Editing Rome, Maine (section)

==History==
Originally a part of West Pond Plantation, Rome was first settled about 1780 by Richard Furbush from [[Lebanon, Maine|Lebanon]]. The town was incorporated on March 7, 1804, and named after [[Rome, Italy|Rome]] in [[Italy]]. Although [[farmer]]s found the surface broken and uneven, the hills and valleys offered excellent [[grazing]]. By 1839, when the population was 1,074, it was described as "a beautiful farming town," with "a pleasant and flourishing village." In 1837, its [[wheat]] crop was 4,117 [[bushel]]s.<ref>[http://newenglandtowns.org/maine/rome Hayward's ''New England Gazetteer of 1839'']</ref>

The ponds abounded in [[trout]], [[perch]] and [[Chain pickerel|pickerel]]. By 1859, Rome had one [[sawmill]], one [[gristmill]], and one [[roof shingle|shingle]] mill, although [[agriculture]] remained the principal occupation.<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/n324 286]| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref> By 1870, when the population was 725, it had two post offices: Rome and Belgrade Mills.<ref>[http://history.rays-place.com/me/rome-me.htm George J. Varney, ''History of Rome, Maine;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1886]</ref>

On April 4, 2013, 47-year-old [[Christopher Thomas Knight]] was arrested on suspicion of over a thousand burglaries.  He was reported to have lived, on stolen supplies, in forests near Rome for 27 years with no intentional human contact.<ref name="Bangor Daily News">{{cite news |title= 'He's surreal': Officers amazed at 'hermit' burglar's survival in Maine woods for 27 years |first= Christopher |last= Cousins |url= http://bangordailynews.com/2013/04/10/news/state/its-surreal-hes-surreal-officers-amazed-at-hermit-burglars-ability-to-survive-in-maine-woods-for-27-years/ |newspaper= Bangor Daily News |access-date=April 11, 2013}}</ref>