Levant, Maine
Encyclopedia
Levant is a town in Penobscot County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 2,171 at the 2000 census.
and the Kennebec River
. In 1813 the plantation became a town, and was given the name Levant, which is that part of The Middle East which borders the Mediterranean.
In 1852, the village of Kenduskeag broke away from the rest of Levant, and took part of the neighboring town of Glenburn
, Maine
, to form the present town of Kenduskeag
, Maine
. Prior to the break the town had 1,841 inhabitants.
In early 1824, Levant Congregational minister John Bovee Dods
claimed that he was visited by a spirit
, and his house subsequently became the site of poltergeist
activity. Perhaps a hundred curious people were said to have visited and witnessed these events. Dods became a Universalist in 1826, and moved to nearby Union
, Maine
, though he continued to preach in Levant. He later moved to Massachusetts and became an early psychologist
, publishing The Philosophy of Electrical Psychology in 1850, and lecturing widely. In 1856 he converted to spiritualism
, and became a leading figure in that religion in New York City.
One of the last tarring and feathering
episodes in Maine took place in Levant in 1899, the victim being an evangelical minister named George W. Higgins
of the Disciples of the Holy Ghost, whose headquarters was the Shiloh Temple
in Durham, Maine
, and whose spiritual leader was Frank Sandford
. Higgins had made about 15 converts in Levant, and encouraged them to turn over all their property to Sandford and go to live in the Durham temple. After one member had committed suicide and Higgins had told another to whip a small child because he was possessed by a demon, two selectmen ordered him to leave town. When he refused, a mob seized him, covered him with hot tar and feathers, and rode him on a rail
a number of miles to the town line, some following behind in carriages. An area in town where many "Higginsites" lived was known as "Higginsville" as late as the 1930s.
, the town has a total area of 30 square miles (77.7 km²), of which, 30 square miles (77.7 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.
of 2000, there were 2,171 people, 784 households, and 609 families residing in the town. The population density
was 72.5 people per square mile (28.0/km²). There were 829 housing units at an average density of 27.7 per square mile (10.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.51% White, 0.14% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% from other races
, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 784 households out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples
living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,290, and the median income for a family was $45,368. Males had a median income of $32,214 versus $22,431 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,671. About 9.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.
Penobscot County, Maine
Penobscot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. For U.S. Census statistical purposes, it is part of the Bangor, Maine, New England County Metropolitan Area . As of 2010, the population was 153,923...
, 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 2,171 at the 2000 census.
History
Originally called "Kenduskeag Plantation", the town was founded in 1802 by Maj. Moses Hodsden, who built 3 houses, a sawmill, a grist-mill, a store, and a blacksmith shop in what is now the village of Kenduskeag. At the time, these were likely the only framed buildings between BangorBangor, 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...
and the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
. In 1813 the plantation became a town, and was given the name Levant, which is that part of The Middle East which borders the Mediterranean.
In 1852, the village of Kenduskeag broke away from the rest of Levant, and took part of the neighboring town of Glenburn
Glenburn, Maine
Glenburn is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,594 at the 2010 census. It was called "Dutton" until it was incorporated as the town of Glenburn in 1837.-Geography:...
, 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...
, to form the present town of Kenduskeag
Kenduskeag, Maine
Kenduskeag is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,171 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, 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...
. Prior to the break the town had 1,841 inhabitants.
In early 1824, Levant Congregational minister John Bovee Dods
John Bovee Dods
John Bovee Dods was a philosopher, spiritualist, mesmerist, and early psychologist. He was born in New York City and died in Brooklyn , but much of his productive life was spent in Maine.Dods' was a prolific writer...
claimed that he was visited by a spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
, and his house subsequently became the site of poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
activity. Perhaps a hundred curious people were said to have visited and witnessed these events. Dods became a Universalist in 1826, and moved to nearby Union
Union, Maine
Union is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage and annual Union Fair.-History:...
, 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...
, though he continued to preach in Levant. He later moved to Massachusetts and became an early psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, publishing The Philosophy of Electrical Psychology in 1850, and lecturing widely. In 1856 he converted to spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
, and became a leading figure in that religion in New York City.
One of the last tarring and feathering
Tarring and feathering
Tarring and feathering is a physical punishment, used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge. It was used in feudal Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a type of mob vengeance .-Description:In a typical tar-and-feathers attack, the...
episodes in Maine took place in Levant in 1899, the victim being an evangelical minister named George W. Higgins
George W. Higgins
George W. Higgins was an American minister of the Holy Ghost and Us Society. He was probably the last person in New England to be subjected to the traditional mob-led humiliations of tarring and feathering and riding the rail...
of the Disciples of the Holy Ghost, whose headquarters was the Shiloh Temple
Shiloh Temple
Shiloh Temple is a historic religious building in Durham, Maine.The Temple was built in 1897 by Frank Sandford, the charismatic leader of the controversial "Holy Ghost and Us Society", which encouraged its followers to sell their worldly possessions to the church and come and live at the Shiloh...
in Durham, Maine
Durham, Maine
Durham is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,419 at the 2000 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area.-Geography:According to the United...
, and whose spiritual leader was Frank Sandford
Frank Sandford
Frank Weston Sandford was the founder and leader of an apocalyptic Christian sect, informally called "Shiloh" and eventually known officially as "The Kingdom." Sandford was early attracted to premillennialism, the Higher Life movement, the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, and divine healing;...
. Higgins had made about 15 converts in Levant, and encouraged them to turn over all their property to Sandford and go to live in the Durham temple. After one member had committed suicide and Higgins had told another to whip a small child because he was possessed by a demon, two selectmen ordered him to leave town. When he refused, a mob seized him, covered him with hot tar and feathers, and rode him on a rail
Riding the rail
Riding the rail was a punishment in Colonial America in which a man was made to straddle a fence rail held on the shoulders of at least two men, with other men on either side to keep him upright...
a number of miles to the town line, some following behind in carriages. An area in town where many "Higginsites" lived was known as "Higginsville" as late as the 1930s.
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 30 square miles (77.7 km²), of which, 30 square miles (77.7 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.
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 2,171 people, 784 households, and 609 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 72.5 people per square mile (28.0/km²). There were 829 housing units at an average density of 27.7 per square mile (10.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.51% White, 0.14% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% 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 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 784 households out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,290, and the median income for a family was $45,368. Males had a median income of $32,214 versus $22,431 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 $18,671. About 9.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Chris GreeleyChris GreeleyChristian D. "Chris" Greeley is a former representative in the Maine state legislature. He is a Republican. He represented District 22 in the House of Representatives for four consecutive two-year terms, from 2002 to 2010, at which point he was prohibited from running again by term limits.He is a...
, former State Representative and CBS Affiliate weatherman. - William Thomas Haines (1854–1919), 49th Governor of Maine.
- George VarneyGeorge VarneyGeorge Varney was a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was awarded the grade of brevet brigadier general, United States Volunteers, in 1867 for his gallant service at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862...
Civil War era General. - Dana WhiteDana WhiteDana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...
, president of the UFCUltimate Fighting ChampionshipThe Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport... - Sewell Ford, writer and humorist