Maine Plantations

United States Maine  Maine plantations  In Maine a plantation is a form of local self-government intended to help a town-sized area with a low population to transition toward full town status as they increase their population and government services. Plantations do not have their own representative in the Maine legislature. Most have meetings and keep records of meetings. Towns and plantations maintained records of their citizens' births, marriages, and deaths from their founding until 1922, even though statewide registration began in 1892. Look for Maine plantation records the same way you look for Maine town records. Some of Maine's populated coastal islands outside the borders of a town are organized as plantations. However, most of Maine's 34 plantations are in sparsely populated forests inland. Status changes. Plantations that increase in population may become a town. Also, some plantations have lost population and been changed to unincorporated townships without meetings or record-keeping. If an ancestor lived in a plantation that became a township, look for the records of the former plantation in a nearby town in the same county.

Modern Maine Plantations (listed by county)
* Maine plantations normally referenced without using that descriptor. '''Statistics. ''' Maine currently has organized 34 plantations, about 425 townships (unincorporated territories), 454 towns or cities, and three Indian reservations. The unorganized township territories include slightly over half the land area of Maine.

Discontinued Maine Plantations
Plantations which were discontinued usually transferred any records they had created to the nearest functioning town in the same county, or sometimes, to the Maine State Archives.

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 * Abbotstown Plantation (Franklin Co.), also known as Number 1 Plantation, became Temple, Maine in 1803.
 * Allagash Plantation (Aroostook Co.) created 1885; repealed 1933; became Allagash, Maine in 1978.
 * Alva Plantation (Aroostook Co.) created 1862; became Blaine, Maine in 1874.
 * Andover North Surplus Plantation (Oxford Co.) created 1840; now an unorganized territory (township).
 * Annsburg Plantation (Washington Co.) (also knowns as Annsborough) created 1841; became Deblois, Maine in 1852.
 * Appleton Plantation (Knox Co.) became Appleton, Maine in 1829.
 * Appleton Ridge Plantation (Knox Co.) see  Appleton Plantation above.
 * Argyle Plantation (Penobscot Co.) set off east part as Argyle, Maine in 1839; set off part to Old Town, Maine in 1843; became Alton, Maine in 1844.

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 * Bachelder's Grant Plantation (Oxford County) became part of Stoneham, Maine in 1834.
 * Bakerstown Plantation (Androscoggin County) existed 1779 as an area of Poland, Maine.
 * Ballstown Plantation (Lincoln County) set off east part as Jefferson, Maine in 1807; became Whitefield, Maine in 1809.
 * Bancroft Plantation (Aroostook County) created 1840; became Bancroft, Maine in 1889.
 * Barker Plantation (Aroostook County) created part of Nichols Academy Grant (also known as T1 R3 WELS) in 1853; became part of Reed Plantation, Maine.
 * Barnard Plantation (Piscataquis County) 1895-1982; became unorganized territory of Barnard Township, Maine.
 * Barretstown Plantation (Knox County) became Hope, Maine in 1804.
 * Beaverhill Plantation (Waldo Co.) became Freedom, Maine in 1803.
 * Belfast Academy Grant Plantation (Aroostook Co.) created 1840?; became Ludlow, Maine in 1864.
 * Benedicta Plantation (Aroostook Co.) created 1840 in T2 R5 and north half of T1 R5 (also known as Golden Ridge, or Silver Ridge). Also, created 1860 from west half of T2 R5 and became Benedicta, Maine in 1873.
 * Big Lake Plantation (Washington Co.) created 1840? or 1841? (also known as Grand Lake Stream, Hinkley, Number 3 R1, and Number 21); became unorganized territory of Big Lake Township, Maine.
 * Bigelow Plantation (Somerset Co.) created 1870, became Bigelow Plantation, Maine in 1895; surrendered its plantation organization 1940.
 * Blakesburg Plantation (Penobscot Co.) created 1824?; became Bradford, Maine in 1831.
 * Bloomfield Plantation (Franklin Co.) created from T1 R3 WBKP (Coplin Plantation) and T4 R3 BKP WKR (Wyman Township) in 1841; became part of Jackson Plantation, Maine in 1845; part became Coplin Plantation in 1866, and part became Wyman Township in 1895.
 * Blue Hill Bay Plantation (Hancock Co.) became Blue Hill, Maine in 1789.
 * Bostwick Plantation (Oxford Co.) became Newry, Maine in 1805.
 * Bowerbank Plantation (Piscataquis Co.) created 1888 and 1895; became Bowerbank, Maine in 1907.
 * Bridge's Plantation (Waldo Co.) became Kingville 1812; Joy 1815; Montgomery 1826; and Troy, Maine in 1827.
 * Bridgeton Plantation (Piscataquis Co.) (also known as Number 3 R1 BKP EKR) taxed 1812, 1814; became Wellington, Maine in 1828.
 * Bridgewater Plantation (Aroostook Co.) (also known as Alva, Bridgewater Academy Grant, Letter B, Monticello, and Portland Academy Grant) created 1844; became Bridgewater, Maine in 1858.
 * Bridgewater Academy Grant Plantation (Aroostook Co.) see  Bridgewater Plantation above.
 * Bridgton Plantation (Cumberland Co.) existed spelled as Bridgeton by 1779; became Bridgton, Maine in 1794.
 * Broadbay Plantation (Lincoln Co.) taxed in 1772; became the Town of Waldoboro, Maine in 1773.
 * Brownfield Plantation (Oxford Co.) became the Town of Brownfield, Maine in 1802.
 * Brownville Plantation (Piscataquis Co.), also known as Number 5 R8 Plantation, became Brownville, Maine in 1824.
 * Buchanan Plantation (Aroostook Co.), also known as Sheridan Plantation, was annexed to Ashland, Maine in 1901.
 * Buckstown Plantation (Hancock Co.) incorporated as the Town of Buckstown 1792; name changed to Bucksport, Maine 1817.
 * Bucktown Plantation (Oxford Co.), also known as Number 5 Plantation, became Buckfield, Maine in 1793.

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 * Independence Plantation (Penobscot Co.) organized from McCrillis Plantation 1866; incorporated as Kingman, Maine 1873; demoted to Kingman Plantation 1935; dissolved into a township 1945.
 * Industry Plantation (Franklin and Somerset counties)
 * Ingals Plantation (Oxford Co.)
 * Island Falls Plantation (Aroostook Co.)

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 * Oakfield Plantation (Aroostook Co.) organized from T5 R3 WELS in 1856; incorporated as the Town of Oakfield, Maine in 1897.
 * Orangetown Plantation (Washington Co.), aka Number 12 ED Plantation, incorporated as the Town of Whiting, Maine in 1825.

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 * Page's Mills Plantation (Penobscot Co.) organized 1840; a 2-mile wide strip, annexed to the south side of Lowell, Maine in 1841.

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 * Rangeley Plantation (T2 R1, T3 R1, T2 R2, and T3 R2) (Franklin Co.) was a mega-plantation by 1840; name changed to Dallas Plantation 1845; changed back to Rangely Plantation 1852; the Town of Rangeley (T3 R2) was set off from a portion of the plantation in 1855; and in 1859 the remainder plantation was split into three more sub-pieces including present-day Rangeley Plantation (T3 R1).
 * Rangeley Plantation (T3 R1) (Franklin Co.) a small version organized 1859 from a portion of the extinct, larger plantation. Junior still exists today.
 * Reedstown Plantation (Franklin Co.), also known as Number 3 WKR Plantation,

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 * Saint Francis Plantation (Aroostook Co.) organized from T17 R9 WELS in 1875; incorporated as the Town of Saint Francis, Maine in 1967.
 * Sandy Bay Township (Somerset Co.) was originally part of the Moose River mega-plantation starting 1852; set off as a township 1859.
 * Sandy River Plantation (T1) (Franklin Co.) organized in 1793 from Township Number 1; incorporated as Town of Farmington, Maine in 1794.
 * Sandy River Plantation (T2 R1 WBKP) (Franklin Co.) organized prior to 1845 at first as part of a mega-plantation; since 1859 diminished to size of T2 R1.
 * Sunkhaze Plantation (Penobscot Co.), also known as Number 3 EPR Plantation,

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 * Talmadge Plantation (Washington Co.) organized from T3 R2 TS in 1846; incorporated as the Town of Talmadge, Maine in 1875.
 * Thomsontown (Oxford Co.), also known as Number 1 Plantation prior to incorporateion as the Town of Peru, Maine in 1821.

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 * Unity Plantation (Franklin Co.) became New Sharon, Maine in 1794.

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 * Van Buren Plantation (Aroostook Co.) organized in 1843 was much reduced by three set offs (Letter L R2 Cyr Plantation 1857; Township 18 R3 Grand Isle 1859; Letter G R1 Hamlin 1859) before it became the Town of Van Buren, Maine in 1881, formerly known as Township Letter M R2 WELS.
 * Vanceboro Plantation (Washington Co.), aka Lambert Lake Plantation, aka Number 9 R3 NBPP Plantation, aka Number 11 Plantation, organized from T1 R1 and T1 R2 in 1871; incorporated as the Town of Vanceboro, Maine in 1874.

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 * Wade Plantation (Aroostook Co.) organized from T13 R4 WELS in 1861; incorporated as the Town of Wade, Maine in 1913.
 * West Pond Plantation (Kennebec and Somerset counties) was split, and the west part was used to form Rome in 1804. In 1812 the east part became Dearborn, now extinct and split into parts of Smithfield, Oakland, Belgrade, and Rome.
 * Wyman's Plantation (Kennebec Co.) existed prior to 1802 when it became part of the Town of Vienna, Maine.
 * Wyman Township (Franklin Co.), part of Bloomfield Plantation (1841) and Jackson Plantation (1845) until Jackson went extinct 1895. Part of Wyman was used to form part of Carrabassett Valley in 1971.