Thomaston, Maine

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Thomaston is a small town in Knox County, Maine, on the St. George River. About 2,739 people lived there in 2020. The town is known for its old, well-preserved buildings and is a popular place for visitors.

History
Long ago, a trading post began on the river around 1630. The area was settled and became known as Thomas Town. Fort St. George was built in the early 1700s, but attacks by the Abenaki and other wars brought conflict. The first permanent settler, Mason Wheaton, arrived in 1763, and Thomaston became its own town in 1777. In the 1800s, Thomaston grew as a port and shipbuilding center and also had mills, brickworks, and lime production. The Knox family built the Montpelier mansion nearby.

Maine State Prison and notable facts
The town was home to the Maine State Prison until 2002. The prison’s shop inspired a famous scene in The Shawshank Redemption, and the old site adds to the town’s historic character. In 1974, Thomaston’s Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its distinctive architecture from the Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate styles.

Today
Today Thomaston is a resort area with a large historic district. It is home to boatbuilders like Jeff’s Marine and Lyman Morse Boatbuilding. The town sits along U.S. Route 1 and Maine Route 131 and borders Rockland, South Thomaston, Cushing, and Warren.

Geography and community services
Thomaston covers about 11.5 square miles, mostly land, with several rivers including the St. George and Weskeag. The ZIP code is 04861 and the area code is 207. Public schools in the area are part of Regional School Unit 13. The fire department is all-volunteer and has several trucks, including a ladder truck and an ambulance.