Foreclosure Homes in Wells, ME 4 Results

Wells is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Founded in 1643, it is the third-oldest town in Maine. The population in 2010 was 9,589. Wells Beach is a popular summer destination.

History

The Abenaki Indians called the area Webhannet, meaning "at the clear stream", a reference to the Webhannet River.

Edmund Littlefield, an immigrant from the wool regions of Titchfield, England, built the first gristmill and later a woolen mill on the Webhannet River, becoming known as "The Father of Wells," where a monument commemorates his contribution. In 1622, the Plymouth Company in England awarded to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Lord Proprietor of Maine, territory which included the Plantation of Wells. His young cousin, Thomas Gorges, acting as deputy and agent, in 1641 granted to Rev. John Wheelwright and other settlers from Exeter, New Hampshire the right to populate the land from northeast of the Ogunquit River to southwest of the Kennebunk River. Following the death of the elder Gorges in 1647, the Massachusetts Bay Colony laid claim to Maine.