The surface of Parsonsfield is quite broken, or more properly, rises into high swells. Ricker's Mountain, in the southwest, is the highest, it being not far from 1,600 feet (488 m) above the level of the sea. Cedar Mountain, in the center, comes up within one hundred feet of Ricker's, while Randall's Mountain in the east, may fall 100 feet (30 m) below Cedar. The Seminary varies but little from 1,200 feet (366 m) above sea level, while the average altitude of the town is estimated at 1,000 feet (300 m). After Parsonsfield Seminary burned in 1854, Bates College was founded as a replacement.