Editing Brownville, Maine (section)

==History==

The area was a part of the [[Waldo Patent]] purchased by Moses Brown and Major Josiah Hill of [[Newburyport, Massachusetts|Newburyport]], [[Massachusetts]], who initiated its settlement. In 1806, they built a [[dam]] and [[watermill]]s on the [[Pleasant River (Piscataquis River)|Pleasant River]]. First known as township T5 R8 NWP, the community was organized in 1819 as Brownville Plantation. It was named for Francis Brown (nephew of Moses Brown), who was a mill owner and trader from [[Newbury, Massachusetts|Newbury]], Massachusetts. In 1824, the town was incorporated as Brownville.<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book  | last = Coolidge  | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield  | title = A History and Description of New England| publisher = A.J. Coolidge  | year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| page = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n109 75]| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>

Early settlers were given {{convert|50|acre|m2}} to clear and cultivate. Farms produced [[hay]], [[oats]], [[potatoes]], [[wheat]] and garden [[vegetables]]. [[Water power]] from the Pleasant River attracted industry, including [[sawmill]]s, [[Clapboard (architecture)|clapboard]] mills, [[gristmill]]s, a shovel handle factory and a [[carriage]] factory. [[Quarry|Quarries]] were established to extract the region's abundant [[slate]], the quality of which won first prize at the 1876 [[Centennial Exposition]]. In 1843, the Bangor & Piscataquis Slate Company opened with 60 employees. It sent out 8,000-12,000 squares of roofing slate annually. The Merrill Quarry opened in 1846 with approximately 80 employees, producing 30,000 squares of roofing slate annually. The Highland Quarry opened with [[Welsh people|Welsh]] employees, recruited because they were accustomed to working in slate. The last quarry closed in 1917.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Varney
  | first = George J.
  | title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Brownville
  | place = Boston
  | publisher = Russell
  | year = 1886
  | url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/brownville-me.htm
  | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130201034632/http://history.rays-place.com/me/brownville-me.htm
  | url-status = dead
  | archive-date = February 1, 2013
  }}</ref>

[[Iron ore]] was discovered at the foot of Ore Mountain. The [[Katahdin Iron Works]] was established in 1843, when roads were cut out and a [[blast furnace]] erected. A hotel and several houses were built for workers. [[Charcoal]] was made in 14 [[kiln]]s, consuming 10,000 [[cord (unit of volume)|cords]] of wood per year. The company and land were sold in 1845, and the new owners operated it until 1856, the year it produced 2350 tons of iron. However, shipping it to [[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]] was expensive. The [[Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works Railway]] (B&KIW) was constructed to Brownville in 1881, then connected north to the Katahdin Iron Works in 1883.

In 1889 the [[International Railway of Maine]] was constructed by its owner [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] (CPR), extending the CPR's transcontinental mainline east from [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]] to [[Saint John, New Brunswick]].  The CPR line passed three miles north of Brownville, where it crossed the B&KIW at a location that was named [[Brownville Junction, Maine|Brownville Junction]].  In 1891, the B&KIW merged into the [[Bangor and Aroostook Railroad]] (BAR) after the Katahdin Iron Works closed the previous year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mainerec.com/katahdin.asp?Category=204&PageNum=204|title=History of the Katahdin Iron Works}}</ref>  The BAR line as well as the CPR line west of Brownville became part of the [[Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway]] and are now part of the [[Central Maine and Québec Railway]]. In 2019, the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] purchased the [[Central Maine and Québec Railway]], once again, giving the railway access to the [[Port of Saint John]] running trains from [[Brownville Junction, Maine|Brownville Junction]] to [[New Brunswick]] via [[New Brunswick Southern Railway]].

Local historian Bill Sawtell<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.billsawtell.com/|title=Bill Sawtell - Local Historian - Brownville Maine|website=www.billsawtell.com}}</ref> has documented many facets of the history of Brownville as well as the surrounding area. He has published numerous books with subjects such as Katahdin Iron Works, the Highland Quarry, the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, and [[Penquis Valley High School]] basketball.

<gallery>
File:Herrick House & Street Scene, Brownville, ME.jpg|Street scene in 1910
File:Congregational Church, Brownville, ME.jpg|Community Church {{circa|1905}}
File:View at Brownville, ME.jpg|[[Bangor & Aroostook Railroad|B. & A. R. R.]] yard {{circa|1912}}
</gallery>