Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce

• Town Manager -- Jon Frederick
• P.O. Box 500 Mapleton, ME 04757
• Phone -- 207-764-3755

Organized 1874, incorporated March 11, 1915
Town Office location: 103 Pulcifur Road, P.O. Box 500, Mapleton, Maine 04757
Phone # 207 764-3755

Chapman is located in the center of eastern Aroostook County. Chapman was originally called Township 11, Range 3. The town of Chapman was named after a surveyor named Cyrus Chapman; when surveying the town, he marked the four corner posts with his full name. After this, the town was called "Chapman" and remains to this day.

In the 1860's and early part of the 1870's, the first settlers came with names: Grendell, Swanback, Gardiner, Pendexter, Foss, Judkins, Fillmore, and York. This area was very dense with woods; therefore wildlife was plentiful. At the end of what is now West Chapman Road, an area was cleared by German-born John Swanback and an army officer. This area is still often referred to as Swanback.

In 1874, Chapman Plantation was organized, and in 1880, the population was 166. In 1890, the population increased to 231, and the town became organized. Three schoolhouses were built with a budget of $1,000 in 1895. They were named the Mark Grendell, Hillside and Pendexter Schools; other schools that were built were the Powers, Washington, Tweedie and the Grendell. Like many of the areas, men worked in the woods during the wintertime to supplement their income. Transportation of the logs by teams of horses was hard work; these logs were then sent downstream to the mills.

Migration to Chapman during the early 1900's was steady. Levi Gardiner and some local men help build the beds for a railroad. The tracks from Chapman Siding to Squapan were laid with the help of some Italian workers. Orick Pettingale, from Washington County, came to become the foreman. He and his family eventually moved to Chapman and remained there for a number of years. The railroad proved to be an asset to the area; it also increased access to Squapan for logging. In 1912, forty-one residents voted in the Presidential Election. Chapman was incorporated as a Town on December 23, 1915. In 1917, Chapman had one automobile, and the mill rate was only .055 in the year 1920.

The depression and World War II had a definite effect on the population. In 1950, the population was 381. In 1946-1947, the schoolhouses were to be closed as voted by the town, and they joined the school district. School enrollment in the elementary grades was 49, and it was 38 in the secondary grades.

Chapman's growth was slow; in 1960, Beaulieu's Mill was built, and it remains to this day. The residential construction was slow, but the mobile home became very popular. The Chapman area is not only close to the job market, but it is an affordable area to live. In 1974, The town management changed to a shared position with Castle Hill and Mapleton. The first town manager for Chapman was Ed Gagnon. Like Castle Hill, ordinances were made to protect the town. Some of the ordinances passed include the Site Review, Building, Mobile Home Park, Shoreland Zoning, and the Floodplain to protect the area.

The town of Chapman, with its rural setting, offers a vast area with a healthy lifestyle.