Editing Woolwich, Maine (section)

==History==

Called Nequasset after [[Nequasset lake|Nequasset Lake]] by the [[Abenaki]] people, it was first settled in 1638 by Edward Bateman and John Brown. They would purchase the land in 1639 from the [[sachem]] Mowhotiwormet, commonly known as Chief Robinhood, who lived near Nequasset Falls. At Day's Ferry on the [[Kennebec River]], Richard Hammond operated a fortified [[trading post]]. His household of 16, including servants, workmen and stepchildren, conducted a lucrative [[fur trading|fur trade]] with the Indians. But in the first blow of [[King Philip's War]] in the area, on the evening of August 13, 1676, warriors ingratiated themselves into the [[stockade]]d trading post, then killed the elderly Hammond and his stepson as they returned for the night. Others were either slain and [[scalping|scalped]] or taken into captivity. Buildings were looted and burned, and the [[cattle]] slain.<ref>[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mesagada/woolwich.htm Brief Description and History of Woolwich, Maine]</ref><ref>Wallace, Burnette Bailey and Maher, Frances Soule.  ''History of Woolwich, Maine: A Town Remembered,'' pp. 8-9, Woolwich Historical Society, Woolwich, Maine, 1994.  {{ISBN|0-9641383-1-X}}.</ref><ref>Wills, Connie J.  ''The Founding Fathers of Woolwich, Maine and their Families,'' p. x, Woolwich Historical Society, Woolwich, Maine, 2009.  {{ISBN|0-9641383-36}}.</ref>

Nequasset was attacked during [[King William's War]], when inhabitants were again [[Wiktionary:massacre|massacred]] or forced to abandon their homes. It was assailed again in 1723 during [[Dummer's War]], when the [[Norridgewock]]s and their 250 Indian allies from [[Canada]], incited by the [[French people|French]] [[missionary]] [[Sebastien Rale]], burned dwellings and killed cattle. Following Governor [[William Dummer]]'s [[peace treaty]] of 1725, resettlement would be slow. During the [[French and Indian War]], on June 9, 1758, Indians raided the village, killing members of the Preble family and taking others prisoner to Quebec.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://preblefamily.org/Massacre.html|title = Preble Massacre}}</ref> This incident became known as the last conflict on the Kennebec River.<ref>Wallace, Burnette Bailey and Maher, Frances Soule.  ''History of Woolwich, Maine: A Town Remembered,'' pp. 13, 24, Woolwich Historical Society, Woolwich, Maine, 1994.  {{ISBN|0-9641383-1-X}}.</ref><ref>Wills, Connie J.  ''The Founding Fathers of Woolwich, Maine and their Families,'' p. 79, Woolwich Historical Society, Woolwich, Maine, 2009.  {{ISBN|0-9641383-36}}.</ref>

Nequasset had become a part of [[Georgetown, Maine|Georgetown]], but on October 20, 1759, the plantation was set off and incorporated as a separate district by the [[Massachusetts General Court]], named after [[Woolwich]], England. On August 23, 1775 Woolwich was officially incorporated as a town.<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/n405 367]–368| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref><ref>Wallace, Burnette Bailey and Maher, Frances Soule.  ''History of Woolwich, Maine: A Town Remembered,'' pp. 24-7, Woolwich Historical Society, Woolwich, Maine, 1994.  {{ISBN|0-9641383-1-X}}.</ref><ref>Wills, Connie J.  ''The Founding Fathers of Woolwich, Maine and their Families,'' p. xiii, Woolwich Historical Society, Woolwich, Maine, 2009.  {{ISBN|0-9641383-36}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-05-08 |title=Woolwich {{!}} Maine: An Encyclopedia |url=https://maineanencyclopedia.com/woolwich/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The peninsula was heavily wooded, providing [[timber]] for [[shipbuilding]]. It also had excellent soil for [[agriculture]]. By 1858, industries included two [[sawmill]]s, two [[gristmill]]s, and a [[shipyard]]. By 1886, the community also produced [[brickmaking|bricks]] and [[leather]].<ref>{{Citation
 | last = Varney
 | first = George J.
 | title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Woolwich
 | place = Boston
 | publisher = Russell
 | year = 1886
 | url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/woolwich-me.htm }}
</ref>

[[File:Steamer Going Through Hell Gate, ME.jpg|thumb|right|Hell Gate on the Sasanoa River {{circa|1906}}]]
The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U. S. Army Corps of Engineers]] twice widened Upper Hell Gate on the Sasanoa River, which separates Woolwich from Arrowsic. Originally constricted by curves and ledges, which were made even more dangerous by swift currents, the half mile (0.8 kilometer) stretch was widened in 1898 to a minimum of {{convert|90|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}, then again in 1908 to a minimum of {{convert|140|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} and depth of {{convert|12|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}. The Sasanoa River now permits [[navigation]] between [[Bath, Maine|Bath]] and [[Boothbay Harbor, Maine|Boothbay Harbor]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090109102633/http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/water/topic.asp?mytopic=sasanoa Upper Hell Gate on the Sasanoa River]</ref>