Tag: Old Town
Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,840 at the 2010 census. The city’s developed area is chiefly located on relatively large Marsh Island, though its boundaries extend beyond that. The island is surrounded and defined by the Penobscot River to the east, and the Stillwater River to the west.
Abenaki Indians called it Pannawambskek, meaning “where the ledges spread out.” The French established a mission here in the 1680s. Later the area was settled by English pioneers in 1774. The name Old Town derives from “Indian Old Town”, which was the English name for the largest Penobscot Indian village, now known as Indian Island.
Located within the city limits but on its own island, the reservation is the current and historical home of the Penobscot Nation.
In 1840, when the present city was set off from neighboring Orono (named for a Penobscot sachem), it was given the name Old Town because it contained the Penobscot village. Over time, the…