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History · Moose River

Moose River dates to 1820, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Samuel Holden House. Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 1850.

1820founded
1on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Moose River began

When was Moose River founded?

1820

Moose River dates its founding to 1820 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 83 in 18502020 census: 188206 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1834.

What stands out about Moose River’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Moose River are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 511 in 1920; 188 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Moose River’s homes were built before 1951.Deep rootsEstablished in 1820: 206 years of Moose River.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Moose River’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Moose River’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Moose River, census by census

01002003004005001850190019502000Peak: 511

Peaked at 511 in 1920; 188 people lived here in 2020.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Moose River’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

Moose River, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Moose River yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Moose River is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 188 at the 2020 census. It was first settled by Capt. Samuel Holden who in 1820 opened an inn as a stop for cattle drivers en route from Boston to Quebec.

Moose River was established in 1820. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 218 to 188 (-14%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Moose River, 1820 to 1954

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1820
    FoundingMoose River is established
  3. 1834Post officeThe Moose River post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 511
  6. 1923On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1954Post officeThe Moose River post office closes
By decade

Moose River, decade by decade

Today5 recent
MooseRiverME TownOffices2022MooseRiverME TownOfficesMooseRiverME SamuelHoldenHouse2022MooseRiverME SamuelHoldenHouseMooseRiverME OldSchoolhouse2022MooseRiverME OldSchoolhouseMountain View 22012Mountain View 2Mountain View2012Mountain View
On the map

Moose River on the map, 1923 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Moose River. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Moose River on the 1923 USGS mapMoose River on the 1977 USGS mapMoose River on the 1989 USGS mapMoose River on the 1997 USGS map1923Attean sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Moose River.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Moose River

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1995
Samuel Holden House
Samuel Holden House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Early Republic1
Samuel Holden HouseEarly Republic

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Moose River had its own post office from 1834 to 1954.

Moose River
1834–1954
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Jackman Mill
Gone or out of use
Camp Number TwolocaleHeald Pond CamplocaleSky Lodge Landing Stripairport

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Jackman1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDennistown plantationIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Moose River’s history

What year was Moose River founded?

In 1820, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Moose River’s post office opened in 1834, and the census of 1850 counted 83 people here.

What is on the National Register in Moose River?

One place: the Samuel Holden House (listed 1995).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.