Maine State Route 166
State highway in Hancock County, Maine, US
State Route 166 (SR 166) is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, located in the southern coastal part of the state adjacent to the mouth of the Penobscot River. It runs just under fifteen miles (24 km) between the town of Castine and Orland at U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and SR 3/SR 15.
Route description
The southern terminus of SR 166 is located at the intersection of Battle Avenue and Main Street in Castine, near the Maine Maritime Academy main campus. Battle Avenue carries the initial stretch before turning northward as Castine Road as the route exits the downtown area. SR 166A splits off just to the northeast towards the Bagaduce River to the east. SR 166 turns to the northwest at this point to run closer to the Penobscot River along The Shore Road. This portion of the road heads north through the settlement of West Castine passing some small houses along the way. Continuing north, intersecting the northern end of the SR 166A half-loop at Morse Cove. Now in the town of Penobscot and following Castine Road again, SR 166 parallels the river even closer and reaches the terminus of SR 175 at the settlement of West Penobscot.
North of SR 175, the road ends paralleling the Penobscot River but begins following the route of the Orland River at South Orland within the town of Orland.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Maine State Route 166” as state highway in Hancock County, Maine, US. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as state highway in Hancock County, Maine, US. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 16, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q17510635. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Maine State Route 166”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Maine State Route 166 primary sources, Maine State Route 166 archive and Maine research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Maine State Route 166”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Maine State Route 166” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.