• Location - 43 degrees longitude, 70 degrees latitude
• Limits - Prout's Neck (North) and Fletcher's Neck (South)
• Rivers - Dunstan, Saco, and Goose Fare
• Towns - Biddeford, Saco, Scarborough
• Beaches - Pine Point, Old Orchard, Ferry (or West Old Orchard or Bay View)
• Islands - Stratten's, Bluff, Wood, Negro, Stage, Basket, Ram, Eagle
• Harbor - Winter Harbor
• Lighthouse - Wood Island - 47 feet high
• Light (62 feet) flashes every minute
• Visible for 13 miles
• Fog bell - 2 blows..20 second pause..1 blow
• Monument - Stage Island - Day guide to Winter Harbor
• 40 feet high made of gray stone

• Sir Ferdinand Gorges takes Indians, teaches them English
• Gorges plans colonies in America, forms "Plymouth Colony"
• Gorges obtains grant for all land between Hudson River and Cape Breton (including Islands)
• rights to now State of Maine transferred to Ferdinand Gorges
• Coast of Maine reported to be unfit for settlements
• Gorges hires 32 men, led by Captain Richard Vines, to explore coast

• Vines lands at mouth of Saco River, September, 1616
• Vines finds many Indian settlements at mouth of Saco, explores with Indians up river 19 miles to Salmon Falls
• Vines harbors in "the Pool", fall of 1616
• Vines and company settles for winter on west side of pool on"Leighton's Point", building a log cabin with stone fireplace
• Vines winters at Pool, returns to England in spring of 1617
• Vines makes many trips back in next 7 years (1617-1623)
• 1623 - Vines resides on West side of Saco River, John Oldham on East
• 1629 - Vines and Oldham receive grants from Gorges for all land in Biddeford/Saco area
• 1638 - Thomas Rogers settles at Goose Fare Brook, plants orchard, giving rise to present name "Old Orchard"

GOVERNMENT
1623-Ferdinand Gorges sends son, Robert Gorges to govern Saco River-Government fails, Ferdinand Gorges appointed Governor

1636 - William Gorges sent from England to be Governor (governed until 1652)

1652 - Maine annexed to Massachusetts

1677 - Ferdinand Gorges sells all land in Maine to Massachusetts government -Maine remains annexed to Massachusetts until

1820 - Original titles given by Gorges or Plymouth Colony remained intact

Saco Bay settlers retained land under original titles

1653 - Oldest town record in Biddeford

RELIGION
1636 - Tax taken in Saco area for support of a "gospel minister"-First church was Episcopal

1640 - First clergyman appointed, Rev Robert Jordan, in Spurwink (Cape Eliz)

1652 - Puritans take over with annexation to Massachusetts

1658 - Robert Booth appointed minister at Saco Bay (Winter Harbor)

1666 - Women allowed to be seated at Meeting House at Winter Harbor

Leading women, Mistress Maverick, Goody Booth (wife of Robert Booth), Madam Phillips (wife of Major Williams)

1661 - Rev Seth Fletcher (puritan clergyman) settles in area -Rev Fletcher a minister until 1675, hated Episcopalians

EARLY SKIRMISHES
1675 - English sailors overturn Indian canoe, kill infant of Squanto, chief of Sakoki tribe

1675 - Indians attack, white settlers flee to dwelling of Major Phillips on west side of Saco River near covered bridge

Captain John Boynton's house destroyed

White settlers move to Winter Harbor for more safety -Many houses destroyed between Saco Falls and Biddeford Pool

Battles rage until winter of 1675 1678-Treaty signed with Indians at Casco (Portland)

Peaceful until 1688 (King William's War)

EARLY SETTLERS OF BIDDEFORD POOL
1734 - Bachelor Hussey (from Nantucket), descendent of Christopher Hussey who came here from England in 1634 and settled in Lynn, Mass

1734 - Bachelor Hussey purchases Wood Island and one half of "the Neck" from Pendleton Fletcher

1737 - Hussey builds house on Neck..as of 1884, 4 generations lived there

Hussey's son Christopher and wife Eunice Cole run first hotel

Christopher's son Chris takes over..marries Mary Goldthwaite

1734 - Bachelor Bunker resides on North side of Neck..runs Merchandise store

EARLY SETTLERS OF FORT HILL
Fort Hill on high point of land opposite "steamboat landing" at the Pool and across "the gut"

1688 - Fort erected early in King William's war (1688-1698)

Fort called "Fort Mary", commanded by Captain John Hill

John Hill son of Roger Hill, hence name "Hill's Beach"

1694 - John Hill marries Mary Frost, daughter of Major Charles Frost

Fort Hill named after either wife Mary, or Mary, wife of William Prince of Orange