"SKOWHEGAN", a township and the county-seat of Somerset
county, Maine, U.S.A., on the Kennebec river, about 39 m. N.
of Augusta. Pop. (1890) 5068, (1900) 5180, of whom 4266 were
inhabitants of Skowhegan village; (1910) 5341. Skowhegan is the
terminus of a branch of the Maine Central railway. The township
covers an area of about 50 sq. m., and has a public library, a fine
court house and Coburn Park. The farms of the township are
devoted largely to dairying. Paper and pulp, wooden-ware,
woollen and worsted goods, &c., are manufactured. Skowhegan
was settled as a part of Canaan about 1770. In 1814 the township
of Bloomfield was erected out of the southern portion of Canaan.
In 1823 a second township was erected out of what then remained;
this was called Milburn at first, but in 1836 the former Indian
name, Skowhegan, said to mean “spearing” or “watching
place,” was adopted. Bloomfield was annexed to Skowhegan in
1861. The village of Skowhegan was incorparated about 1856. Category:
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