Town of Brownville

Brownville Town in Piscataquis County, incorporated on February 3, 1824 from township T5 R8 NWP, known as Brownville Plantation.

Named for Francis Brown, an early settler and mill owner, the village lies just north of Milo along the Pleasant River, a tributary to the Piscataquis River.

Famed for its slate (it won first prize at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia), Brownville's quarry industry ended in 1917, though slate heaps remain on the west side of the river north of the village.

The village of Brownville Junction is so named for the railroad junction of the Canadian Atlantic and Bangor and Aroostook railroads. It is located north of Brownville via Maine Route 11 on the West Branch of the Pleasant River.

Brownville is the eastern gateway to The Hermitage, 35 acres of stately 150-year-old-growth white pine on a bluff overlooking the Pleasant River. This National Natural Landmark includes five kettle hole remains of a retreating glacier, the largest of which is Pugwash Pond. On the Appalachian Trail near Gulf Hagas and the Katahdin Iron Works, it is managed by the Nature Conservancy.

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