Great Works River

River in United States of America

The Great Works River is a 30.6-mile-long (49.2 km)^[1] river in southwestern Maine in the United States. It rises in central York County and flows generally south past North Berwick and joins the tidal part of the Salmon Falls River at South Berwick.

The native Newichawannock band of Abenaki called it the Asbenbedick. In July 1634, William Chadbourne, James Wall and John Goddard arrived from England aboard the ship Pied Cow with a commission to build a sawmill and gristmill at the river's Assabumbadoc Falls.^[2] The sawmill they built, thought to be the first over-shot water-powered site in America, was located in the "Rocky Gorge" below today's Brattle Street bridge.^[3]^[4] Their sawmill was rebuilt with up to 20 saws on what was then the "Little River" in 1651 by Richard Leader, an engineer granted exclusive right to the water power. It was thereafter called the "Great mill workes," from which the Great Works River derives its present name.

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed June 30, 2011
^ Palmer, Ansell W., ed. Piscataqua Pioneers: Selected Biographies of Early Settlers in Northern New England, pp. 67, 116-7, Piscataqua Pioneers, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 2000. ISBN 0-9676579-0-3.
^ "William Chadbourne (b. 1582), Pioneer Millwright of 1634: Great Works," Old Berwick Historical Society Web site (http://oldberwick.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=234&Itemid=252), retrieved 7-15.
^ Bacon, Elaine C. The Chadbourne Family in America: A Genealogy, 1994.

History of the Great Works Mills -- Old Berwick Historical Society
History of North Berwick, Maine (1886)
History of South Berwick, Maine (1886)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Works River.

Great Works River Watershed Coalition

43°13′05″N 70°48′43″W / 43.21792°N 70.81206°W / 43.21792; -70.81206

Rivers of Maine by drainage system

Bay of Fundy

Passamaquoddy Bay	Little River (Big Lake) Little River (Passamaquoddy Bay) Pennamaquan River St. Croix River
Saint John River Watershed	Allagash River Aroostook River Baker Branch Saint John River Blackwater River Big Black River Birch River Brown River Campbell Branch Little Black River Chimenticook River Daaquam River Depot River East Branch Pocwock Stream Fish River Gobeil River Little Black River Little Machias River Little Madawaska River Little River Little Saint Roch River Little Southwest Branch Saint John River Machias River Meduxnekeag River Musquacook Stream North Branch Birch River North Branch Blackwater River North Branch Meduxnekeag River Northwest Branch Saint John River Otter River Pocwock River Red River River De Chute Saint Francis River Saint John River Shields Branch South Branch Birch River South Branch Blackwater River South Branch Machias River South Branch Meduxnekeag River Southwest Branch Saint John River St. Croix Stream West Branch Little Black River West Branch Pocwock Stream Wolastoq

Passamaquoddy Bay

Little River (Big Lake)
Little River (Passamaquoddy Bay)
Pennamaquan River
St. Croix River

Saint John River Watershed

Allagash River
Aroostook River
Baker Branch Saint John River
Blackwater River
Big Black River
Birch River
Brown River
Campbell Branch Little Black River
Chimenticook River
Daaquam River
Depot River
East Branch Pocwock Stream
Fish River
Gobeil River
Little Black River
Little Machias River
Little Madawaska River
Little River
Little Saint Roch River
Little Southwest Branch Saint John River
Machias River
Meduxnekeag River
Musquacook Stream
North Branch Birch River
North Branch Blackwater River
North Branch Meduxnekeag River
Northwest Branch Saint John River
Otter River
Pocwock River
Red River
River De Chute
Saint Francis River
Saint John River
Shields Branch
South Branch Birch River
South Branch Blackwater River
South Branch Machias River
South Branch Meduxnekeag River
Southwest Branch Saint John River
St. Croix Stream
West Branch Little Black River
West Branch Pocwock Stream
Wolastoq

Casco Bay

Fore River Watershed	Fore River Long Creek Stroudwater River South Branch Stroudwater River
Presumpscot River Watershed	Bear River Chute River Crooked River East Branch Piscataqua River Little River Muddy River North Branch Little River Northwest River Piscataqua River Pleasant River Presumpscot River Songo River Sticky River Tenny River
Others	Cousins River Harraseeket River Little River New Meadows River Royal River

Gulf of Maine

Blue Hill Bay (Union River Watershed)	Bog River East Branch Union River Little Bog River Middle Branch Union River Union River West Branch Union River
Chandler Bay	Sandy River
Dennys Bay	Dennys River Hardscrabble River Orange River
Englishman Bay	Chandler River East Branch Chandler River Englishman River
Frenchman Bay	Jordan Stream Skillings River
Harrington Bay	Harrington River Mill River
Little River Watershed	Little River (Drakes Island) Merriland River
Machias Bay (Machias River Watershed)	Crooked River East Machias River Machias River Maine River Middle River West Branch Machias River
Mousam River Watershed	Littlefield River Middle Branch Mousam River Mousam River
Narraguagus Bay (Narraguagus River Watershed)	Little Narraguagus River Narraguagus River Spring River West Branch Narraguagus River (Cherryfield) West Branch Narraguagus River (Hancock County)
Pleasant Bay (Pleasant River Watershed)	Little River Pleasant River West Branch Pleasant River Western Little River
Piscataqua River Watershed	Great Works River Little River Neoutaquet River Piscataqua River Salmon Falls River
Sheepscot River Watershed	Back River Cross River Dyer River Marsh River Sasanoa River Sheepscot River West Branch Sheepscot River
Wohoa Bay	Indian River Southwest Branch Indian River West River
Others	Batson River Benjamin River Cape Neddick River Damariscotta River Johns River Jordan River Josias River Kennebunk River Little River (Boothbay) Little River (Georgetown) Little River (Goosefare Bay) Little River (York) Morse River Ogunquit River Pemaquid River Sprague River Webhannet River York River

Merrymeeting Bay

Androscoggin River Watershed	Alder River Androscoggin River Bear River Cathance River Concord River Cupsuptic River Dead Cambridge River Dead River (Androscoggin) Dead River (Sabattus) East Branch Cupsuptic River East Branch Nezinscot River East Branch Pleasant River East Branch Swift River Ellis River First East Branch Magalloway River Kennebago River Little Androscoggin River Little East Branch Cupsuptic River Little Magalloway River Little River Magalloway River Middle Branch Little Magalloway River Muddy River Nezinscot River Pleasant River Rangeley River Rapid River Sabattus River Sanborn River Second East Branch Magalloway River South Branch Sunday River Sunday River Swift Cambridge River Swift River Third East Branch Magalloway River Webb River West Branch Ellis River West Branch Little Magalloway River West Branch Magalloway River West Branch Nezinscot River West Branch Pleasant River West Branch Swift River Wild River
Kennebec River Watershed	Abagadasset River Back River Carrabassett River Dead River East Branch Eastern River East Branch Moose River East Branch Sebasticook River Eastern River Kennebec River Lemon Stream Little River Moose River Moxie Falls North Branch Dead River Roach River Sandy River Sebasticook River South Branch Dead River South Branch Moose River South Branch Sandy River Temple Stream West Branch Carrabassett River West Branch Eastern River West Branch Moose River

Androscoggin River Watershed

Kennebec River Watershed

Abagadasset River
Back River
Carrabassett River
Dead River
East Branch Eastern River
East Branch Moose River
East Branch Sebasticook River
Eastern River
Kennebec River
Lemon Stream
Little River
Moose River
Moxie Falls
North Branch Dead River
Roach River
Sandy River
Sebasticook River
South Branch Dead River
South Branch Moose River
South Branch Sandy River
Temple Stream
West Branch Carrabassett River
West Branch Eastern River
West Branch Moose River

Muscongus Bay

Saint George River Watershed	Back River Dead River East Branch Oyster River Mill River Oyster River Saint George River West Branch Oyster River
Others	Back River (Medomak) Back River (Meduncook) Goose River Medomak River Meduncook River

Penobscot Bay

Penobscot River Watershed	Dead River East Branch Mattawamkeag River East Branch Penobscot River East Branch Piscataquis River East Branch Pleasant River Kenduskeag Stream Little Seboeis River Mattawamkeag River Middle Branch Pleasant River Molunkus Stream North Branch Marsh River North Branch Penobscot River Narramissic River Orland River Passadumkeag River Penobscot River Pleasant River Piscataquis River Sebec River Seboeis River South Branch Marsh River South Branch Penobscot River Stillwater River West Branch Mattawamkeag River West Branch Penobscot River West Branch Piscataquis River West Branch Pleasant River
Others	Bagaduce River Ducktrap River Goose River (Belfast Bay) Goose River (Rockport Harbor) Little River Megunticook River Passagassawakeag River Weskeag River

Penobscot River Watershed

Others

Bagaduce River
Ducktrap River
Goose River (Belfast Bay)
Goose River (Rockport Harbor)
Little River
Megunticook River
Passagassawakeag River
Weskeag River

Saco Bay

Saco River Watershed	Charles River Cold River Hancock Brook Kezar River Little Cold River Little Ossipee River Little River Little Saco River Mad River Middle Branch Mad River Old Course Saco River Ossipee River Saco River Shepards River South Branch Mad River South River Tenmile River West Branch Tenmile River
Others	Dunstan River Libby River Nonesuch River Scarborough River Spurwink River