The namesake of the town was one Colonel Jonathan Buck who, with a number of land grantees arrived in 1762 to survey the land, then returned to Haverhill, MA. In June 1763, Buck returned to settle permanently on what became known as Plantation No. 1, the town becoming first Buckstown Plantation, then Buckstown upon incorporation.
Colonel Buck, as well as many other members of the Buck family, is buried in Buck Cemetery in Bucksport, with a large granite monument marking his grave. A stain on the monument in the shape of a woman's leg and foot has given rise to the
Legend of the Buck Memorial, a legend in which a woman burned as a witch places a curse on the Colonel. A variation of the legend has Colonel Buck burning his mistress for being a witch.
Today a town of around 5,000 Bucksportians, Bucksport has grown steadily over the years, relying predominately on a large paper mill for its livelihood for many years. That ended in December of 2014, with the
closure and dismantling of the Verso Mill in Bucksport, eliminating 570 jobs. Prior to the coming of the paper mill in 1930, shipbuilding had been the major industry, with fishing and farming also creating jobs and income for the town.
Bucksport has retained a number of historic buildings, including the 1783 Jed Prouty Tavern and Inn, originally a house, on Main Street; the 1850 Wilson Hall, built as a Methodist Seminary; the 1824 Phineas Heywood House; the 1838 Elm Street Congregational Church; the 1874 Bucksport Railroad Station; the 1887 Buck Memorial Library and the 1808 Brown–Pillsbury Double House, built for two local businessmen.
The entry from the American Guide Series book
Maine: A Guide 'Down East' follows.
BUCKSPORT (alt. 80, Bucksport Town, pop. 2135), 8 m., lies on the
east bank of the Penobscot, the main street following the shore of the river. Directly opposite Bucksport are the gray ramparts of Fort Knox, which stands like a medieval castle at a high point of vantage on the river bank. The shopping and trading center of the village lies on the low ground near the river, and the residential area spreads on higher ground.
The Maine Seaboard Paper Company Mill (visitors welcome) was erected in 1930 in the northern part of the village. The mill can produce more than 1280 feet of 216 inch high-grade newsprint a minute. Although the mill was originally designed to produce 250 tons daily, an average daily production of 328 tons was reached in 1936. Paper makers from all parts of the world have made studies of the methods, high-speed machines, and other devices in use at this mill.
In Buck Cemetery, near the entrance to Verona Bridge, a plain Granite
Obelisk, visible from the highway, marks the resting place of Colonel
Jonathan Buck, for whom Bucksport was named. Legend has it that,
while living in Haverhill, Mass., prior to coming to Maine, Colonel Buck was called on, in an official capacity, to execute a woman condemned as a witch. It was said that the woman placed a curse on him; after his death the likeness of a leg and foot appeared on the side of his granite monument. The mark, undoubtedly a defect in the stone, reappears after every effort to efface it, and the townspeople call it the Witch's Curse.
From Montana, A State Guide Book, Page 273