Turner Cattle Pound is a historic
animal pound
An animal pound is a place where stray livestock were impounded. Animals were kept in a dedicated enclosure, until claimed by their owners, or sold to cover the costs of impounding.
Etymology
The terms "pinfold" and "pound" are Saxon in origi ...
at the corner of Gen. Turner Hill Road and Kennebec Trail in
Turner, Maine
Turner is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,817 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Turner, Turner Center and North Turner. The town is part of the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan ...
. Built in 1816, it is a well-preserved example of a once-common feature of New England's agricultural communities. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2009.
Description and history
The Turner Cattle Pound is located near the geographic center of the rural community of Turner, at the southwest corner of General Turner Hill Road and Kennebec Trail. It is a roughly square stone structure, its sides measuring between and in length. Its walls are fashioned out of fieldstone, laid dry in irregular courses. Portions of the walls have collapsed over time, but were originally between in height. The structure's only entrance is at the center of the east side, formed out of two upright granite posts and a granite lintel about long, which is fastened to the posts by metal pins. One of posts retains the metal
pintle
A pintle is a pin or bolt, usually inserted into a gudgeon, which is used as part of a pivot or hinge. Other applications include pintle and lunette ring for towing, and pintle pins securing casters in furniture.
Use
Pintle/gudgeon sets have ...
s from which a gate would have been hung, and the other has an eyebolt where the gate would have been latched.
The town of Turner was settled in 1772 and incorporated in 1786. Its first
poundkeeper
A poundmaster, or poundkeeper, was a local government official responsible for the feeding and care of stray livestock such as domestic pigs, cattle, horses, sheep, and geese. This was common in Colonial history of the United States, colonial Amer ...
was elected two years later, but it is not known where stray animals were confined. The first documentation for a municipally funded pound is dated 1795, when a structure of unknown form was authorized to be built in Turner Center. The present structure was funded by the town in 1816 and built by Moses Merrill on land belonging to Cushing Phillips. The site was chosen for its geographically central location, and because it was at the junction of two roads providing access to much of the community. The town's last pound keeper was elected in 1918.
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See also
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References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Agricultural buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Buildings and structures completed in 1816
Buildings and structures in Androscoggin County, Maine
Turner, Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Androscoggin County, Maine