LaGrange is the only town in the Three Rivers Community that does not lie in Piscataquis County, but in Penobscot County. LaGrange also does not contain one of the three rivers. They have one gas station and a post office.
A Brief Sketch of Lagrange, Maine
Compiled from The History of Penobscot County Maine, c1882
Lagrange was then considered the 3rd largest organized town in Penobscot County. Nearly parallel with it and almost to the County line is the wagon road to Alton on which the elevated portion was known as “The Horseback.” The highway ran north through Lagrange to the Medford town line; with a branch of the road from South Lagrange to Bradley was known as “The Gore.”
Incorporated February 11, 1832, Lagrange embraced what was then known as the plantations of Oxford and Hammond bounded on the east by Kilmarnock (Medford), Howland, Township 1 (Edinburg); and on the west by Bradford and Milton (Orneville); on the south Township 3 (Alton). Lagrange contains 34,000 acres.
Its surface waters are conveyed slowly toward the great Atlantic reservoir by books and streams: Dead Stream, Birch Stream, Cold Brook, Hemlock Stream, chiefly.
It was most emphatically a timber town. Among the first settlers in the southern portion of the township was Josiah Bennoch, Esq. of Orono, who had a lumber operation on Dead Stream.
About 1820, a State road from Orono through Alton, then Oxford, Hammond (Lagrange) on the Horseback Lot #38 east side portion of road Lot 51 Bennoch Road and above was constructed.
Some of the first settlers in Lagrange were: Capt. John Freeze, who cleared some land built a log cabin and raised crops. In 1822, David Hinkley, Charles Fuller settled; In 1824, Hatsell Defano, Hugh P; Kealiher, Welcome and Zadok Bishop, Simon Bryer, Nathaniel Foy, David Hoyt, and John Gray. The first child born in LaGrange was a girl.
Among the industries in Lagrange prior to 1882: Sleigh and carriage makers, 3 blacksmiths, house builders, long lumber, lemon and orange boxes, vegetable crates, cranberry boxes, shingles, spool stock mill on Dead Stream.
1825 was a great drought and fire – first saw mill was built in 1827 – 1st town meeting was held March 1, 1832 – 1838 Stone dam repaired, Saw mill – 1939 lumber mill – 1841 Shingle mill, burned then rebuilt – 1844 Lumber and Shingle mill on Birch Stream burned. Churches 1841: Free Will Baptist, Methodist, Advent Society – During the Civil War Henry A. Heal was taken prisoner.
By 1868 the Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad which ran from Alton to South Lagrange Station, continued on through Lagrange and above to Orneville. Hanibal Hamlin threw the first shovelful of earth at the contractors Dirigo House Lagrange Corner. The Post Office and Station Keeper was J.P. Stearns.
Hill Crest Cemetery Surnames
Recorded by C.K. Ellison, 1997
The Hill Crest Cemetery within Lagrange is within sight of the four corners on the road to Howland. Here are some of the surnames found on the tombstones:
A) Abbott, Adams, Ames, Annis, Armstrong, Averill.
B) Badger, Bailey, Baker,Banton, Barker, Barnes, Bates, Bayman, Beauregard, Bemis, Bickford, Billington, Bishop, Blake, Booden, Bowler, Brackett, Bragg, Brockway, Bruce, Bryer, Bubier, Buchanan, Bumps, Bunker, Burnett, Burtt.
C) Carey, Carleton, Carrell, Carroll, Carver, Cary, Cates, Chase, Clark, Coburn, Coch, Costain, Cowing, Crames, Crosby, Cushman.
D) Danforth, Day, Decker, Deering, Dixon, Doble, Drager, Drake, Duren, Durgin, Dyer.
E) Eastman, Emery, Erskine, Erston.
F) Foster, Fowles, Freeze, French, Frost, Fuller.
G) Garner, Grant, Gray, Green, Greenleaf, Grover.
H) Hafford, Hall, Hanscom, Harris, Harvey, Haskell, Hatch, Heal, Heald, Henderson, Herrick, Herrin, Hichborn, Hinds, Hinkley, Holland, Hommel, Hopkins, Howard, Huhn, Huntley.
I) Ingalls.
J) Jipson, Johnson, Jones, Jordan.
K) Kalnin, Kealiher, Kenney, King, Kirkland, Knowles, Koch.
L) Ladd, Lancaster, Lander, Lewis, Libby, Lindsay, Long, Lord, Lovejoy, Lufkin.
M) MacKenzie, Macomber, Marchecf, Marrill, Marsh, McCowen, McCutchen, McDuff, McGowen, McLawlin, McQuinn, Mehann, Messer, Mitchell, Morse, Mott, Moulton, Mountain, Murphy, Murray ,Myrick.
N) Nason, Nealey, Nealley, Norwood, Noyes.
O) Osgood, Owen, Owens.
P) Parker, Patterson, Peaslee, Peasley, Penny, Perkins, Plummer, Porter, Pray, Prouty.
R) Rand, Richards, Rogers, Rollins, Romey, Ronnburg, Royal, Russell, Ryan, Ryder.
S) Salley, Sandborn, Sanders, Sargisson, Savage, Sawyer, Scott, Shannon, Shuman, Sjostedt, Slragis, Smart, Smith, Snell, Solomon, Soule, Spaulding, Spearin, Spearing, Speed, Spencer, Stanley, Stearns, Stevens, Stinchfield, Stinson, Stone, Storer, Stubbs, Sylvester.
T) Taber, Tapley, Tash, Tate, Taylor, Terriault, Thompson, Thruston, Tibbetts, Towne, Treadwell, Trott, Turtlott.
U) Upham.
W) Waite, Walker, Wallace, Ward, Warren, Waterhouse, Webb, Weeks, Weller, Wentworth, Weymouth, Whidden, White, Wilder, Willey, Wing, Winter, Witham, Woodman, Worth.
Y) Young.
(compiled by C.K. Ellison, 2003)