Plantation Returns 

Plantations are a unique form of local government in Maine, existing in sparsely populated areas as a step between unincorporated areas and full town status. In 1840, a law provided that plantations could organize “for election purposes,” only requiring a return to the Secretary of State of the date of organization and a description of bounds. This act was the impetus for groupings of scattered settlers or lumbermen to gather as communities, and large areas were often organized into one plantation. These records range from 1840 – 1891.