Introduction
Though New England has used the term “plantation” for a pre-town settlement since at least the early settlements in modern Massachusetts, the term has fallen out of common use in Southern New England, including Rhode Island, centuries in the past, with “Providence Plantations” becoming a name referring to Rhode Island history. Though the confusion of “plantations” with slavery and slave labor has resulted in the shortening of the name of the State of Rhode Island, the term is, ironically, still used elsewhere in the region.
Maine
Maine is the sole U.S. state that continues to contain a type of administrative government type known as a “plantation,” referring to a specific type of community falling between an unincorporated area and a town. While a few plantations exist on island communities within the State of Maine, the vast majority of plantation areas is located deep within the Maine interior.
Of the plantations in the State of Maine, only five (5) lack the term “Plantation” in the official name, with two (2) being the aforementioned island plantations of Monhegan and Matinicus Isle. The others are located relatively deep within the interior and are West Forks, The Forks, and Grand Lake Stream. West Forks and The Forks are located in Somerset County, while Grand Lake Stream is associated with the geographically central region of Washington County.
novaTopFlex 