Flagstaff is a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
and former
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Somerset County,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, United States, near the existing town of
Eustis and approximately 20 miles north of
Rangeley.
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...
camped here on his Quebec expedition and erected a flagstaff, hence the name.
The town was abandoned and dismantled (and legally disincorporated) in 1950 to allow construction of a hydroelectric dam on the
Dead River, which enlarged
Flagstaff Lake and submerged the site of the settlement.
The song "Below" by
Slaid Cleaves
Slaid Cleaves is an American singer-songwriter born in Washington, D.C. and raised in South Berwick, Maine and Round Pond, Maine, United States. An alumnus of Tufts University, where he majored in English and philosophy, Cleaves lives in Aust ...
on his 2004 album ''Wishbones'' refers to the destruction of the town, although it is not mentioned by name. The lyrics specifically mention the Dead River, and its general location.
References
External links
Windows on Maine - The Plan to Flood Flagstaff - Maine PBSA map of Flagstaff and its surrounding area pre-flooding
A contemporary history of Flagstaff with historical photos and a radio story about the fires set to clear the land before the flooding
{{Coord, 45, 9, 42.2, N, 70, 13, 19.8, W, display=title
Ghost towns in Maine
Geography of Somerset County, Maine
Submerged settlements in the United States