York County is the southwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Maine, along the state of New Hampshire's eastern border. It is divided from Strafford County, New Hampshire, by the Salmon Falls River and the connected tidal estuary, the Piscataqua River. York County was permanently established in 1639. Several of Maine's earliest colonial settlements are found in the county, which is the state's oldest and one of the oldest in the United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 211,972, making it Maine's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Alfred. York County is part of the Portland–South Portland, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Standish is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 10,244 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Standish Corner, Sebago Lake Village and Steep Falls, and the localities known as Richville, Elmwood, Standish Neck and Two Trails. Standish is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.
Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Pool and Fortunes Rocks. The town is the site of the University of New England and the annual La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival. First visited by Europeans in 1616, it is the site of one of the earliest European settlements in the United States. It is home to Saint Joseph's Church, the tallest building in Maine.
Buxton is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. Buxton includes the villages of Salmon Falls/Tory Hill, Chicopee, Groveville, Bar Mills, West Buxton, and Buxton Center. The old town Common is east of Union Falls, which is the location of Skelton Dam, operated by Central Maine Power, and near historic location of the original settlement at Pleasant Point.
Dayton is a town in York County, Maine, United States; the town is located near the Saco-Biddeford city area. Dayton borders Biddeford by land, and borders Saco on the Saco River. It is also part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,129 at the 2020 census. Dayton is one of the smallest towns in York County.
Hollis is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,745 at the 2020 census. Hollis is a rural bedroom community of Portland and is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford metropolitan statistical area.
Saco is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems, a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics. Saco sees much tourism during summer months due to its amusement parks, Camp Ellis Beach and Pier, Ferry Beach State Park, and proximity to Old Orchard Beach.
Kate Douglas Wiggin was an American educator, author and composer. She wrote children's stories, most notably the classic children's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and composed collections of children's songs. She started the first free kindergarten in San Francisco in 1878. With her sister during the 1880s, she also established a training school for kindergarten teachers. Kate Wiggin devoted her adult life to the welfare of children in an era when children were commonly thought of as cheap labor.
Nora Archibald Smith (1859–1934) was an American writer of children's literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and sister of Kate Douglas Wiggin. Smith and Wiggin co-authored and co-edited a series of children's books.
Newton Upper Falls is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Massachusetts, United States. The village is listed as the Newton Upper Falls Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gibeon Elden Bradbury (1833–1904) was a painter from Buxton, Maine. Bradbury was born in a particular section of Buxton entitled Salmon Falls, an area on a large hill near the Saco River. The son of Nathaniel Scamman Bradbury and Lucy Sawyer Bradbury, Gibeon spent most of his life in Salmon Falls.
The Saco–Pettee Machine Shops is a historic factory complex at 156 Oak Street in the Newton Upper Falls area of Newton, Massachusetts. Although the area has an industrial history dating to the early 19th century, the oldest buildings in this complex, consisting of about thirteen brick buildings, were built in 1892. The property, a major economic force in the development of Newton Upper Falls, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It was home to Clark's N.A., the North American home base to Clark's Shoes, makers of fine footwear, until they relocated to Waltham Ma. in October 2016.
The First Congregational Church of Buxton, also known locally as the Tory Hill Meetinghouse, is a historic church on ME 112 in Buxton, Maine. Built in 1822, it is an example of Federal period architecture, having had only modest alterations since its construction.
The Kate Douglas Wiggin House, also known as Quillcote, is a historic house on Salmon Falls Road in Hollis, Maine. Built in 1797, the house is significant as the home of the writer Kate Douglas Wiggin from 1905 until her death in 1923, and as a fine example of adaptive architectural change over time. One room of the house features wall murals attributed to Rufus Porter. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
The Saco Historic District encompasses the historic commercial and residential centers of Saco, Maine. Covering more than 100 acres (40 ha) of central Saco, it includes houses from the 18th through 20th centuries, and the main business district along Main Street. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Amos Chase (1718–1818) was the first deacon of the first Congregational Church and one of the founders of Pepperellborough, ME.
The Newichawannock Canal is a man-made canal which drains Great East Lake into Horn Pond at the border between Wakefield, New Hampshire, and Acton, Maine, in the northeastern United States. It is at the head of the Salmon Falls River, which the Abenaki called Newichawannock, meaning "river with many falls". Begun in 1850 by the Great Falls Company to increase the water available for its mills in Somersworth, New Hampshire, the 0.75-mile (1.21 km) canal is unusual as it was built for strictly industrial purposes in an area remote from the actual industrial site. The canal forms the boundary between the states of New Hampshire and Maine, and is spanned by a stone bridge built at the same time. The canal and bridge, along with related artifacts, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Elden's Store is a historic commercial building on Long Plains Road in the center of Buxton, Maine. Built in 1802, it is the oldest commercial building in the rural community, and is one of the few historic brick commercial buildings in western York County. The building, which is now owned by the local historical society, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Salmon Falls (East) Historic District encompasses a node of rural development in western Buxton, Maine. It includes thirteen historic properties, mainly Greek Revival in character, extending north along Maine State Route 117, north of its junction with Simpson Road, and two on the latter street, that were all built between about 1800 and 1850. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The Way Way General Store is a historical and architecturally eclectic general store at 93 Buxton Road in Saco, Maine. Built 1927-29, it has been operated since then by members of the Cousens family before closing in 2003 and reopening in 2010. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 for its architecture and its role in the rural economy of northern Saco.
