Editing Otisfield, Maine (section)

==History==

It was granted by the [[Massachusetts General Court]] on June 15, 1771 to [[James Otis, Jr.|James Otis]], [[Nathaniel Gorham]] and other descendants of Captain John Gorham and certain members of his company who had fought in the 1690 [[Battle of Quebec (1690)|Battle of Quebec]]. It replaced a 1736 grant which was ruled invalid when the line between [[New Hampshire]] and [[Massachusetts]] was redrawn to satisfy claims by the heirs of [[John Mason (governor)|John Mason]]. Many early settlers were veterans of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], with the greater number coming from [[Groton, Massachusetts]].<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/n278 243]–244|url= https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ|quote=coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.}}</ref> First called Otis Field Plantation, it was incorporated on February 19, 1798 as Otisfield. It then included nearly all of [[Harrison, Maine|Harrison]], set off in 1805, and a large part of [[Naples, Maine|Naples]], set off in 1834. The town was part of [[Cumberland County, Maine|Cumberland County]] until 1978, when it joined [[Oxford County, Maine|Oxford County]].<ref>[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mecotisf/history.htm History of Otisfield, Maine]</ref>

The surface of the town is uneven with gravelly but productive soil. [[Farming]] became the principal occupation, with [[Maize|corn]], [[potato]]es and [[hay]] the chief crops. [[Watermill|Mills]] were erected at various [[water power]] sites, with the first [[sawmill]] built 1812. Other industries included [[gristmill]]s, [[blacksmith]] shops, a [[Tanning (leather)|tannery]], a [[trousers|pants]] factory and [[shoemaking|shoe]] shop, a [[cider]] mill and [[cannery]] for [[apple]]s, a [[barrel]] factory, a [[roof shingle|shingle]] mill and a [[woolen]] [[carding]] mill.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Varney
  | first = George J.
  | title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Otisfield
  | place = Boston
  | publisher = Russell
  | year = 1886
  | url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/otisfield-me.htm }}
</ref> Today, Otisfield is largely a recreational area, with camps and summer cottages lining the shores of [[Pleasant Lake (Crooked River)|Pleasant Lake]], Thompson Lake, Saturday Pond and Moose Pond.