| Royal River Westcustogo River (former) Pumgustuck River (former) Yarmouth River (former) | |
|---|---|
 TheSparhawk Mill on the Royal River inYarmouth, Maine, a few hundred yards northwest of its mouth atCasco Bay | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Sabbathday Lake |
| • location | New Gloucester, Maine |
| • coordinates | 43°59′18″N70°20′58″W / 43.98833°N 70.34944°W /43.98833; -70.34944 |
| Mouth | Casco Bay |
• location | Yarmouth, Maine |
• coordinates | 43°47′51.4″N70°10′37.9″W / 43.797611°N 70.177194°W /43.797611; -70.177194 |
| Length | 39 mi (63 km) |
TheRoyal River is a smallriver, 39 miles (63 km) long,[1] in southernMaine. The river originates in Sabbathday Lake inNew Gloucester and flows northeasterly intoAuburn and then southerly through New Gloucester (via the Royal River Reservoir),Gray andNorth Yarmouth intoCasco Bay atYarmouth.
The river is bridged byInterstate 95 andU.S. Route 202 before leaving New Gloucester, then by theMaine Central Railroad "Back Road" and theGrand Trunk Railway in Auburn, and then again by the Grand Trunk Railway and byState Route 231 when it returns to New Gloucester. The river is bridged twice more by the Maine Central Back Road in Gray. In North Yarmouth, the river is bridged again by State Route 231 and byState Route 9, and in Yarmouth it is crossed by the Maine Central Railroad "Lower Road", again by the Grand Trunk Railway, byU.S. Route 1 and, at its mouth atYarmouth Marina, byState Route 88 (carried by theEast Main Street Bridge) and, finally,Interstate 295.
TheNative Americans called the river Westcustogo River (meaningmuddy) or Pumgustuck River (falls at mouth of river).[2]
During the 1700s and 1800s, Yarmouth River, as it was then known, was a source of great economic growth for Yarmouth as it provided the power for the many mills. One such mill was erected in 1872 by the Forest Paper Company on the current site of theRoyal River Park.
The river is mentioned in several of Maine-nativeStephen King's novels, includingThe Body, when the boys cross the Royal River, only to be attacked byleeches, as well as'Salem's Lot andRita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The McKin CompanySuperfund site was within the Royal River watershed.[3]
In 2005, the Royal River was named a restoration priority by the Gulf of Maine Council, part of the Marine Environment and theMaine State Planning Office. In 2009, the town brought in an engineering firm to recommend cost-effective avenues of restoring fish access and native species to the Royal River. The following year, Stantec recommended the removal of both dams, as the lowest-cost and longest-term solution. In 2025, Yarmouth's town council unanimously approved the removal of the dams at theSecond andFourth Falls.[4]
The river is named for William Royall (c. 1595–1676),[5] one of the first European settlers in the area, though the official form of its name omits the secondL.
