Greenville is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine. It is uncertain just when the area was first explored, but it is known that a surveying party from Massachusetts visited the area in 1764, but that it wasn't until 1824 that the first settlements began at Greenville, when Nathaniel Haskell, of Westbrook, purchased the Thornton Academy Grant, which was the southern part of the township, and began clearing trees, moving his family there in 1827. At about the same time, Oliver Young and John Smith were clearing trees in the area.
The earlier settlements were on the East Ridge, from one to three miles from the lake. Up until 1832, only about six or eight families had settled at the foot of Moosehead Lake, where the town is now primarily located.
A sawmill was built on Wilson Stream in 1829, and a gristmill was added the following year. In 1836, Henry Gower built the first store in Greenville Village, located at the southern end of Moosehead Lake, the largest lake in New England. Later, he erected the first hotel, called the Seboomook House. A small steamboat was launched on the lake in 1836 to tow logs, and the first large lake steamer went into operation in 1836. In later years, several steamers by the name of "Katahdin" plied the waters of Moosehead Lake.
The town was incorporated from Haskell Plantation on February 6, 1836, named for its green forests. On August 10, 1848, the town annexed land from Wilson, the remainder of which was distributed to Shirley and Elliotsville. The Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad arrived at Greenville Junction in 1884, and the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1888, bringing tourists attracted to the area's scenic beauty, and for its hunting and fishing resources. Today, Greenville remains a popular resort area.