Town of Van Buren

Van Buren is a town in Aroostook County, incorporated on February 11, 1881 from Van Buren Plantation.

Named for the eighth U.S. President, Martin Van Buren, the area was a haven for Acadians escaping the British oppression of 1755. In 1791 they settled near Keegan, a village just north of the main settlement, to farm and work in the lumbering industry. The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad arrived in 1905 and soon extended its reach further up the St. John Valley.

Located across the St. John River and international border from St. Leonard, New Brunswick, the town is at the junction of U.S. Routes 1 and 1A. The Bertrand Levesque Memorial Park, just downstream under the bridge, commemorates four Van Buren residents killed in the Vietnam War. A plaque affixed to a stone monument records each name.

From Maine: An Encyclopedia (www.themaineencyclopedia.com)