According to G.T. Ridlon, author of Saco Valley Settlements, “The land embraced within the present boundaries of (Buxton) was a grant by the General Court in 1728, to redeem a promise made to the soldiers who participated in the war with the Narragansett Indians in 1675, that if they “played the man, took the Fort, and drove the enemy out of the Narragansett Country, which was their great seat, they should have a gratuity in Land besides their wages.” The army was known as the Narragansett Army. After the war, there was an effort to settle the area, but it was not until the fall of 1733 that the grantees, met on Boston Common and organized and appointed a Joint Committee to assign townships. This Committee met and assigned the seven Narragansett Grants – beginning with Narragansett Number One, now Buxton, Maine, which was assigned to Philemon Dame and one hundred and nineteen others. The township was unsettled throughout the next several years and finally was incorporated Narragansett Township Number One into a Town by the name of Buxton on July 14th, 1772 by Governor Thomas Hutchinson.

It took several years to establish a true settlement in the Town. The Town was dense forest and roads and tillable fields had to be established to sustain families year round. The first industry included sawmills and gristmills along the Saco River. The Salmon Falls area was developed first and the West Buxton (Moderation Falls) area became a thriving village. By the 1800’s Buxton boasted several saw mills, wolen mills, tanneries, coopers, blacksmiths, grocery stores, clothing stores, a wool-carding mill and many farms. During the 1850 – 1860’s the railroad came to Buxton.

During the last 235 years the Town has changed considerably but has continued to retain its rural characteristics. Buxton is a sought after community to live and raise a family. We encourage everyone to visit the Town of Buxton which is a thriving community with a very rich history.