Town of Boothbay Harbor

The earliest attempts at settling the Boothbay Harbor region were made by fishermen, but these settlements were ravaged by King Phillip’s war in 1675 and Indian forays in 1690. The area remained uninhabited until 1729. At that time, the entire Boothbay Harbor region became the settlement of Townsend, which included present day Boothbay Harbor, Boothbay and Southport. In 1746, the settlement petitioned the general Court of Massachusetts for incorporation. Governor Bernard signed the act of incorporation, naming the area Boothbay. The first town meeting was 1765, and the first school established in 1767. The Town of Southport split from Boothbay in 1842, followed by Boothbay Harbor in 1889. On February 16, 1889 the Town of Boothbay Harbor was formed by act of the State Legislature.