Paris
Welcome to Paris!
The town of Paris was incorporated in 1793 and became the county seat of Oxford County in 1805. The town thrived with excellent land for animal pasturage and orchards, and many buildings reflection the affluence of that still stand in the Paris Hill neighborhood. The village of South Paris became the center of town due to its access to water power for mills and the later construction of a station on the Grand Trunk Railroad line.
Fun Facts
- Paris has been home to a remarkable number of influential politicians, including former Vice President Hannibal Hamlin and no less than four former Governors of Maine!
- Fame Maine humorist Joe Perham hailed from Paris, and much of his writing centered around the local community
- Because the US Post Office refers to the town as South Paris, people commonly use both names for the town.
- “The Mt. Mica mine in Paris was the site in 1820 where amateur naturalists Elijah Hamlin and Ezekiel Holmes virtually tripped over a clear green crystal, the first gem tourmaline discovered in the United States. According to an exhibit in the Peabody Museum at Harvard University,”
- Sources: Wikipeida and Maine an Encyclopedia