UTs (Augusta, Penobscot, Bingham: purchase, live, land)

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Somebody sent me a PM with the following question:

"Do you know how the unincorporated townships are named? What does the "T" and "R" stand for?"

I do know. The "T" is for township and they are generally numbered from south to north like a thermometer. The "R" is range and they are generally numbered from east to west. In fact, the WELS in many townships means West of the East Line of the State. T5R8WELS is northwest of T3R6WELS. You could know that simply from the numbers without looking at a map.

Many townships in the numbered regions also have names. For example, Rainbow Township is T2R11WELS. These rules generally hold true in those towns where the town boundaries go straight up and down and due east and west by true bearings.

Down in Central Maine where the town lines lean to the left, the towns were laid out by magnetic bearings and the boundaries go in the direction where magnetic north was around 1820.

What? They moved the north pole? Yes indeed. In 1820 magnetic north was about 13 degrees west of true north. Today it is about 18 degrees west of true north. That's why you see so many recent surveys where the boundary of a property is described as "North five degrees east". It was due north around 1820, but the north pole did indeed shift five degrees since then. Don't lose any sleep over this. Polaris or the North Star is still in the same spot it was when the Phoenicians sailed the seas thousands of years ago.

Down there in lower Maine there is no such orderly system. Townships can have seemingly random numbers going from east to west or west to east. You need a map to identify them. The numbers are followed by a whole list of names. Some that come to mind are;

NBPP which is North of Bingham's Penobscot Purchase.
NBKP which is North of Bingham's Kennebec Purchase.
NWP, North of the Waldo Patent
MD, Middle Division
BPP, Bingham's Penobscot Purchase (Bingham bought a lot of land.)
Township C
Township D
C Surplus

And my favorite; "Misery Gore". It seems two surveyors started from opposite ends and failed to meet in the middle. The resultant narrow strip crosses three townships and nobody was going to correct all the work they put into it. The area was rough country and the gore was accomplished with much misery.

The original question referred to "unincorporated" townships. The correct term is Unorganized Townships and if things go as we hope in Augusta they will soon have their freedom back. People live there.

[Mike Mc]

I always got a kick when I drove into "Letter E" on my way to Oquossoc. I would think, "They're one of the sponsors of Sesame street!!"

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Somebody sent me a PM with the following question:

"Do you know how the unincorporated townships are named? What does the "T" and "R" stand for?"

I do know. The "T" is for township and they are generally numbered from south to north like a thermometer. The "R" is range and they are generally numbered from east to west. In fact, the WELS in many townships means West of the East Line of the State. T5R8WELS is northwest of T3R6WELS. You could know that simply from the numbers without looking at a map.

Many townships in the numbered regions also have names. For example, Rainbow Township is T2R11WELS. These rules generally hold true in those towns where the town boundaries go straight up and down and due east and west by true bearings.

Down in Central Maine where the town lines lean to the left, the towns were laid out by magnetic bearings and the boundaries go in the direction where magnetic north was around 1820.

What? They moved the north pole? Yes indeed. In 1820 magnetic north was about 13 degrees west of true north. Today it is about 18 degrees west of true north. That's why you see so many recent surveys where the boundary of a property is described as "North five degrees east". It was due north around 1820, but the north pole did indeed shift five degrees since then. Don't lose any sleep over this. Polaris or the North Star is still in the same spot it was when the Phoenicians sailed the seas thousands of years ago.

Down there in lower Maine there is no such orderly system. Townships can have seemingly random numbers going from east to west or west to east. You need a map to identify them. The numbers are followed by a whole list of names. Some that come to mind are;

NBPP which is North of Bingham's Penobscot Purchase.
NBKP which is North of Bingham's Kennebec Purchase.
NWP, North of the Waldo Patent
MD, Middle Division
BPP, Bingham's Penobscot Purchase (Bingham bought a lot of land.)
Township C
Township D
C Surplus

And my favorite; "Misery Gore". It seems two surveyors started from opposite ends and failed to meet in the middle. The resultant narrow strip crosses three townships and nobody was going to correct all the work they put into it. The area was rough country and the gore was accomplished with much misery.

The original question referred to "unincorporated" townships. The correct term is Unorganized Townships and if things go as we hope in Augusta they will soon have their freedom back. People live there.

This should be in the hampden 95 rest area, in the info center behind glass on a wall

[starwalker]

Wow! Thanks NMLM for answering a question that never quite got totally formed in my mind, but has been rattling about in there since I first looked at the Gazetteer!

Also for putting a number on the pole shift...

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Somebody sent me a PM with the following question:

"Do you know how the unincorporated townships are named? What does the "T" and "R" stand for?"

I do know. The "T" is for township and they are generally numbered from south to north like a thermometer. The "R" is range and they are generally numbered from east to west. In fact, the WELS in many townships means West of the East Line of the State. T5R8WELS is northwest of T3R6WELS. You could know that simply from the numbers without looking at a map.

Many townships in the numbered regions also have names. For example, Rainbow Township is T2R11WELS. These rules generally hold true in those towns where the town boundaries go straight up and down and due east and west by true bearings.

Down in Central Maine where the town lines lean to the left, the towns were laid out by magnetic bearings and the boundaries go in the direction where magnetic north was around 1820.

What? They moved the north pole? Yes indeed. In 1820 magnetic north was about 13 degrees west of true north. Today it is about 18 degrees west of true north. That's why you see so many recent surveys where the boundary of a property is described as "North five degrees east". It was due north around 1820, but the north pole did indeed shift five degrees since then. Don't lose any sleep over this. Polaris or the North Star is still in the same spot it was when the Phoenicians sailed the seas thousands of years ago.

Down there in lower Maine there is no such orderly system. Townships can have seemingly random numbers going from east to west or west to east. You need a map to identify them. The numbers are followed by a whole list of names. Some that come to mind are;

NBPP which is North of Bingham's Penobscot Purchase.
NBKP which is North of Bingham's Kennebec Purchase.
NWP, North of the Waldo Patent
MD, Middle Division
BPP, Bingham's Penobscot Purchase (Bingham bought a lot of land.)
Township C
Township D
C Surplus

And my favorite; "Misery Gore". It seems two surveyors started from opposite ends and failed to meet in the middle. The resultant narrow strip crosses three townships and nobody was going to correct all the work they put into it. The area was rough country and the gore was accomplished with much misery.

The original question referred to "unincorporated" townships. The correct term is Unorganized Townships and if things go as we hope in Augusta they will soon have their freedom back. People live there.

[Submariner]

Nice thread, thanks