Kingfield, Maine
| Kingfield, Maine | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Downtown in 2003
|
|
 Kingfield
|
|
| Coordinates: 44°58′26″N 70°10′3″W / 44.97389°N 70.16750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Franklin |
| Incorporated | January 24, 1816 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 43.28 sq mi (112.09 km2) |
| • Land | 43.12 sq mi (111.68 km2) |
| • Water | 0.16 sq mi (0.41 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,030 ft (314 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 997 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 988 |
| • Density | 23.1/sq mi (8.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 04947 |
| Area code(s) | 207 |
| FIPS code | 23-37025 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0582541 |
| Website | kingfield.me |
Kingfield is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 997 at the 2010 census. Kingfield is the principal gateway to Sugarloaf, a major ski resort, and is headquarters to Maine Huts and Trails.
The history of Kingfield is one of falling bridges, opening and closing roads, numerous floods and fires, and citizens and generosity, leadership, and foresight. The first white men recorded to have visited the present location of Kingfield were John W. Dutton and Nathaniel Kimball in 1805. The following year, Dutton and Kimball, after spending time the previous year hunting in the area, returned to the area with their families and formed a settlement at the foot of Vose Mountain.
In 1807, William King (later to be Maine’s first Governor), in partnership with three others, purchased townships 1, 2, and 3 of Bingham’s West Kennebec Purchase. Today, those townships are known as Concord, Lexington, and Kingfield. The Stanley family settled in Kingfield at this time. Salomon Stanley came as William King’s personal envoy in 1807. He and his descendents were business, political, social, and religious leaders of the Town. As farmers and businessmen, they also served as town clerks, school teachers, school superintendent, and selectmen. The twin sons, Francis Edgar (F.E.) and Freelan Oscar (F.O.) became famous as manufacturers of the Stanley Dry Plate, bought in 1903 by Eastman Kodak, and the Stanley Steamer automobile, manufactured from 1902-1924. Their sister, Chansonetta, became a photographer renowned for her portraits of local rural life of the turn of the century. (See the Stanley Museum website at stanleymuseum.org for more information). Ten years after the first settlement of the area (1816), Kingfield was incorporated as the 210th town in the Maine District of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. By this time, much of the land was being cleared along the rivers, in the Tufts Pond area, and at the foot of Voss Mountain. The principal crops at the time were potatoes, corn, and wheat. Most of the farms also had small orchards growing apples and pears. The first industry was a sawmill located on the bank of the Carrabassett River to supply the building needs of the new community.
...
Wikipedia