In 1668, Chief Captain Sunday (or Wesumbe) of the Newichawannock Abenaki tribe deeded Francis Small the Ossipee Tract, which included Cornish, Parsonsfield, Newfield, Limerick, Limington and Shapleigh.

Small, a trader from Kittery, then sold a half interest to Major Nicholas Shapleigh of Eliot.

[4] First called Hubbardstown, it was settled in 1772 when Simeon Emery erected a sawmill at the foot of Mousam Pond.

[5] On March 5, 1785, the town was incorporated as Shapleigh, named for its early proprietor.

[7] There were sawmills in Emery Mills, Shapleigh Corner and North Shapleigh, which also had a woolen textile factory (known as Hargraves Woolen Mill) and leather board factory.

[11] In 2009, Shapleigh residents (along with those of Newfield) successfully opposed the industrial-scale drawing of water from its aquifer by Nestlé, operating under the Poland Spring brand.

[14] Due to its local popularity as a hiking destination, high traffic from all terrain vehicles (ATV) and the resulting erosion from overuse, the actual elevation of Abbott Mountain's ground-down summit is estimated to be closer to 1,060 feet in elevation.

It borders Acton to the west, Waterboro to the east, Alfred to the southeast, Newfield to the north, and Sanford to the south.

19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Students in grades 6–8 from Shapleigh attend Massabesic Middle School, and students in grades 9–12 attend Massabesic High School, both of which are in Waterboro.