A Noble Crossing: The History and Archaeology of the Nobles Ferry West Site in Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Early EuroAmerican settlement of the Kennebec River Valley in Maine above the Waterville area settlement did not occur until the late eighteenth century. This region of the state of Maine was still considered frontier land until this general time period. Early settlers were initially tied to the river for commerce and transportation, until an overland system of roads was better developed in the early nineteenth century. The Kennebec River in this region is too wide and deep to allow for natural fords, so ferry boats were needed to allow for across river transportation. One early family, the Noble’s, became well known for their early ferry crossing, which likely predated a formal road system. Archaeological investigations of the Noble’s Ferry West (ME 151-005) provide insights into both early settlement sites in this region as well as ferry crossing sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow