Editing Limerick, Maine (section)

==History==

This was territory of the Newichewannock [[Abenaki]] people, whose village was located on the [[Salmon Falls River]]. In 1668, [[Francis Small]] of [[Kittery, Maine|Kittery]], a trader, bought from Chief Captain Sunday (or Wesumbe) a large tract of land, for which he exchanged two [[blanket]]s, two gallons of [[rum]], two pounds of [[gunpowder]], four pounds of [[musket]] balls and twenty strings of [[bead]]s. Small thereupon sold half of his interest to Major Nicholas Shapleigh of [[Eliot, Maine|Eliot]], one of the wealthiest merchants in the [[Piscataqua River|Piscataqua]] region.<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| pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n225 191]–192| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>

Settlement was delayed, however, by the ongoing [[French and Indian Wars]], which finally ended with the 1763 [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]]. In 1773, the heirs of Francis Small and Nicholas Shapleigh promised a township to lawyer [[James Sullivan (governor)|James Sullivan]] of [[Biddeford, Maine|Biddeford]] if he defended their larger claims. Sullivan accepted and in 1775 helped settle Limerick Plantation, named after [[Limerick]] in [[Ireland]], his father's birthplace. It would be incorporated on March 6, 1787. Among the early settlers was Dr. Joshua Leavitt, for whom Leavitt Brook in Limerick is named. The town of [[New Limerick, Maine|New Limerick]] in [[Aroostook County]] would be settled by people from Limerick, Maine.<ref name="Coolidge"/>

The village grew along the old Sokokis Trail (now [[Maine State Route 5|Route 5]]), which connected the Sokokis village at Pequawket (now [[Fryeburg, Maine|Fryeburg]]) to the tribe's coastal encampment at what is today [[Saco, Maine|Saco]]. Endowed with good soil, Limerick became a thriving [[farming]] community. Chief crops included [[hay]], [[apple]]s, [[grape]]s and [[cranberry|cranberries]]. [[Cattle]] and [[dairy]] products were important. In addition, the town had four [[blacksmith]] shops, four [[shoemaking|shoemakers]], two [[hatmaking|hatmakers]], two [[wiktionary:harness|harness]] makers and three [[Tanning (leather)|tanneries]]. Various brooks provided [[water power]] for industry, including four [[furniture]] factories and a [[clothing]] factory. There were also [[gristmill]]s, [[roof shingle|shingle]] mills and [[lumber]] mills. In 1826 the [[The Morning Star (19th century U.S. newspaper)|Morning Star]], a Free Will Baptist abolitionist newspaper, was founded in the town. In 1846, James Bradbury established the Limerick Manufacturing Company at Brown Brook. It was bought in 1857 by Joshua Holland. The firm produced the nationally famous Holland Blankets, which were supplied to troops during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. A village once called Hollandville developed around the mill.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Varney
  | first = George J.
  | title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Limerick
  | place = Boston
  | publisher = Russell
  | year = 1886
  | url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/limerick-me.htm }}
</ref>