Editing Waterboro, Maine (section)

==History==
[[Abenaki]] people called the area Massabesic, meaning "the place of much water", a reference to the region's lakes. It was part of an extensive tract of land purchased in 1661 by Major William Phillips of [[Saco, Maine|Saco]] from Chief Fluellin. Known as Massabesic Plantation, it included most of modern-day Waterboro, [[Alfred, Maine|Alfred]] and [[Sanford, Maine|Sanford]]. Phillips died in 1683, and the plantation eventually passed from his heirs to 10 proprietors. One of those proprietors was Colonel Joshua Waters, for whom the town would be named.<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/n381 343]| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>

[[Lumbering]] began to thrive there about 1764. Captain John Smith from [[Kittery, Maine|Kittery]] was the first permanent settler, arriving in 1768. On March 6, 1787, the [[Massachusetts General Court]] incorporated the township as Waterborough. In 1790, Old Corners became the site of the Court of General Sessions, although in 1805 the [[county seat]] shifted to Alfred. In 1895, the name was shortened to Waterboro.<ref name="Coolidge"/>

With land particularly suited for [[livestock]] grazing, [[agriculture]] became a principal industry. The town had many [[cattle]] and [[dairy farming|dairy]] farms. The Portland and Rochester Railroad passed through Waterboro and connected to [[Rochester, New Hampshire]], in 1871, helping spur development. Rivers and brooks provided [[water power]] to operate mills. Several [[sawmill]]s were established, and by 1886, the town produced about {{convert|1800000|ft|m}} of lumber annually. Other businesses included the Ossipee Manufacturing Company at the [[Little Ossipee River]], which made [[blanket]]s, and the Steam Mill Company at South Waterboro, which made wooden boxes.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Varney
  | first = George J.
  | title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Waterborough
  | place = Boston
  | publisher = Russell
  | year = 1886
  | url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/waterborough-me.htm }}
</ref> In 1922, the Goodall-Sanford Mills built in Waterboro village a [[spinning (textiles)|spinning]] mill, taken over by a [[patent leather]] manufacturer that operated from 1939 to 1982.

Fire twice devastated the town. In 1911, a large portion of South Waterboro burned. Then during the [[Great Fires of 1947]], three-quarters of Waterboro's land area burned, including the town center and 90% of the cottages on Little Ossipee Lake. Today, Waterboro's lakes remain a popular recreation area. The town is home to the {{convert|2,140|acre|ha|adj=on|lk=out}} Waterboro Barrens, one of the largest and best preserved [[pitch pine]] barrens in Maine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waterboro-me.net/docs/information/history_waterboro.html|title=Town of Waterboro, Maine|website=waterboro-me.net|access-date=23 April 2018}}</ref>

On October 16, 2012, an M4.0 earthquake shook the city and the rest of [[Maine]]. It also shook [[New Hampshire]], [[Massachusetts]] and most of the [[New England]] states.