Flagstaff is a
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
and former
plantation
Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...
in
Somerset County,
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
, United States, near the existing town of
Eustis and approximately 20 miles north of
Rangeley.
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...
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 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.
See also
*
List of ghost towns in Maine
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 places in the United States