Alfred is a town in York County, Maine. Before its European settlement, the area was known to the Abenaki Indians as Massabesic. The land was acquired from Chief Fluellin by Major William Phelps in 1661, as part of a much larger parcel of land. Although Simon Coffin visited the region in 1764 and lived there for a short time, the first known permanent settlement began in 1770.
The settlement was set off and incorporated as a district in 1794, after which others arrived. Sawmills and gristmills were established at areas where water power could be obtained along the streams. A log jail was built in 1803, to be replaced with a brick jail in 1828. The courthouse was constructed in 1806, the year that it was named the shiretown of York County. It was incorporated as a town in 1808, and named after King Alfred the Great.
The Alfred Shaker Village once thrived in Alfred. In 1783, members of the Shaker Church, including members of the coffin family, settled on a hill overlooking Massabesic Pond, which is now known as Shaker Pond. The Shakers practiced communal living, with no distinction between sexes or races. They built plain architecture and furniture, considered honest expressions of their faith. In 1931, the Alfred property was sold to the Brothers of Christian Instruction, who allow the Friends of Alfred Shaker Village to operate a museum in one of the site's original Shaker buildings. Today, only the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village remains under the control of the last few Shakers, although some former communities operate today as living museums.