Greenwood is a pleasant farming and manufacturing town situated near the middle of Oxford County. It is bounded by Woodstock on the north-east, Bethel on the north-west, Paris at the southeast, Norway on the south and Albany on the west. The area according to the original survey, is 20,520 acres. The town is about 9 miles in length from north-west to south-east, and 4½ in width. The surface is quite broken, having about a dozen mountains and large hills. The highest of these are Mount Abram, Long, Overset, Lawrence and Patch Mountains, and Rock Dundee. Eleven ponds are shown on the township map, lying in a belt running north and south. Their names are North, South, Bryant's, Twitchell, Indian, Sheepskin, Overset, Hick's, Meed and Furlong. The most northerly of these empty into the Androscoggin at Bethel, while others form the source of the Little Androscoggin. The largest is South Pond, in the north-eastern part of the town. The Wentworth Caves are the most notable curiosity in Greenwood. The bed-rock in some parts is granitic, in others syenite, etc. The soil is sandy loam, and yields well in hay and potatoes, which are the crops chiefly cultivated. The town was formerly somewhat noted for its apple orchards. On the outlets of the numerous ponds are many water-powers. The town has saw and grist mills running by waterpower, and a spool-mill, driven by steam. The business centre within the town is at Locke's Mills, in the north-eastern part. The post-offices are at this place and Greenwood post-office, just south of the centre of the town. The settlement of Greenwood was commenced in 1802, by William Yates, who was soon followed by Thomas Furlong and Timothy Patch. In 1805 there were thirteen families. The town was incorporated in 1816. Among the valued citizens of Greenwood may be mentioned Thomas Crocker, Seth Hilborn, Samuel B. Locke and Samuel Houghton. There is one church-edifice, occupied as a union house. The number of schoolhouses is twelve-valued at $2,400. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $163,974. In 1880 it was $149,073. The rate of taxation in the latter year was 27 mills on the dollar. The population in 1870 was 845. In 1880 it was 838.

Return to [Maine Towns]