Editing Pownal, Maine (section)

==History==
Originally the northwest portion of [[Freeport, Maine|Freeport]], it was first settled in 1680. The town was set off and incorporated by the [[Massachusetts General Court]] on March 3, 1808, named in honor of former Governor [[Thomas Pownall]], who had died three years before.<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&dq=coolidge%20mansfield%20history%20description%20new%20england%201859&pg=PA277 Austin J. Coolidge & John B. Mansfield, ''A History and Description of New England;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1859]</ref> It swapped land with the town of [[North Yarmouth, Maine|North Yarmouth]] in 1813 and 1816.<ref>[http://www.maine.gov/local/cumberland/pownal/ Maine.gov -- Pownal, Maine]</ref> With an undulating surface of generally productive soil, [[agriculture]] became the principal occupation. By 1859, when the population was 1,074, other industries included a [[gristmill]] and a [[carriage]] factory.<ref name="books.google.com"/>

Pownal was chosen by author [[Stephen King]] as the hometown of schoolteacher Johnny Smith, protagonist of his 1979 novel ''[[The Dead Zone (novel)|The Dead Zone]],'' and of Ray Garraty, protagonist of his 1979 novel [[The Long Walk (novel)|''The'' ''Long Walk'']]. King grew up in neighboring [[Durham, Maine|Durham]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stephenking.com/the_author.html|title=StephenKing.com - About the Author|website=www.stephenking.com|access-date=2020-01-24}}</ref>