The Place:
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.
Read
An Early History of Bucksport at the town's website.
The Person:
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. The group arrived (and returned) on the sloop
Sally, of which Colonel Buck was captain and owner.
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.