Brook area is still considered belonging to the residents of Bancroft as they continue to maintain the care of it. Phil Foss reported to a Houlton Pioneer Times reporter in 1984 that in 1915 “The people who lived on the town line petitioned the Maine Legislature to add a portion of Bancroft onto Weston.” He also informed the interviewer that Weston encompasses more than 17,000 acres (Houlton Pioneer Times, November 7, & 14, 1984)

Although, presently, through transportation advances and better communication, the Town is more closely knit than in previous years, it was many years that the Town recognized five different areas of settlement: (1) The eastern half of lots 6 through 13 of Butterfield’s survey along the Houlton-Calais Road was known as Weston; (2) Lots 1 through 5 along the same road became known as South Weston; (3) Lots 14 through 16 along the same road as it passed through the northwest corner of the Monroe Gore became known as Roxie; (4) The northwest corner of the Academy Grant became known as the Gellerson Settlement, later called Selden; and (5) An area west of Trout Brook running generally south from lot 11 was known as Trout Brook Settlement. Each section was known for its distinct land features, from the (kames) horseback of Trout to Dingee Brooks known to us today as the Kimball Farm to views of Mt. Katahdin and the ‘Million Dollar View’ of the lakes’ region. And again, because the settlements were separated from each other because of distance, lack of adequate transportation and communication, each area built its own one-room school and had its own post office.

As boundaries became settled, and roads became better established, the Town began to relinquish its schoolchildren to the school in Danforth, Eventually, Weston merged its post office services with Danforth, and shared its zip code. Even though Weston now has its own designated addresses due to E 9-1-1, the town will continue to share post office services and zip code with the Town of Danforth.

Weston has its own Volunteer Fire Department, used mainly for grass fires. Many of the same volunteers also volunteer on the larger Volunteer Fire Department in Danforth. Ambulances services are shared with a regional ambulance service.

Whereas the Town was once a farming community, it has changed over the years from farming, and logging to mainly a tourist community with the large influx of tourists each summer enjoying the lakes and rivers. In the Town there are two sawmills and large gravel and slate pits.

The Town celebrated its Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1985. Basil E. Kinney, M.ED. compiled a History of Weston for the occasion and this book can be purchased at the Town Office as long as supplies last. Many of these historical facts came from Basil Kinney’s research in the book.

The Town has a convenience store, a gift shop, a fishing lodge, an active grange, and a Bible Camp. There are two churches in the community that hold regular services in the summer.

Weston and Danforth make up the School District, SAD #14 in Danforth, where the students from K1-12 attend.

Weston was incorporated as a town on March 16, 1835.

Copies of the History of Weston 1835-1985, Compiled by Basil E Kinney, M Ed are available for $16 including postage from the Town of Weston Office, 5 Church Lane, Weston, ME 04424

Please note that we currently are not able to provide copies of the History of Weston 1835 - 1985 document.