Central Maine Spotlight: Waterville

Each week, we take a look at one of the towns in our listening area. This week, we profile Waterville!

According to Wikipedia, Waterville was once home to Native Americans of the Abenaki Tribe. After their village, called Taconnet (after their chief) was burned in 1692 (during King William's War), they abandoned the area.

Fort Halifax was constructed in 1754 and the town of Winslow was incorporated in 1771. When it became clear that residents on the West side of the Kennebec River were having issues crossing the river to attend town meetings, that area split off from Winslow and incorporated as Waterville in 1802.

Early industries included fishing, lumber, manufacturing, and shipbuilding. In the early 1900s, there were five shipyards in the city.

Now, the city of approximately 16,000 is home to Colby College, Thomas College, Waterville Opera House, and Perkins Arboretum.

Check out this video of historic photos of Waterville: