Orneville is the south-easterly town of Piscataquis County, and contains 23,040 acres. The township was purchased from the State by General J. P. Boyd, soon after his return from India, and was known as Boyd’s Plantation. Abner and Allen Hoxie, James Philpot, William M. and Eben Ewer, William and Solon Hamlin, were the first settlers. In 1832 the township was incorporated as the town of Milton. The town affairs were badly managed, and the corporation and many of the inhabitants thereby became impoverished. After the death of the proprietor, General Boyd, Hon. Henry Orne, of Boston, one of the heirs, lent his aid to place matters on a better basis. He built a saw-mill and grist-mill at the outlet of Boyd’s Lake, and a noble residence for himself near by. Elder Spencer Howe, who opened a store near the mills, also contributed to the prosperity of the town. Another minister, Elder Gershom Lord, pursued a successful business career in town. In 1841, the name of the town was changed to Almond, and the next year to Orneville, in honor of its leading citizen. The manufactories are chiefly on the outlet of Boyd’s Lake. They consist of two lumber-mills, a shingle-mill, and two grist-mills. The Bangor and Piscataquis Railway passes near. Granite is the prevailing rock. The chief crops are hay and potatoes. Orneville is without any effective religious organization. All its public reserves go toward the support of the schools. It has six public schoolhouses, valued at $1,000. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $80,062. In 1880, $73,730. The rate of taxation in 1880 was 047 on the dollar. The population in 1870 was 575. In 1880 it was 501.

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