Eustis is (188t) the most northerly town in Franklin County. It is No. 1 of Range 4, west of Bingham’s Kennebec Purchase. Somerset County adjoins it on the east. There are several good waterpowers on Dead River and its branches. On one of the latter, in the northern part of the town are a shingle, saw-mill and grist-mill. Connected with the latter, also, is a planing-mill. These constitute Eustis Mills, the principal business centre of the town. Dead River enters the northern side of the town, and receiving Saddleback River from the south-west, continues nearly to the south-east corner, then turns north-east and enters Flagstaff. Two roads lead to the settled towns southward and to a railroad connection at Anson, there being a stage line by the former route. The distance on an air line is about 35 miles. One of these passes through Flagstaff and Dead River Plantation, while the other follows Carrabasset River. Some time before Maine became a State, the southern half of this township was granted by Massachusetts to Bath Academy Association. About 1,700 acres of this lying south of the Saddleback River was purchased by Gilman and Redington, of Waterville. Caleb Stevens, a native of New Hampshire, was the first settler. He brought with him his wife and nine children, the eldest, a son being eighteen years of age. Abram Reed, of Kingfield, was the second settler; and was soon followed by Capt. Isaac Proctor, Frank Keen, Nathanici Allen, and Reuben Bartlett, from Hartford, and Noah Staples, from Dixfield. The balance of the Bath Academy Grant was purchased by Captain Pettingill and Colonel Herrick, of Lewiston. From them it went through various hands to Gibson, Fogg and Company, of Fairfield. The north half of the township was purchased of the State about the year 1831, by a Mr. Clark, of Massachusetts. and Charles L. Eustis, of Lewiston, Me.; and a saw and grist mill was built by the latter at the same date. From them it went through the hands of a New Hampshire firm to ex-governor Coburn and his brothers. In 1840 the township was organized as a plantation under the name of Hanover. About 1850 the township together with all others adjoining in the county that contained inhabitants, were embodied in a plantation under the name of Jackson. Soon after the act of Legislature passed in 1857, prohibiting the organization of more than one Township in one plantation, township No. 1, of the 4th Range was organized independently of others, assuming the name of Eustis in honor of the former proprietor of the north half of said town. Eustis furnished more than her quota of men and money in the war of the Rebellion, and paid her war-debts while money was plenty. She was subsequently reimbursed by the State. Eustis was incorporated as a town in 1871, with a population of 342 inhabitants. The Methodists and Free Baptists each have a church in the town. The number of public schoolhouses is four; and these with the other school property are valued at $600. The valuation of the town in 1870 was $57,558. In 1880 it was $64,880. The population in 1870 was 342. In 1880 it was 302.