Brownville, Maine
Encyclopedia
Brownville is a town
in Piscataquis County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 1,259 at the 2000 census. Brownville includes the villages of Knight's Landing and Brownville Junction, near which passes the 100-Mile Wilderness
of the Appalachian Trail
.
purchased by Moses Brown and Major Josiah Hill of Newburyport
, Massachusetts
, who initiated its settlement. In 1806, they built a dam
and watermill
s on the Pleasant River
. First known as township T5 R8 NWP, the community was organized in 1819 as Brownville Plantation. It was named for Francis Brown (nephew of Moses Brown), who was a mill owner and trader from Newbury
, Massachusetts
. In 1824, the town was incorporated as Brownville.
Early settlers were given 50 acres (202,343 m²) to clear and cultivate. Farms produced hay
, oats
, potatoes, wheat
and garden vegetables. Water power from the Pleasant River attracted industry, including sawmill
s, clapboard
mills, gristmill
s, a shovel handle factory and a carriage
factory. Quarries
were established to extract the region's abundant slate
, the quality of which won first prize at the 1876 Centennial Exposition
. In 1843, the Bangor & Piscataquis Slate Company opened with 60 employees. It sent out 8,000-12,000 squares of roofing slate annually. The Merrill Quarry opened in 1846 with about 80 employees, producing 30,000 squares of roofing slate annually. The Highland Quarry opened with Welsh
employees, recruited because they were accustomed to working in slate. The last quarry closed in 1917.
Iron ore was discovered at the foot of Ore Mountain. The Katahdin Iron Works
was established in 1843, when roads were cut out and a blast furnace
erected. A hotel and several houses were built for workers. Charcoal
was made in 14 kiln
s, consuming 10,000 cords
of wood per year. The company and land were sold in 1845, and the new owners operated it until 1856, the year it produced 2350 tons of iron. But shipping it to Bangor
was expensive. The Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works Railway (B&KIW) was constructed to Brownville in 1881, then connected north to the Katahdin Iron Works in 1883.
In 1889 the International Railway of Maine was constructed by its owner Canadian Pacific Railway
(CPR), extending the CPR's transcontinental mainline east from Montreal, Quebec to Saint John, New Brunswick
. The CPR line passed 3 miles north of Brownville where it crossed the B&KIW at a location that was named Brownville Junction. In 1891 the B&KIW merged into the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
(BAR) after the Katahdin Iron Works closed the previous year. The site is presently a museum and state historic site. The BAR line as well as the CPR line west of Brownville now form part of the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
.
Local historian Bill Sawtell has documented many facets of the history of Brownville as well as the surrounding area.http://www.billsawtell.com/ Sawtell has published numerous books, with subjects such as Katahdin Iron Works, the Highland Quarry, the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, and Penquis Valley High School
basketball. Sawtell is also a guest lecturer at Penquis Valley.
, the town has a total area of 44.6 square miles (115.5 km²), of which, 44.4 square miles (115 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.56%) is water. Situated between Sebec and Schoodic lakes, Brownville is drained by the Pleasant River
.
of 2000, there were 1,259 people, 555 households, and 360 families residing in the town. The population density
was 28.4 people per square mile (11.0/km²). There were 726 housing units at an average density of 16.4 per square mile (6.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.09% White, 1.03% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.24% from other races
, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 555 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,167, and the median income for a family was $35,446. Males had a median income of $31,141 versus $18,382 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,774. About 12.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 12.3% 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 Piscataquis County
Piscataquis County, Maine
Piscataquis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 17,535, making it Maine's least-populous county. Its county seat is Dover-Foxcroft....
, 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 1,259 at the 2000 census. Brownville includes the villages of Knight's Landing and Brownville Junction, near which passes the 100-Mile Wilderness
100-Mile Wilderness
The Hundred-Mile Wilderness is the section of the Appalachian Trail running between Abol Bridge just south of Baxter State Park and Monson, Maine, USA. It is generally considered the wildest section of the Appalachian Trail. This section of the A.T. is crossed by several logging roads and is...
of the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
.
History
The area was a part of the Waldo PatentWaldo Patent
The Waldo Patent, a letters patent also known as the Muscongus Patent or the Lincolnshire Patent, was an area of land 36 miles square in what is now the U.S...
purchased by Moses Brown and Major Josiah Hill of Newburyport
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, who initiated its settlement. In 1806, they built a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
and watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s on the Pleasant River
Pleasant River (Piscataquis River)
The Pleasant River is a tributary of the Piscataquis River in Piscataquis County, Maine. From the confluence of the East Branch and West Branch in Brownville, the river runs south and southeast to its mouth on the Piscataquis in Medford.-References:**...
. First known as township T5 R8 NWP, the community was organized in 1819 as Brownville Plantation. It was named for Francis Brown (nephew of Moses Brown), who was a mill owner and trader from Newbury
Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2010 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town , Plum Island and Byfield, home of The Governor's Academy , a private preparatory school.- History :Newbury Plantation was settled and incorporated...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. In 1824, the town was incorporated as Brownville.
Early settlers were given 50 acres (202,343 m²) to clear and cultivate. Farms produced hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
, oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
, potatoes, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and garden vegetables. Water power from the Pleasant River attracted industry, including 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, clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
mills, 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, a shovel handle factory and a carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
factory. 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...
were established to extract the region's abundant slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, the quality of which won first prize at the 1876 Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
. In 1843, the Bangor & Piscataquis Slate Company opened with 60 employees. It sent out 8,000-12,000 squares of roofing slate annually. The Merrill Quarry opened in 1846 with about 80 employees, producing 30,000 squares of roofing slate annually. The Highland Quarry opened with Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
employees, recruited because they were accustomed to working in slate. The last quarry closed in 1917.
Iron ore was discovered at the foot of Ore Mountain. The Katahdin Iron Works
Katahdin Iron Works
Katahdin Iron Works is a Maine state historic site located in the unorganized township of the same name. The state's property contains Gulf Hagas, a canyon on the West Branch of the Pleasant River that is a National Natural Landmark...
was established in 1843, when roads were cut out and a blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
erected. A hotel and several houses were built for workers. Charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
was made in 14 kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s, consuming 10,000 cords
Cord (unit of volume)
The cord is a unit of measure of dry volume used in Canada and the United States to measure firewood and pulpwood. A cord is the amount of wood that, when "ranked and well stowed" , occupies a volume of...
of wood per year. The company and land were sold in 1845, and the new owners operated it until 1856, the year it produced 2350 tons of iron. But shipping it to Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
was expensive. The Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works Railway (B&KIW) was constructed to Brownville in 1881, then connected north to the Katahdin Iron Works in 1883.
In 1889 the International Railway of Maine was constructed by its owner Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
(CPR), extending the CPR's transcontinental mainline east from Montreal, Quebec to Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
. The CPR line passed 3 miles north of Brownville where it crossed the B&KIW at a location that was named Brownville Junction. In 1891 the B&KIW merged into the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad is a defunct United States railroad company, that brought rail service to Aroostook County, Maine. Brightly painted BAR box cars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-generation diesel locomotives operated on BAR until they were museum pieces...
(BAR) after the Katahdin Iron Works closed the previous year. The site is presently a museum and state historic site. The BAR line as well as the CPR line west of Brownville now form part of the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway is a Class II freight railroad operating in the U.S. states of Maine and Vermont and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec. Its Canadian subsidiary is the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Canada Company. The entire system is owned by Rail World,...
.
Local historian Bill Sawtell has documented many facets of the history of Brownville as well as the surrounding area.http://www.billsawtell.com/ Sawtell has published numerous books, with subjects such as Katahdin Iron Works, the Highland Quarry, the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, and Penquis Valley High School
Penquis Valley High School
Penquis Valley High School is a four-year coeducational high school located in Milo, Maine. Founded in 1968 , the school serves students from Milo, Atkinson, Brownville, LaGrange, and Medford. Matt Hackett is the Principal, and Clay Savage is the Assistant Principal...
basketball. Sawtell is also a guest lecturer at Penquis Valley.
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 44.6 square miles (115.5 km²), of which, 44.4 square miles (115 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.56%) is water. Situated between Sebec and Schoodic lakes, Brownville is drained by the Pleasant River
Pleasant River (Piscataquis River)
The Pleasant River is a tributary of the Piscataquis River in Piscataquis County, Maine. From the confluence of the East Branch and West Branch in Brownville, the river runs south and southeast to its mouth on the Piscataquis in Medford.-References:**...
.
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 1,259 people, 555 households, and 360 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 28.4 people per square mile (11.0/km²). There were 726 housing units at an average density of 16.4 per square mile (6.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.09% White, 1.03% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.24% 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 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 555 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% 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, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,167, and the median income for a family was $35,446. Males had a median income of $31,141 versus $18,382 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 $14,774. About 12.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.