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The Town of South Berwick
History | Recreation | Town Government | About South Berwick
South Berwick Firsts
History The first permanent settlement in Maine was established in 1630 by a tiny band of English adventurers led by Ambrose Gibbons. They came by boat to establish a colony, obtain lumber, and carry on trade with the Indians. They settled near the waterfalls where the Great Works River meets the Salmon Falls River, not far from today's Vine Street Bridge. By 1634, carpenters and millwrights had arrived, including William Chadbourne. His sawmill, by the falls of the Great Works River, was the first water powered mill in North America. His son, Humphrey Chadbourne, bought a large piece of land from the Indians in 1643. The Chadbourne House, built by this family in the 1700s, still stands on the corner of Vine and Liberty Streets. During the 1600s, the land was covered with thick forest. For generations, Native Americans had come here for the huge, plentiful fish in the Salmon Falls River, which they called the Newichiwannock. They called their fishing spot Quamphegan. More and more English settlers built farms along today's Vine and Brattle Streets. Their church cemetery, called Old Fields Burying Ground, still overlooks the Great Works River on Vine Street. Peace with the Indians gave way to bitter fighting until the Native Americans were pushed out. For more than a century, all the land in this area was known as Berwick. In the 1800s, it divided into three towns-Berwick, North Berwick and our South Berwick which contains the original settlement from long ago. There are historically important buildings in South Berwick open to the public. The 1774 Sarah Orne Jewett House (home of the noted author) is located on Main Street. The South Berwick Library is located in the 1854 Jewett-Eastman House. Sarah moved to this house as a child and lived here for 17 years. The Hamilton House, a 1785 Georgian mansion overlooking the Salmon Falls River, is now a museum located next to Vaughan Woods Memorial State Park. You can also visit the Counting House Museum, which was the site of a 19th century cotton mill and is now home to the Old Berwick Historical Society. Return to top of page
About South BerwickThe town is approximately 35 square miles in area. It possesses large tracts of undeveloped and preserved land which creates a rural character. Yet, the metropolitan areas, providing employment opportunities, shopping and excellent medical services. South Berwick is a community of approximately 6,000 citizens. Located on the Maine/New Hampshire border, it is close to the following point of interest:
Route 236 is a primary highway providing direct access to Interstate Route 95 at Kittery. Route 91 leads to York and U.S. Route 1. The Maine Turnpike and New Hampshire are accessible from Route 4 which runs through the center of town. South Berwick joins with the Town of Eliot to comprise Maine School Administrative District #35. Central School is located on Main Street, South Berwick, Marshwood Middle School is on Academy Street in South Berwick, Marshwood Junior High School is located on Route 236 in Eliot, and Marshwood High School is also on Route 236, but it is in South Berwick. Berwick Academy, founded in 1791, is a private co-educational school providing education for kindergarten through twelfth grade. Seacoast Christian Academy is another alternative school providing education for prekindergarten through the twelfth grade. South Berwick has many active volunteers in organizations ranging from the Fire Department and Rescue Squad to Parent/Teachers Organization, Senior Citizen Programs, Library and the Historical Society. Volunteers also participate in the Recreation Programs that are offered for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, wrestling and karate In addition, the Town has many board and committees staffed by volunteer citizens trying to make the best decisions possible on problem solving or planning. Town Government The Town of South Berwick operates under the Council/Manager form of government. A charter to govern was granted by the State of Maine in April, 1969. The first South Berwick Town Manager was hired in 1950, and the first South Berwick Town Council was formed in 1970. The Town meeting is held annually in June, and is made up of the registered voters in South Berwick. The Town's budget is voted on by the citizens at that time. They voice their opinions and help decide what direction the Town will take for the year. The Town Council, Town Manager and Town Departments all ultimately answer to the authority of Town Meeting. The five member Town Council governs the Town. Members are elected for overlapping three-year terms of office. The Chairman of the Town Council is elected from among the Council membership on an annual basis. The Town Council also serves as Overseers of the Poor. At their regular meetings, they take a majority vote on issues set before them. These votes then become and ordinance or law within 30 days of the vote. The Council also approves something called a Warrant twice per month. This warrant allows the Town Council to pay bills and services for the Town. The Town Manger acts as Chief Administrative Officer and is responsible to the Town Council for all of the departments reporting to him. He also acts as the official Tax Collector, Treasurer, Road Commissioner and Health Officer. Departments reporting to the Manager are: the Business Office run by the Town Clerk, Finance/Personnel, Planning/Code Enforcement/Assessing, Public Works, Police, Fire, Recreation, Social Services, Library, Conservation, and Historic District Commission. The Water District, Sewer District and Rescue Squad are independent of the Town Manager and have their own separate budgets. Recreation Recreational resources abound in south Berwick. Canoeing is a popular activity on the Salmon Falls and Great Works Rivers. The beaches of York, Ogunquit, Wells and Kennebunk are conveniently located nearby. Snowmobliling, cross-country skiing, biking, hiking, hunting and fishing are all enjoyed on the Town's network of old logging roads, trails, ponds, streams, marshes and open fields. Powderhouse Hill Ski Area is owned by the Town and operated by the Powderhouse Hill Ski Club. The Hill is a great place to learn skiing and it has one of the few remaining rope tows in the State. Powderhouse Hill also has a sledding area and a skating rink, which makes the area an enjoyable place to spend a winter's day. A community playground is located in downtown South Berwick at the Central School, and tennis players can enjoy the game at jointly owned courts on the Berwick Academy campus. The Town plans to develop a small historical park with a canoe launch on Liberty Street next to the Counting House. Picnicking, fishing, or putting in a canoe, to paddle down the Salmon Falls River to the Town owned boat ramp on Route 101, will be possible from this spot. The Agamenticus Estates ball fields contain a Little League field and a T-ball field. In the Fall, soccer is also played here. The Town owns the vacant farmland next to these fields, but has no immediate plans for them. In addition, the Town owns 9 acres and a barn across the street from the fields which they plan to develop for recreational use in the future. The historic Hamilton House and Vaughan Woods State Park, which is located next to the Hamilton House, is a great place for walking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. Vaughan Woods consists of 135 acres of old growth forest and borders the Salmon Falls River. East of the village, off of Knights Pond Road, you can find the South Berwick Town Forest. This 88 acre forest has some trails and it borders the Great Works River. The State of Maine has purchased large tracts of land for the Mount Agamenticus Conservation Area. This ecosystem is home to abundant wildlife and rare or endangered plants and animals. This area straddles York and South Berwick and is off of Mountain Road in South Berwick.
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