Head of Falls

Aerial view of head of falls

This property is not only one of Waterville's most historic locations, but also one of the most important early settlement locations on the Kennebec River - both for the native americans and the European settlers.

The Canibas tribe of the Wabanaki formed a village nearby at the junction of the Kennebec and Sebasticook Rivers.  The villagers named the nearby waterfall Teconnet, after their Chief, and the area came to be known by the same name.  Although the earliest settlements were on the eastern (Winslow) side of the river, it wasn't long before the western (Waterville) side became the preferred site for commercial enterprises.

The west side, then called Ticonic Village, decided to split with the town of Winslow in 1802 and became incorporated as the town of Waterville.  Beginning in the 1700's and continuing into the 19th century, lumber, grist and ship building mills were being developed along the river immediately south of Ticonic Falls (Head of Falls).

The modern day industrialization of the Head of Falls property began in 1896 with the relocation of the Waterville Iron Works company.  This business largely catered to the machinery needs of the pulp and paper industry and continued operating well into the 20th century.  Residential structures were also being built at Head of Falls, providing easy access for the workers at the nearby mills.

The final industrail tenant at this site was the Wyandotte Worsted Company which specialized in making woolen cloth  of various types.  Succumbing to foreign copetition, as did so many other woolen and cotton mills, this industry left the Head of Falls site in the late 1960's for a new location on Waterville's West River Road.

Soon after, a newly created federal program, Urban Renewal, came into play and began to take steps to create the Head of Falls property as we see today.  The mill buildings and all residential structures were removed and the tenants relocated to improved housing conditions. 

Unfortunately, the Head of Falls property sat unused and under appreciated for many years thereafter.  It wasn't until the 1990's that the City began to realize the importance of this property.

In 1999, the City engaged the community in a comprehensive planning process and developed a Riverfront Master Plan.  This Plan can be viewed using the navigation menu to the left of this text.    In addition, a Market Analysis was developed in 2009-10 and can also be viewed using the navigation menu.