Sawmill Yard on Cathance Stream, Marion, Maine
Photograph
Views of the sawmill yard beside the bridge over Cathance Stream, in Marion, Maine. Piles of lumber, boards and refuse surround the J.C. Allan house on the hill above the Stream, while short pieces await the shingle mill downstream. An 1861 map locates the properties. A contemporary view of the same scene shows the change over time.
The 1860 map of Washington County marks Kilby and Smith's sawmill just upstream of the current Route 86 bridge. In 1861, Peter E. Vose recorded the sale of Mr. Kilby's share of 8000 acres of timberland on the Cathance "River" and his interest in the Cathance Mill to T.W. Allan for $6,200. In 1881 a large millpond was clearly shown above the mill seat, the mills being owned at that time by John Smith and T.W. Allan Lumber. By 1920, all records of sawmill activity at Marion ceased.
