Camden, Maine
Encyclopedia
Camden is a town
in Knox County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony
in the Mid-Coast region of Maine. Similar to Bar Harbor, Nantucket and North Haven
, Camden is well-known for its summer community of wealthy Northeasterners, mostly from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
called the area Megunticook, meaning "great swells of the sea", a reference to the Camden Hills. Part of the Waldo Patent
, it remained wilderness
until after the French and Indian War
. It was first settled about 1771–1772 by James Richards, who built a home at the mouth of the Megunticook River. Others soon followed, some making modest attempts to farm the broken and often mountainous terrain. The first home in the area was the Conway House
, a Cape Cod style
home built in 1770. In 1962, it was purchased and renovated into a history museum.
When Castine
was held by the British
in 1779, Camden became a rendezvous point and encampment for the Americans
, who were commanded by Major George Ulmer. During a raid, the British burned a sawmill
. On February 17, 1791, the Massachusetts General Court
incorporated Megunticook Plantation as Camden, named for Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden
, a member of the British Parliament
and proponent of civil liberties
. During the War of 1812
, a battery
was built atop Mount Battie near the village. It had both a 12- and 18-pounder
gun, but no gunner qualified to operate them. Nevertheless, the fort's appearance of readiness kept the British at bay.
When peace returned, Camden grew rapidly. The Megunticook River provided excellent water power sites for mills
. In addition to sawmills and gristmill
s, by 1858 the town had carriage
factories, sash and blind
factories and blacksmith
shops. There were six shipyard
s, launching ten to twelve vessels annually. By 1886, the town also made foundry
products, railroad car
s, woolen
s and paper mill feltings, anchor
s, wedges, plugs and treenail
s, planking
, powder kegs, excelsior
, mattress
es, powder, tinware
, oakum
, wool rools, boot
s and shoes
, leather
, flour
and meal, corn broom
s and barrel
s. Camden was second only to nearby Rockland
in the lucrative manufacture of lime
, excavated at quarries
and processed in kiln
s before being shipped to various ports around the United States until 1891, when Rockport
was set off as a separate town. As the 19th century came to an end, Camden was very much a shipbuilding town with the H.M. Bean Yard launching the largest four-masted schooner and the first six-master ever built-the George W. Wells.
In the 1880s, sportsmen and "rusticators," began to discover the natural beauty of Camden during the summer and autumn, becoming seasonal residents. Sarah Orne Jewett’s stories of nostalgia for the sea, Camden’s unique scenery, fine old homes of sea captains, and the paintings of Fitz Hugh Lane, Frederick Church, and Childe Hassam evoked a romantic vision of Maine and induced many to come to stay at the Bayview House Hotel, Ocean House, and Mrs. Hosmer’s Boarding House. In 1880, Edwin Dillingham built the first purpose-built summer cottages in Camden on Dillingham Point. Thereafter, the summer colony at Camden quickly grew to include some of the wealthiest, most prominent families in the country. These new summer residents from Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and even Chicago, built large, rambling Shingle Style "cottages" along High Street, Bay View Street and on Beauchamp Point to rival those in Bar Harbor. The summer people arrived on the Boston Boats or on the Maine Central Railroad at Rockland. Local residents, who had formerly gone to sea to earn a living, found jobs as caretakers, gardeners, and carpenters to the rich and powerful.
In November 1892, a fire fed by a strong easterly wind-burned the business district to the ground. Immediately, Camden businessmen drew together to make the tremendous investment to build 12 large brick buildings, including the Camden Opera House and, controversially, the Masonic Temple (now the Lord Camden Inn). The Great Fire, as it became known, did not, however, discourage increasing numbers of affluent summer people from making Camden their summer enclave. Indeed, in 1897 a road was built to the top of Mt. Battie, one of the two mountains rising majestically above the town, and an inn was erected at the summit. In 1898, a group of wealthy summer residents from Philadelphia established the Megunticook Golf Club on Beauchamp Point. And in 1901, the famous Whitehall Inn opened on High Street in an old mansion built by a sea captain, catering to a well-to-do clientele. Around the turn of the century families such as Curtis, Bok, Keep, Gribbel, Dillingham and Borland not only built beautiful estates but their generosity to the community resulted in the elegant public library, the classical amphitheatre, which was designed by Fletcher Steele
, the Camden Harbor Park, which was designed by the Olmstead Brothers, the Village Green, and the Camden Opera House. The Philadelphia publishing tycoon, Cyrus Curtis, maintained a summer home and several yachts in Camden. Given the many other magnificent private yachts of the upper class that filled Camden Harbor as well, Curtis decided in 1912 to establish and build the Camden Yacht Club. Yachting continues to thrive in Camden, particularly during the summer months, with the unique HAJ Boat racing fleet at the Yacht Club with the younger sailors in their turnabouts. In 1936 the cruise schooner business was started by Captain Frank Swift and the windjammer fleet continues to this day.
Music and cultural interests have long flourished in Camden. In 1912, Edna St. Vincent Millay read “Renascence,” a poem she wrote from the top of Mt. Battie, to the guests at the Whitehall Inn, one of whom offered to pay her tuition to Vassar. After graduating from Vassar, she went on to write poetry and plays that made her one of the most famous women in America and an inspiration for the Roaring Twenties, winning the Pulitzer Prize. The world famous french harpist, composer and conductor, Carlos Salzedo
, founded the internationally renowned Salzedo Summer Harp Colony in Camden and each summer held a Harp Festival in the amphitheater beside the library. Camden/Rockport also is home to the Bay Chamber Concert Company. Theatre productions at the Opera House and Shakespeare in the Amphitheatre enriched the lives of residents and summer visitors for generations. In the 1950s, artists and writers of significant reputation began moving to Camden and neighboring Rockport, where local artists organized Maine Coast Artists. Wayne Doolittle began publishing Down East Magazine in 1954, and in 1956 Carousel
was filmed in Camden, followed by Peyton Place
in 1957, because the quaint, old town with its extremely picturesque harbor and the beautiful scenery, looked like the picture-perfect American town. Since then Camden's charm and beautiful setting have not gone unnoticed by Hollywood
with In the Bedroom
filmed in Camden in 2001, and with the soap opera
Passions
using Camden for shots depicting the fictional town Harmony
.
Camden's many prominent summer and year-round residents have been a valuable resource to the town in many ways over the past 125 years, a tradition of partnership which continues today in many forms, not least by helping to establish some internationally renowned events, namely The Camden Conference and Pop!Tech. The Camden Conference has been held annually for nearly a quarter of a century to foster informed discourse on world issues. Convened in the historic Camden Opera House, the event draws some of the best minds on foreign policy to share their insights and expertise on a range of global issues. The Pop!Tech conference, which takes place each fall, gathers a global community of cutting-edge leaders, thinkers, and doers from many different disciplines to explore the social impact of new technologies, the forces of change shaping our future, and new approaches to solving the world’s most significant challenges.
During the second weekend of February, the annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships
are held at the town-owned Camden Snow Bowl. This nationally-known race started as a lark for something to do during the long Maine winters, and 18 years later is one of New England
's premier cold-weather events. The iced chute is 400 feet (121.9 m) long, and the four-man teams attain speeds of up to 35 miles (56.3 km) an hour. Most racers arrive in costume, and 100% percent of race revenue is used to offset operating expenses for this recreation area.
Camden is the location of the 2000 HGTV
Dream Home.
, the town has a total area of 25.8 square miles (66.8 km²), of which 18.3 square miles (47.4 km²) is land and 7.5 square miles (19.5 km²) (29.14%) is water. Drained by the Megunticook River, Camden is located beside Penobscot Bay
and the Gulf of Maine
, part of the Atlantic Ocean
. Mount Megunticook has an elevation of 1385 feet (419 m).
The town is crossed by U. S. Route 1
and state routes 52 and 105
. It borders the towns of Rockport
to the south, Hope
to the southwest, and Lincolnville
to the north.
At the 2000 census
, there were 5,254 people, 2,390 households and 1,414 families residing in the town. The population density
was 287.3 per square mile (151/km²). There were 2,883 housing units at an average density of 157.6 per square mile (60.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.33% White, 0.25% Black, 0.13% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.15% from other races
, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.
There were 2,390 households of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples
living together, 8.5% had a divorced female householder, and 40.8% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.71.
InAge distribution was 19.7% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.
The median household income
was $39,877, and the median family income was $56,439. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $26,645 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $26,126. About 5.5% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% 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 Knox County
Knox County, Maine
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 39,736. Its county seat is Rockland. The county is named for American Revolutionary War general and Secretary of War Henry Knox, who lived in the county from 1795 until his death in 1806. The county was...
, 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 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony
Summer colony
The term summer colony is often used, particularly in the United States and Canada, to describe well-known resorts and upper-class enclaves, typically located near the ocean or mountains of New England or the Great Lakes...
in the Mid-Coast region of Maine. Similar to Bar Harbor, Nantucket and North Haven
North Haven
North Haven may refer to:Places in United Kingdom:* North Haven, Shetland, an inlet on the east of Fair IslePlaces in Australia:* North Haven, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide* North Haven, New South Wales, a small town near Port Macquarie...
, Camden is well-known for its summer community of wealthy Northeasterners, mostly from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
History
Penobscot Abenaki IndiansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
called the area Megunticook, meaning "great swells of the sea", a reference to the Camden Hills. Part of the Waldo Patent
Waldo 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...
, it remained wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
until after 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...
. It was first settled about 1771–1772 by James Richards, who built a home at the mouth of the Megunticook River. Others soon followed, some making modest attempts to farm the broken and often mountainous terrain. The first home in the area was the Conway House
Conway House (Camden, Maine)
Conway House is an historic house and museum in Camden, Maine. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.-History:Conway House was built around 1770 by Robert Thorndike, the first White settler in Camden. Thorndike's son Robert Jr. was born in the house in 1773, who was one...
, a Cape Cod style
Cape Cod (house)
A Cape Cod cottage is a style of house originating in New England in the 17th century. It is traditionally characterized by a low, broad frame building, generally a story and a half high, with a steep, pitched roof with end gables, a large central chimney and very little ornamentation...
home built in 1770. In 1962, it was purchased and renovated into a history museum.
When Castine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
was held by the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1779, Camden became a rendezvous point and encampment for the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who were commanded by Major George Ulmer. During a raid, the British burned a 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....
. On February 17, 1791, the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts 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...
incorporated Megunticook Plantation as Camden, named for Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden was an English lawyer, judge and Whig politician who was first to hold the title of Earl of Camden...
, a member of the British Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
and proponent of civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
. During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, a battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
was built atop Mount Battie near the village. It had both a 12- and 18-pounder
Ordnance QF 18 pounder
The Ordnance QF 18 pounder, or simply 18-pounder Gun, was the standard British Army field gun of the World War I era. It formed the backbone of the Royal Field Artillery during the war, and was produced in large numbers. It was also used by British and Commonwealth Forces in all the main theatres,...
gun, but no gunner qualified to operate them. Nevertheless, the fort's appearance of readiness kept the British at bay.
When peace returned, Camden grew rapidly. The Megunticook River provided excellent water power sites for mills
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 :...
. In addition to sawmills 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 1858 the town had 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,...
factories, sash and blind
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
factories and blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shops. There were six shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
s, launching ten to twelve vessels annually. By 1886, the town also made foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
products, railroad car
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
s, woolen
Woolen
Woolen or woollen is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn...
s and paper mill feltings, anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
s, wedges, plugs and treenail
Treenail
A treenail, also trenail or trunnel, is a wooden peg or dowel used to fasten pieces of wood together, especially in timber frame construction and wooden shipbuilding. It is an ancient technology. Covered bridges in the U.S. often use treenails as fasteners. Many such bridges are still in use...
s, planking
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....
, powder kegs, excelsior
Excelsior (wood wool)
Wood wool, known primarily as excelsior in North America, is a product made of wood slivers cut from logs and is mainly used in packaging, for cooling pads in home evaporative cooling systems known as swamp coolers, for erosion control mats, and as a raw material for the production of other...
, mattress
Mattress
A mattress is a manufactured product to sleep or lie on, consisting of resilient materials and covered with an outer fabric or ticking. In the developed world it is typically part of a bed set and is placed upon a foundation....
es, powder, tinware
Tinware
Tinware is any item made of prefabricated tinplate. Usually tinware refers to kitchenware made of tinplate, often crafted by tinsmiths. Many cans used for canned food are tinware as well. Something that is tinned after being shaped and fabricated is not considered tinware.-Properties:Tinware is...
, oakum
Oakum
Oakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships, as well as cast iron plumbing applications...
, wool rools, boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
s and shoes
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
, leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
, flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
and meal, corn broom
Broom
A broom is a cleaning tool consisting of stiff fibers attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a variety of brush with a long handle. It is commonly used in combination with a dustpan....
s and barrel
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
s. Camden was second only to nearby Rockland
Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
in the lucrative manufacture of lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
, excavated at 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...
and processed in 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 before being shipped to various ports around the United States until 1891, when Rockport
Rockport, Maine
Rockport is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,209 at the 2000 census. Rockport is a popular tourist destination and art colony.-History:...
was set off as a separate town. As the 19th century came to an end, Camden was very much a shipbuilding town with the H.M. Bean Yard launching the largest four-masted schooner and the first six-master ever built-the George W. Wells.
In the 1880s, sportsmen and "rusticators," began to discover the natural beauty of Camden during the summer and autumn, becoming seasonal residents. Sarah Orne Jewett’s stories of nostalgia for the sea, Camden’s unique scenery, fine old homes of sea captains, and the paintings of Fitz Hugh Lane, Frederick Church, and Childe Hassam evoked a romantic vision of Maine and induced many to come to stay at the Bayview House Hotel, Ocean House, and Mrs. Hosmer’s Boarding House. In 1880, Edwin Dillingham built the first purpose-built summer cottages in Camden on Dillingham Point. Thereafter, the summer colony at Camden quickly grew to include some of the wealthiest, most prominent families in the country. These new summer residents from Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and even Chicago, built large, rambling Shingle Style "cottages" along High Street, Bay View Street and on Beauchamp Point to rival those in Bar Harbor. The summer people arrived on the Boston Boats or on the Maine Central Railroad at Rockland. Local residents, who had formerly gone to sea to earn a living, found jobs as caretakers, gardeners, and carpenters to the rich and powerful.
In November 1892, a fire fed by a strong easterly wind-burned the business district to the ground. Immediately, Camden businessmen drew together to make the tremendous investment to build 12 large brick buildings, including the Camden Opera House and, controversially, the Masonic Temple (now the Lord Camden Inn). The Great Fire, as it became known, did not, however, discourage increasing numbers of affluent summer people from making Camden their summer enclave. Indeed, in 1897 a road was built to the top of Mt. Battie, one of the two mountains rising majestically above the town, and an inn was erected at the summit. In 1898, a group of wealthy summer residents from Philadelphia established the Megunticook Golf Club on Beauchamp Point. And in 1901, the famous Whitehall Inn opened on High Street in an old mansion built by a sea captain, catering to a well-to-do clientele. Around the turn of the century families such as Curtis, Bok, Keep, Gribbel, Dillingham and Borland not only built beautiful estates but their generosity to the community resulted in the elegant public library, the classical amphitheatre, which was designed by Fletcher Steele
Fletcher Steele
Fletcher Steele was an American landscape architect credited with designing and creating over 700 gardens from 1915 to the time of his death....
, the Camden Harbor Park, which was designed by the Olmstead Brothers, the Village Green, and the Camden Opera House. The Philadelphia publishing tycoon, Cyrus Curtis, maintained a summer home and several yachts in Camden. Given the many other magnificent private yachts of the upper class that filled Camden Harbor as well, Curtis decided in 1912 to establish and build the Camden Yacht Club. Yachting continues to thrive in Camden, particularly during the summer months, with the unique HAJ Boat racing fleet at the Yacht Club with the younger sailors in their turnabouts. In 1936 the cruise schooner business was started by Captain Frank Swift and the windjammer fleet continues to this day.
Music and cultural interests have long flourished in Camden. In 1912, Edna St. Vincent Millay read “Renascence,” a poem she wrote from the top of Mt. Battie, to the guests at the Whitehall Inn, one of whom offered to pay her tuition to Vassar. After graduating from Vassar, she went on to write poetry and plays that made her one of the most famous women in America and an inspiration for the Roaring Twenties, winning the Pulitzer Prize. The world famous french harpist, composer and conductor, Carlos Salzedo
Carlos Salzedo
Carlos Salzedo , was a harpist, composer and conductor, born in Arcachon, France, who was one of the musical elite of his time.-France:...
, founded the internationally renowned Salzedo Summer Harp Colony in Camden and each summer held a Harp Festival in the amphitheater beside the library. Camden/Rockport also is home to the Bay Chamber Concert Company. Theatre productions at the Opera House and Shakespeare in the Amphitheatre enriched the lives of residents and summer visitors for generations. In the 1950s, artists and writers of significant reputation began moving to Camden and neighboring Rockport, where local artists organized Maine Coast Artists. Wayne Doolittle began publishing Down East Magazine in 1954, and in 1956 Carousel
Carousel (film)
Carousel is a 1956 film adaptation of the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name which, in turn, was based on Ferenc Molnár's non-musical play Liliom. The 1956 Carousel film stars Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, and was directed by Henry King...
was filmed in Camden, followed by Peyton Place
Peyton Place (film)
Peyton Place is a 1957 American drama film directed by Mark Robson. The screenplay by John Michael Hayes is based on the bestselling 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious.-Plot:...
in 1957, because the quaint, old town with its extremely picturesque harbor and the beautiful scenery, looked like the picture-perfect American town. Since then Camden's charm and beautiful setting have not gone unnoticed by Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
with In the Bedroom
In the Bedroom
In the Bedroom is a 2001 American crime drama film directed by Todd Field, and dedicated to Andre Dubus, whose short story Killings is the source material on which the screenplay, by Field and Robert Festinger, is based...
filmed in Camden in 2001, and with the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
using Camden for shots depicting the fictional town Harmony
Harmony (passions)
Harmony is a fictional town and the setting for the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions, which ran from 1999 through 2008. A coastal New England town founded in 1646 with a small population, Harmony features a large fishing industry...
.
Camden's many prominent summer and year-round residents have been a valuable resource to the town in many ways over the past 125 years, a tradition of partnership which continues today in many forms, not least by helping to establish some internationally renowned events, namely The Camden Conference and Pop!Tech. The Camden Conference has been held annually for nearly a quarter of a century to foster informed discourse on world issues. Convened in the historic Camden Opera House, the event draws some of the best minds on foreign policy to share their insights and expertise on a range of global issues. The Pop!Tech conference, which takes place each fall, gathers a global community of cutting-edge leaders, thinkers, and doers from many different disciplines to explore the social impact of new technologies, the forces of change shaping our future, and new approaches to solving the world’s most significant challenges.
During the second weekend of February, the annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships
U.S. National Toboggan Championships
The U.S. National Toboggan Championships is the only organized wooden toboggan race in the country and possibly the world. The toboggan chute is located in Camden, Maine at the Camden Snow Bowl, a community-owned year-round recreation area which has developed thousands of dedicated skiers since 1936...
are held at the town-owned Camden Snow Bowl. This nationally-known race started as a lark for something to do during the long Maine winters, and 18 years later is one of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
's premier cold-weather events. The iced chute is 400 feet (121.9 m) long, and the four-man teams attain speeds of up to 35 miles (56.3 km) an hour. Most racers arrive in costume, and 100% percent of race revenue is used to offset operating expenses for this recreation area.
Camden is the location of the 2000 HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
Dream Home.
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 25.8 square miles (66.8 km²), of which 18.3 square miles (47.4 km²) is land and 7.5 square miles (19.5 km²) (29.14%) is water. Drained by the Megunticook River, Camden is located beside Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
and the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
, part of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Mount Megunticook has an elevation of 1385 feet (419 m).
The town is crossed by U. S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maine
In the U.S. state of Maine, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway serving the eastern part of the state. It parallels the Atlantic Ocean from New Hampshire north through Portland, Brunswick, and Belfast to Calais, and then the St. Croix River and the rest of the Canadian border...
and state routes 52 and 105
Maine State Route 105
State Route 105 is a highway in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Maine. SR-105 begins in Augusta at Cony Circle where it junctions with U.S. Route 201 and continues east approximately until it terminates at U.S. 1 in Camden. It is regarded as one of the most scenic drives in Maine....
. It borders the towns of Rockport
Rockport, Maine
Rockport is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,209 at the 2000 census. Rockport is a popular tourist destination and art colony.-History:...
to the south, Hope
Hope, Maine
Hope is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,310 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.-Demographics:...
to the southwest, and Lincolnville
Lincolnville, Maine
Lincolnville is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,042 at the 2000 census. Lincolnville is the mainland terminal for state ferry service to Islesboro.-History:...
to the north.
Demographics
See also: Camden (CDP), MaineCamden (CDP), Maine
Camden is a census-designated place in the town of Camden in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Camden is located at ....
At the 2000 census
Census
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...
, there were 5,254 people, 2,390 households and 1,414 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 287.3 per square mile (151/km²). There were 2,883 housing units at an average density of 157.6 per square mile (60.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.33% White, 0.25% Black, 0.13% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.15% 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 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.
There were 2,390 households of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% 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, 8.5% had a divorced female householder, and 40.8% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.71.
InAge distribution was 19.7% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
was $39,877, and the median family income was $56,439. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $26,645 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 $26,126. About 5.5% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
- The Children's House Montessori School
- Ashwood Waldorf School
- Serviced by MSAD 28
Sites of interest
- Bay Chamber ConcertsBay Chamber ConcertsBay Chamber Concerts is a non-profit organization located in downtown Rockport, Maine. Bay Chamber Concerts plays a principal role in bringing music, particularly classical music, to the Mid Coast area...
- Camden Public Library
- Camden Hills State Park
- Camden Opera House
- Conway House Museum
- Mary Meeker Cramer Museum
- Camden Snow Bowl
- Curtis Island Light
Notable people
- Kay AldridgeKay AldridgeKay Aldridge was an American model and actress. She is best known for playing feisty and frequently-imperiled heroines in black and white serials during the 1940s.-Life and work:...
, model, actress - Gordon BokGordon BokGordon Bok is a folklorist and singer/songwriter who grew up in Camden, Maine.-Career:His first album, self-titled, was produced by Noel Paul Stookey and released in 1965 on the Verve Records Folkways imprint...
, singer and songwriter - Charles CawleyCharles CawleyCharles M. Cawley is a businessman and founding member of the bank MBNA. MBNA was acquired by Bank of America in 2006. A graduate of Georgetown University, he created the bank in 1982.-Local Support in Maine:...
, founder of MBNA - David G. ConoverDavid G. ConoverDavid G. Conover is an American documentary film and television director. His production company, Compass Light, based in Camden, Maine, produces Sunrise Earth for HD Theater.-Biography:...
, documentary film and television director - William ConwayWilliam Conway (U.S. Navy)William Conway was a United States Navy quartermaster born in Camden, Maine. At the surrender of Pensacola Navy Yard to the rebels on January 12, 1861, Confederate Lieutenant Frederick B. Kinshaw ordered Conway to lower the American flag...
, navy quartermaster - Cyrus Curtis, publishing tycoon
- Jeremiah W. FarnhamJeremiah W. FarnhamJeremiah W. Farnham was an American merchant sailor and sea captain.Captain Jeremiah W. Farnham, is a well-known resident of Seattle, Washington, with a great interest in all public affairs...
, sea captain - Tess GerritsenTess GerritsenTess Gerritsen, M.D., is a Chinese-American novelist and retired physician. Her first name is really Terry; she decided to feminize it when she was a writer of romance novels.-Early life:...
, novelist - Joseph HallJoseph Hall (Maine)Joseph Hall a United States Representative from Maine.Hall was born on June 26, 1793 in Methuen, Massachusetts. He attended the common schools and Andover Academy. He moved to Camden, Maine in 1809 and engaged in mercantile pursuits...
, congressman - Don McLeanDon McLeanDonald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...
, singer and songwriter - Edna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
, pulitzer prize-winning poet - O. Stillman RockefellerJames Stillman RockefellerJames Stillman Rockefeller was a member of the prominent U.S. Rockefeller family.-Personal life:A paternal grandson of William Rockefeller, his maternal grandfather James Stillman and uncle James Alexander Stillman served as president of the National City Bank of New York, now Citibank...
, member of the Rockefeller familyRockefeller familyThe Rockefeller family , the Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...
. - Richard RussoRichard RussoRichard Russo is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher.-Early life and education:Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville...
, novelist - John ScullyJohn ScullyJohn Scully may refer to:*John Scully , American Roman Catholic priest and President of Fordham University*John Scully *John Scully *Iceman John Scully, American boxer*John Sculley, former Apple CEO...
, industrialist and former CEO of Apple - Matthew SimmonsMatthew SimmonsMatthew Roy Simmons was founder and chairman emeritus of Simmons & Company International, and was a prominent advocate of peak oil. Simmons was motivated by the 1973 energy crisis to create an investment banking firm catering to oil companies. In his previous capacity, he served as energy...
, investment banker - Ephraim K. SmartEphraim K. SmartEphriam Knight Smart was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Prospect on September 3, 1813. He attended the common schools, completed preparatory studies under private tutors and attended Maine Wesleyan Seminary...
, congressman and founder of the Maine Free Press - Thomas J. Watson, Sr., industrialist and founder of IBM
- Jonas WheelerJonas WheelerJonas Wheeler was an American politician and lawyer. Born in Concord, Massachusetts, Wheeler graduated from Harvard College in 1810. He served as Justice of the Peace, the first representative of Camden, Maine to the Maine House of Representatives and Camden's State Senator. He was the President...
, first Camden representative to the Maine House of RepresentativesMaine House of RepresentativesThe Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...