The Head Tide Historic District encompasses a formerly industrial, now rural village at the

head of tide Head of tide, tidal limit or tidehead is the farthest point upstream where a river is affected by tidal fluctuations, or where the fluctuations are less than a certain amount. This applies to rivers which flow into tidal bodies such as oceans, b ...

of the

Sheepscot River The Sheepscot River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Its lower portion is a complex island estuary with connections to ...

Alna, Maine Alna is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 710 at the 2020 census. Alna is home to the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum and is noted for its historic architecture, including the early mill villa ...

. The area had been industrially active since the mid-18th century, but its mills declined and were all destroyed by 1949, leaving a predominantly residential area with a number of houses dating mainly to the period before 1860. The district was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1974.

Description and history

Head Tide Village is located in northern Alna, and is centered on a stretch of Head Tide Road spanning the

between

Maine State Route 218 State Route 218 (SR 218) is a state highway in Lincoln County, Maine, Lincoln County, Maine. The road connects U.S. Route 1 in Maine, U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and Maine State Route 27, SR 27 at Wiscasset, Maine, Wiscasset and Maine Sta ...

and

Maine State Route 194 State Route 194 (SR 194) is a numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Maine. The route runs from an intersection with SR 27 in Pittston to an intersection with SR 215 in North Newcastle, a village of Newcastle. The state route ...

. The majority of the village's buildings are on the east side of the river, but its major public buildings, the 1838 Head Tide Church and the old schoolhouse, are on the west side. Just east of the bridge stands the former Jewett General Store building (1884). The river banks on both sides are in some places lined with the foundational remnants of the village's industrial past, most below the dam (first built 1760) a short distance upstream from the bridge. There is a house whose property borders the Shepscot built in 1787, known as the Spring House, because the spring that used to supply the community with fresh water exists under the Kitchen in the house. A well in its front yard can still be used to draw water. Settlement along the Sheepscot River by colonial settlers began in a significant way only with the end of hostilities with Native Americans in 1760. In that year, Lincoln County was established, and in 1761 Doctor

Silvester Gardiner Dr. Silvester Gardiner (June 29, 1708 – August 8, 1786) was a physician, pharmaceutical merchant and land developer of Maine. He is known for founding the city of Gardiner. Early years He was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, the son of ...

acquired a land grant that included the Head Tide area. One of his early land sales was to David Nelson, who built the first dam. Originally part of

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, the village was substantial enough to be set off in 1794 as New Milford (after the large number of mills at Head Tide), later renamed Alna. In the early 19th century the village had six water wheels powering lumber, grist, and textile processing operations, and the village was the town's economic center. Advances in technology, and the area's remote location, worked against it in the late 19th century. In 1896 a spring

freshet The term ''freshet'' is most commonly used to describe a spring thaw resulting from snow and ice melt in rivers located in upper North America. A spring freshet can sometimes last several weeks on large river systems, resulting in significant in ...

destroyed the mills on one side of the river, and a fire destroyed those on the other side in 1924. Only one mill was rebuilt after these events, and it was torn down in 1949.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Federal architecture in Maine Greek Revival architecture in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Lincoln County, Maine

Description and history

See also

References