Blue Hill, Maine
Encyclopedia
Blue Hill is a town
in Hancock County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 2,390 at the 2000 census. It is home to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, George Stevens Academy, the now-closed Liberty School, New Surry Theatre, Kneisel Hall
, Bagaduce Music Lending Library
, the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club and the Blue Hill Country Club. A community on Blue Hill Bay, the town is the site of the annual Blue Hill Fair.
to David Marsh and 351 others for their service in the French and Indian War
. Called Plantation Number 5, it was first settled in 1762 by Captain Joseph Wood and John Roundy from Andover, Massachusetts
, who built homes on Mill Island at the tidal falls. It would then be called Newport Plantation. On January 30, 1789, the town was incorporated as Blue Hill, named after its commanding summit overlooking the region.
The outlets of various ponds provided water power for several sawmill
s and gristmill
s. By 1859, 5,000 cords of firewood
were sent from the port annually. Other products included lumber
, masts
and roof shingle
s. But the predominant industry was shipbuilding
. Beginning in 1792, 133 vessels were constructed at Blue Hill, some of them brig
s and ship
s, but most schooner
s. The town was also noted for the quality of its granite
, some of which was used to build the Brooklyn Bridge
, New York Stock Exchange
building, and the U.S. Custom House
at Norfolk, Virginia
. In 1876, local quarries
employed 300 workers. Today, Blue Hill is a small, tight-knit community with much antique architecture.
, the town has a total area of 86.7 square miles (224.5 km²), of which, 62.5 square miles (162.0 km²) of it is land and 24.1 square miles (62.5 km²) of it (27.84%) is water. Located on Blue Hill Bay, the town is drained by Mill Brook. Blue Hill, elevation 940 feet (287 meters), is the town's highest point. Long Island, situated in Blue Hill Bay, is part of the town.
Blue Hill is crossed by state routes 15
, 172, 176 and 177. It borders the towns of Surry
to the northeast, Brooklin
to the southeast, Sedgwick
to the southwest, and Penobscot
to the northwest. The town is the site of Blue Hill Airport.
of 2000, there were 2,390 people, 1,074 households, and 681 families residing in the town. The population density
was 38.2 people per square mile (14.8/km²). There were 1,486 housing units at an average density of 23.8 per square mile (9.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.38% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.08% from other races
, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.13% of the population.
There were 1,074 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples
living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,484, and the median income for a family was $41,688. Males had a median income of $28,200 versus $23,616 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $19,189. About 9.3% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Hancock County
Hancock County, Maine
Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 54,418. Its county seat is Ellsworth. It was incorporated on June 25, 1789...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,390 at the 2000 census. It is home to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, George Stevens Academy, the now-closed Liberty School, New Surry Theatre, Kneisel Hall
Kneisel Hall
Kneisel Hall is an annual chamber music festival and school located in Blue Hill, Maine. The season runs for seven weeks each summer from mid-June until early August. A small faculty works with approximately fifty pre-professional musicians, concentrating almost exclusively on chamber music for...
, Bagaduce Music Lending Library
Bagaduce Music Lending Library
-History:Established in 1983 in a garage, the library outgrew its original home on Penobscot Bay near the Bagaduce River. It is now a resource for lending sheet music that is used by musicians in all 50 U.S. states and 23 foreign countries...
, the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club and the Blue Hill Country Club. A community on Blue Hill Bay, the town is the site of the annual Blue Hill Fair.
History
It was one of six townships granted by the Massachusetts General CourtMassachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
to David Marsh and 351 others for their service in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Called Plantation Number 5, it was first settled in 1762 by Captain Joseph Wood and John Roundy from Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, who built homes on Mill Island at the tidal falls. It would then be called Newport Plantation. On January 30, 1789, the town was incorporated as Blue Hill, named after its commanding summit overlooking the region.
The outlets of various ponds provided water power for several sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s and gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s. By 1859, 5,000 cords of firewood
Firewood
Firewood is any wood-like material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form....
were sent from the port annually. Other products included lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, masts
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
and roof shingle
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
s. But the predominant industry was shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
. Beginning in 1792, 133 vessels were constructed at Blue Hill, some of them brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
s and ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s, but most schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s. The town was also noted for the quality of its granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, some of which was used to build the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
, New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
building, and the U.S. Custom House
Owen B. Pickett United States Custom House
The Owen B. Pickett U.S. Custom House is a historic custom house building located at Norfolk, Virginia-Building history:Located near the waterfront in downtown Norfolk, the Owen B. Pickett U.S. Custom House is a testimony to the importance of commerce and trade in the city...
at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. In 1876, local quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
employed 300 workers. Today, Blue Hill is a small, tight-knit community with much antique architecture.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 86.7 square miles (224.5 km²), of which, 62.5 square miles (162.0 km²) of it is land and 24.1 square miles (62.5 km²) of it (27.84%) is water. Located on Blue Hill Bay, the town is drained by Mill Brook. Blue Hill, elevation 940 feet (287 meters), is the town's highest point. Long Island, situated in Blue Hill Bay, is part of the town.
Blue Hill is crossed by state routes 15
Maine State Route 15
State Route 15 is a numbered state highway in Maine, United States. Route 15 runs over from Stonington in the south to Jackman in the north.-Route description:...
, 172, 176 and 177. It borders the towns of Surry
Surry, Maine
Surry is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,361 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
to the northeast, Brooklin
Brooklin, Maine
Brooklin is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 841 at the 2000 census. It is home to WoodenBoat Magazine Brooklin Boat Yard, and numerous boatbuilders, artists, writers, musicians and potters.-History:...
to the southeast, Sedgwick
Sedgwick, Maine
Sedgwick is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,102 at the 2000 census. The town includes the village of Sargentville....
to the southwest, and Penobscot
Penobscot, Maine
Penobscot is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The Bagaduce River runs through the town. The population was 1,344 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
to the northwest. The town is the site of Blue Hill Airport.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,390 people, 1,074 households, and 681 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 38.2 people per square mile (14.8/km²). There were 1,486 housing units at an average density of 23.8 per square mile (9.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.38% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.08% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.13% of the population.
There were 1,074 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,484, and the median income for a family was $41,688. Males had a median income of $28,200 versus $23,616 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $19,189. About 9.3% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
- Blue Hill Historical Society
- Jonathan Fisher House & Memorial
- Kneisel Hall
- New Surry Theatre
- Blue Hill Library
- Blue Hill Co-op
- George Stevens Academy
Notable people
- Gerald Warner BraceGerald Warner BraceGerald Warner Brace was an American novelist, writer, educator, sailor and boat builder. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England.-Early life and ancestors:...
, author - Mary Ellen ChaseMary Ellen ChaseMary Ellen Chase was an American educator, teacher, scholar, and author. She is regarded as one of the most important regional literary figures of the early twentieth century....
, author - George Albert CloughGeorge Albert CloughGeorge Asa Clough was an architect in Boston, Massachusetts in the later 19th-century. He designed the Suffolk County Courthouse in Pemberton Square, and numerous other buildings in the city and around New England. Born in Blue Hill, Maine, Clough trained as an architect at the firm of Snell &...
, architect - A. J. CroninA. J. CroninArchibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known works are Hatter's Castle, The Stars Look Down, The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years, all of which were adapted to film. He also created the Dr...
, author - Jonathan FisherJonathan FisherParson Jonathan Fisher was the first Congregational minister from 1794 to 1837 in the small village of Blue Hill, Maine in the United States. Although his primary duties as a country parson engaged much of his time, Fisher was also a farmer, scientist, mathematician, surveyor, and writer of prose...
, minister - Seymour PapertSeymour PapertSeymour Papert is an MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and educator. He is one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, as well as an inventor of the Logo programming language....
, mathematician, computer scientist, educator - Horatio ParkerHoratio ParkerHoratio William Parker was an American composer, organist and teacher. He was a central figure in musical life in New Haven, Connecticut in the late 19th century, and is best remembered as the teacher of Charles Ives....
, composer - Brian D. RogersBrian D. RogersBrian Douglas Rogers is the chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.-Life:He graduated from Harvard University’s John F...
, chancellor of the University of Alaska FairbanksUniversity of Alaska FairbanksThe University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF.... - Noel Paul StookeyNoel StookeyNoel Paul Stookey is a singer-songwriter best known as "Paul" in the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. He took the stage name "Paul" as part of the trio Peter, Paul and Mary, but he has been known as Noel otherwise, throughout his life...
, musician - Janwillem van der Wetering, author