Kezar Falls, Maine: A Historic Mill Village on the Ossipee River

Tucked into the wooded foothills of western Maine, Kezar Falls is the kind of small village travelers stumble upon and remember. It grew up around a set of falls on the Ossipee River, straddles two towns and two counties, and is watched over by one of the state’s classic wooden covered bridges. With a proud mill-village history and a quiet, rural setting near the New Hampshire line, Kezar Falls rewards those who take the road less traveled. Here is a closer look.

A Village Between Two Towns

Kezar Falls is a small village — not a city — and one with an unusual footprint: it straddles the town of Porter, in Oxford County, and the town of Parsonsfield, in York County, with the Ossipee River forming the line between them. Home to about 736 residents (2020 census), it sits in the rolling hill country of southwestern Maine, roughly 40 miles northwest of Portland and close to the New Hampshire border. The result is a tight-knit community that quite literally bridges two towns.

How Kezar Falls Got Its Name

The name reaches back to the 18th century and a settler named George Kezar, who is said to have built a rock-to-rock footbridge across the Ossipee River here. The falls took his name, and so did the village that grew up around them. (It is worth clearing up a common mix-up: the water tumbling through town is the Ossipee River, not a “Kezar River,” and this village is a different place from the well-known Kezar Lake up in Lovell.) From that early crossing grew a busy little settlement built on the power of falling water.

A Mill Village on the Ossipee

Like so many New England villages, Kezar Falls was made by its river. In the 19th century the falls powered a cluster of water-driven mills and factories, and the village became a bustling hub of industry and commerce, its Main Street lined with shops and handsome commercial blocks — among them the historic Stanley Block. That working-village heritage still shapes the compact, walkable center today, where 19th-century buildings recall the days when the mills ran on the Ossipee.

The Porter–Parsonsfield Covered Bridge

The village’s signature landmark is the Porter–Parsonsfield Bridge, a graceful wooden covered bridge spanning the Ossipee River just downstream. The present bridge dates to 1876 (and was carefully restored in 1999), the successor to earlier crossings at the site; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Because it links two towns, it was built and maintained jointly by Porter and Parsonsfield — a shared responsibility that, according to local lore, once led a Parsonsfield selectman to settle a cost dispute by throwing a jackknife into the ground at the bridge’s midpoint. Now preserved as a historic footbridge, it is one of the last covered bridges in Maine and a favorite stop for photographers.

Two Towns, Two Histories

The two towns that meet at Kezar Falls each have their own story. Parsonsfield was incorporated in 1785 and named for Thomas Parsons, the principal proprietor who, with his associates, had bought the township years earlier. Porter, first settled around 1781 and once called “Porterfield,” was incorporated in 1807 and named for Dr. Aaron Porter of Biddeford. Both remain rural, historic farming communities, and the Parsonsfield–Porter Historical Society works to keep their shared heritage alive.

The Outdoors in Every Season

Kezar Falls is surrounded by the natural beauty of the western Maine foothills. The Ossipee and nearby Saco rivers offer paddling and fishing, while the hills and forests invite hiking, hunting, and quiet exploring. The village is a handy gateway: drive west and you reach the White Mountain National Forest and the mountains of New Hampshire; head east and you come to the Sebago Lake region. Autumn brings brilliant foliage to the hills, and winter turns the whole valley — covered bridge and all — into a snowy New England postcard.

Exploring the Area

Kezar Falls makes a peaceful base for the Saco River valley and Maine’s western lakes and mountains. The nearby village of Cornish is known for its antique shops and pretty Main Street, and to the east lies Steep Falls, another river village in the Saco valley. For the high country, the resort town of Bethel opens onto the White Mountains. Travelers crossing central Maine will also pass through the historic Kennebec Valley; our own town of Winslow, with its colonial-era Fort Halifax, shares Kezar Falls’ story of a Maine community shaped by its river.

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