Thomas Rogers and the 1657 grant
OOB's recorded English history starts with Thomas Rogers, who received a 1657 grant from the Plough Patent for the land that became the southern half of present-day OOB. The grant lays out the original beach lot pattern still readable in the town map today.
The grant
1657 deed from the Plough Patent grantees to Thomas Rogers, conveying roughly 250 acres along the Saco Bay shore. The metes and bounds reference the Saco River, the 'great pond' (now Smithwheel Pond), and the 'shore of Garrison Cove', the geographic anchors used in subsequent OOB deeds for two centuries.
Settlement
Rogers established a homestead and small farming operation. The area was abandoned during King Philip's War (1675 to 1678) and the subsequent French and Indian wars; permanent resettlement waited until the 1720s.
Why it matters today
Title chains for many OOB beach lots still trace back to subdivisions of the Rogers grant. The 1657 reference is common in older title commitments, a signal to read the historic plats carefully.
Compiled from Town of Old Orchard Beach, RSU 23, FEMA, Maine Revenue Service, US Census, and MLS. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed; verify before any transaction.