North Maine Woods

About forestry service, 4732, Ashland, ME, US, Maine

Ashland is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,202 at the 2020 census. == Geography == According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 81.54 square miles (211.19 km2), of which 80.41 square miles (208.26 km2) is land and 1.13 square miles (2.93 km2) is water. Around Ashland are the smaller towns and townships of Masardis, Oxbow Plantation, Portage, Nashville Plantation, and Garfield Plantation. Most soils in the area have stony silt loam texture and show classic podzol profile development. == History == For thousands of years, Native American tribes inhabited this region. In the 1830s William Dalton became the first Euro-American to establish residency at the site of the future town. The community was organized as a plantation in 1840, at which time there were 40 heads of household listed. It was incorporated as a town in 1862, under the name of Ashland. From 1869 to 1876 the town was renamed "Dalton," but then reverted to its historic and current name.