Editing South Thomaston, Maine (section)

==History==

[[Abenaki]] [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indians]] called it Wessaweskeag, meaning "tidal creek" or "salt creek," a reference to what is now known as the [[Weskeag River]]. Thomas Lefebvre from [[Quebec]], [[Canada]] owned a huge tract of land at the Weskeag River, where his stay began in 1704. He built a large [[gristmill]], with a house on the shoreline. Although he would eventually return to Quebec, the area retained his name—Thomas' Town. But the adjacent [[Saint George River|St. George River]] was the uneasy dividing line between land controlled by [[New England]] and [[New France]]. Permanent settlement would be delayed by the [[French and Indian Wars]], which ended with the 1763 [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]].<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/n348 310]–312| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>

In 1767, Wessaweskeag was settled by Elisha Snow, who built a [[sawmill]] operated by [[tidal power]]. In 1773, Joseph Coombs arrived and built another sawmill nearby, and together they built a gristmill. The village of South Thomaston grew around the mills, which would include three [[granite]] polishing machines to process stone cut from the town's numerous [[quarry|quarries]]. On July 28, 1848, South Thomaston was set off from [[Thomaston, Maine|Thomaston]] and incorporated as a separate town.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Varney
  | first = George J.
  | title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. South Thomaston
  | place = Boston
  | publisher = Russell
  | year = 1886
  | url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/s-thomaston-me.htm }}
</ref> [[Owls Head, Maine|Owl's Head]] would be set off from South Thomaston on July 9, 1921. Joseph Baum and Flora Baum owned and operated the Baum's Market, now known as the Keag Store. Flora Baum was the Postmistress, appointed by President Woodrow Wilson. The Baum's had four children: Alice, Dorothy, Joan and Joseph Baum, Jr. (Bud). For many years Bud was on the Board of Selectmen and was the Fire Chief.
Gilford Butler was a local attorney and chairman of the school board. Gilford Bulter and his sister Lula Butler lived in what is now known as the Geag Inn, next to the present U. S. Post Office. Gilford was an attorney in nearby [[Rockland, Maine|Rockland]]. Gilford left a large amount of his estate to the town in order to build a local elementary school, with the stipulation that the school bear his name.