The history of Waldo County properly begins with an account of the Muscongus, or Waldo Patent. This grant, issued by the Plymouth Council in 1630, to John Beauchamp of London, and Thomas Leverett of Boston, Eng., extended on the seaboard between the Muscongus and Penobscot rivers, and comprised nearly 1,000 square miles, taking in the whole of the present county of Knox, except the Fox Islands, and of Waldo County, with the exception of territory now covered by five towns. No price was paid for this tract; it was thought that the settlement of the section would enhance the value of others.
Success in the fisheries at Monhegan, and in other localities along the coast of Maine, hastened an occupation of the Muscongus grant; and in the spring of 1630, Edward Ashley and William Pierce, agents of the patentees, came with laborers and mechanics, and established a tradinghouse on the George's River, in what is now Thomaston. This settlement was broken up by King Philip's war, which terminated in 1678. After this the whole territory lay desolate for nearly 40 years.
European settlement of Waldo County began with the Muscongus Grant, which was issued by the Plymouth Council in 1630, to John Beauchamp and Thomas Leverett, comprising approximately one thousand square miles, taking in all of Knox County except for the Fox Islands, and most of Waldo County. No price was paid for this tract, as it was believed that settlement of this section would enhance the value of others. That same year, Edward Ashley and William Pierce, both agents of the patentees, came to the region, with laborers and others, establishing a trading settlement on the George's River, in what is now Thomaston, Maine. This settlement was abandoned during King Philip's War, which ended in 1678; however, it was to be nearly forty years before the area was resettled.
Around 1720, this patent passed into the hands of a wealthy Boston family by the name of Waldo, and from that time it was known as the Waldo Patent. General Samuel Waldo, the proprietor of the Waldo Patent, is said to have gone to Europe to recruit German immigrants to settle his grant, which included parts of what are now Waldo, Penobscot and Lincoln counties and all of Knox County, Maine, along with the islands within three miles of its border.
In 1759, Waldo accompanied the governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Thomas Pownall, along with a workforce of four hundred men, to help establish this site, opening the Penobscot River area to settlement. The governor selected Fort Point in Stockton Springs to build a breastwork and blockhouse; called Fort Pownall, the garrison included a trading post. But Waldo dropped dead on May 23 near Bangor while exploring the northern reaches of his property, and was buried without monument at Fort Point. Ownership of the Waldo Patent then transferred to his heirs.
What is now Waldo County was part of York County until 1760, when Lincoln County was incorporated; and it was part of Lincoln County until 1789, when it became part of the newly incorporated Hancock County, which held until February 7, 1827, when it was incorporated as Waldo County, named after General Samuel Waldo. When Knox County came into being, the towns of Appleton, Camden, Hope, North Haven, and Vinalhaven were set off.
Currently, Waldo County has twenty-five towns and one city, the latter bring Belfast, the county seat. Strictly speaking, there are no mountains in Waldo County, but there are some hills which have been given the title. The surface of the county is broken and uneven. In Prospect, Stockton, and Frankfort, the Penobscot River and valley can be viewed from several of its high, rounded hills; and Belfast Harbor has long attracted tourists. The interior of the county is dotted with lakes, ponds, forests, and mountains.