South Berwick, Maine
Encyclopedia
South Berwick is a town in York County
, Maine
, United States. The population was 7,220 at the 2010 census. South Berwick is home to Berwick Academy
, a private, co-educational university-preparatory
day school founded in 1791. It is part of the Portland
–South Portland
–Biddeford
, Maine metropolitan statistical area
.
, meaning "river with many falls," a reference to the Salmon Falls River
. It was first settled by Europeans about 1631 as a part of Kittery
known as Kittery North Parish. Near the confluence with the Great Works River
, Ambrose Gibbons built the Great House at Newichawannock, a palisade
d trading post
, to exchange goods with the Indians.
In 1634, William Chadbourne, James Wall, and John Goddard arrived from England aboard the ship Pied Cow to build a sawmill
and gristmill
at Assabumbadoc Falls. Richard Leader, an engineer, rebuilt the sawmill in 1651 to handle up to 20 saws. The factory became known as the "Great mill workes," from which the Great Works River derives its name. It was run by 25 Scottish
prisoners of war captured by Oliver Cromwell
's forces at the 1650 Battle of Dunbar
, then transported aboard a vessel called Unity to Massachusetts
. They were sold as slaves whose labor would earn them freedom. The community was dubbed the Parish of Unity after the boat.
The village was attacked in 1675 during King Philip's War
, then raided again in 1690-1691 during King William's War
by Indians under the command of officers from New France
, who burned the Parish of Unity to the ground. It was abandoned, but resettled in 1703 under its Abenaki name, Newichawannock. The Massachusetts General Court
incorporated it in 1713 as Berwick, the 9th oldest town in Maine. It was named after Berwick-upon-Tweed
, a town of mixed allegiances on the Anglo-Scottish border
. On February 12, 1814, South Berwick was set off and incorporated.
During the 19th century, various mills
were erected at the rivers to utilize their water power. At the head of navigation, Quampheagan Falls on the Salmon Falls River became the site of the Portsmouth Manufacturing Company. Established in 1831, the cotton
textile
mill had 7000 spindles
and 216 loom
s, which by 1868 produced 2 million yards of sheeting per year. The mill closed in 1893, and most of its brick buildings were razed about 1917, but the Greek Revival counting house
is now the Old Berwick Historical Society Museum. South Berwick also made woolen
s, shoes
, plows, and cultivator
s, as well as sawn and planed lumber
. The town was noted for its apple
orchard
s. Some inhabitants worked across the bridge in Rollinsford
, New Hampshire
at the Salmon Falls Manufacturing Company, which closed in 1927.
In 1901, local author Sarah Orne Jewett
set her historical romance The Tory Lover at the Hamilton House in South Berwick. Built about 1785, the Federal style mansion is now a museum operated by Historic New England
, which also owns the Sarah Orne Jewett House
, built in 1774 overlooking Central Square.
, the town has a total area of 32.7 square miles (84.6 km²), of which, 32.2 square miles (83.3 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.59%) is water. Located beside the New Hampshire
border, South Berwick is drained by the Great Works River
and Salmon Falls River
.
of 2000, there were 6,671 people, 2,403 households, and 1,847 families residing in the town. The population density
was 207.5 people per square mile (80.1/km²). There were 2,488 housing units at an average density of 77.4 per square mile (29.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.63% White, 0.30% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.27% from other races
, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 2,403 households out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,201, and the median income for a family was $59,330. Males had a median income of $40,107 versus $25,729 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $21,118. About 2.8% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
on the last Saturday in June. Originally organized to celebrate the United States Bicentennial
, its popularity has convinced the festival's organizers to hold it each year since. It includes shops, food, games and rides for children and trolley rides. The festival is held on the grounds of Central School, the primary elementary school
for the town of South Berwick.
York County, Maine
York County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, the population was 197,131. Its county seat is Alfred.Founded in 1636, it is the oldest county in Maine and one of the oldest in the United States....
, 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. The population was 7,220 at the 2010 census. South Berwick is home to Berwick Academy
Berwick Academy
Berwick Academy is a highly selective preparatory school located in South Berwick, Maine. Founded in 1791, it is the oldest educational institution in Maine and one of the oldest private schools in North America. The school sits on a 72-acre, 11-building campus on a hill overlooking the Salmon...
, a private, co-educational university-preparatory
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
day school founded in 1791. It is part of the Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
–South Portland
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
–Biddeford
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
, Maine metropolitan statistical area
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area
The Portland–South Portland–Biddeford Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Greater Portland, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Maine, anchored by the city of Portland and the smaller cities of South Portland and Biddeford...
.
History
The area was called Newichawannock by the 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...
, meaning "river with many falls," a reference to the Salmon Falls River
Salmon Falls River
The Salmon Falls River is a tributary of the Piscataqua River in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire. It rises at Great East Lake and flows south-southeast for approximately , forming the border between Maine and New Hampshire....
. It was first settled by Europeans about 1631 as a part of Kittery
Kittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...
known as Kittery North Parish. Near the confluence with the Great Works River
Great Works River
The Great Works River is a river in southwestern Maine in the United States. It rises in central York County and flows generally south past North Berwick to meet the tidal part of the Salmon Falls River at South Berwick....
, Ambrose Gibbons built the Great House at Newichawannock, a palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
d trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
, to exchange goods with the Indians.
In 1634, William Chadbourne, James Wall, and John Goddard arrived from England aboard the ship Pied Cow to build 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....
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 :...
at Assabumbadoc Falls. Richard Leader, an engineer, rebuilt the sawmill in 1651 to handle up to 20 saws. The factory became known as the "Great mill workes," from which the Great Works River derives its name. It was run by 25 Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
prisoners of war captured by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's forces at the 1650 Battle of Dunbar
Battle of Dunbar (1650)
The Battle of Dunbar was a battle of the Third English Civil War. The English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army commanded by David Leslie which was loyal to King Charles II, who had been proclaimed King of Scots on 5 February 1649.-Background:The English...
, then transported aboard a vessel called Unity to 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...
. They were sold as slaves whose labor would earn them freedom. The community was dubbed the Parish of Unity after the boat.
The village was attacked in 1675 during King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
, then raided again in 1690-1691 during King William's War
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
by Indians under the command of officers from New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
, who burned the Parish of Unity to the ground. It was abandoned, but resettled in 1703 under its Abenaki name, Newichawannock. 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 it in 1713 as Berwick, the 9th oldest town in Maine. It was named after Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, a town of mixed allegiances on the Anglo-Scottish border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
. On February 12, 1814, South Berwick was set off and incorporated.
During the 19th century, various 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 :...
were erected at the rivers to utilize their water power. At the head of navigation, Quampheagan Falls on the Salmon Falls River became the site of the Portsmouth Manufacturing Company. Established in 1831, the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
mill had 7000 spindles
Spindle (textiles)
A spindle is a wooden spike used for spinning wool, flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibres into thread. It is commonly weighted at either the bottom middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object called a whorl, and may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without...
and 216 loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
s, which by 1868 produced 2 million yards of sheeting per year. The mill closed in 1893, and most of its brick buildings were razed about 1917, but the Greek Revival counting house
Counting house
A counting house, or compting house, literally is the building, room, office or suite in which a business firm carries on operations, particularly accounting. By a synecdoche, it has come to mean the accounting operations of a firm, however housed...
is now the Old Berwick Historical Society Museum. South Berwick also made 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, 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...
, plows, and cultivator
Cultivator
A cultivator is any of several types of farm implement used for secondary tillage. One sense of the name refers to frames with teeth that pierce the soil as they are dragged through it linearly. Another sense refers to machines that use rotary motion of disks or teeth to accomplish a similar result...
s, as well as sawn and planed 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....
. The town was noted for its apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s. Some inhabitants worked across the bridge in Rollinsford
Rollinsford, New Hampshire
Rollinsford is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,527 at the 2010 census. Rollinsford includes Salmon Falls Village.-History:...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
at the Salmon Falls Manufacturing Company, which closed in 1927.
In 1901, local author Sarah Orne Jewett
Sarah Orne Jewett
Sarah Orne Jewett was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for her local color works set in or near South Berwick, Maine, on the border of New Hampshire, which in her day was a declining New England seaport.-Biography:Jewett's family had been residents of New England for many...
set her historical romance The Tory Lover at the Hamilton House in South Berwick. Built about 1785, the Federal style mansion is now a museum operated by Historic New England
Historic New England
Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
, which also owns the Sarah Orne Jewett House
Sarah Orne Jewett House
Sarah Orne Jewett House, built in 1774, is a historic house in South Berwick, Maine, USA. Sarah Orne Jewett lived in the home, owned by her family since 1819, for much of her life. She was a prolific author...
, built in 1774 overlooking Central Square.
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 32.7 square miles (84.6 km²), of which, 32.2 square miles (83.3 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.59%) is water. Located beside the New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
border, South Berwick is drained by the Great Works River
Great Works River
The Great Works River is a river in southwestern Maine in the United States. It rises in central York County and flows generally south past North Berwick to meet the tidal part of the Salmon Falls River at South Berwick....
and Salmon Falls River
Salmon Falls River
The Salmon Falls River is a tributary of the Piscataqua River in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire. It rises at Great East Lake and flows south-southeast for approximately , forming the border between Maine and New Hampshire....
.
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 6,671 people, 2,403 households, and 1,847 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 207.5 people per square mile (80.1/km²). There were 2,488 housing units at an average density of 77.4 per square mile (29.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.63% White, 0.30% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.27% 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 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 2,403 households out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,201, and the median income for a family was $59,330. Males had a median income of $40,107 versus $25,729 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 $21,118. About 2.8% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Strawberry Festival
Since 1976, South Berwick has hosted a Strawberry FestivalStrawberry Festival
A Strawberry Festival is an event and celebration in many towns in North America. In most instances, areas around these towns are, or have been, deeply involved in the production and marketing of strawberries, and the festivals are usually held in late spring around the time of the strawberry...
on the last Saturday in June. Originally organized to celebrate the United States Bicentennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
, its popularity has convinced the festival's organizers to hold it each year since. It includes shops, food, games and rides for children and trolley rides. The festival is held on the grounds of Central School, the primary elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
for the town of South Berwick.
Sites of interest
- Counting House Museum, c. 1831 -- Old Berwick Historical Society
- Sarah Orne Jewett House, 1774
- Hamilton House, c. 1785
- Vaughan Woods State Park
Notable people
- Nicholson BakerNicholson BakerNicholson Baker is a contemporary American writer of fiction and non-fiction. As a novelist, he often focuses on minute inspection of his characters' and narrators' stream of consciousness, and has written about such provocative topics as voyeurism and planned assassination...
, novelist - John H. BurleighJohn H. BurleighJohn Holmes Burleigh was a nineteenth century politician, sailor, manufacturer and banker from Maine. He was the son of William Burleigh....
, congressman - William BurleighWilliam BurleighWilliam Burleigh was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Northwood, New Hampshire, on October 24, 1785. He moved with his parents to Gilmanton, New Hampshire, in 1788 where he attended the common schools and taught for several years...
, congressman - Slaid CleavesSlaid CleavesSlaid Cleaves is a singer-songwriter born in Washington, D.C. and raised in South Berwick, Maine and Round Pond, Maine. An alumnus of Tufts University, where he majored in English and philosophy, Cleaves lives in Austin, Texas....
, singer/songwriter - John Noble GoodwinJohn Noble GoodwinJohn Noble Goodwin was a United States attorney and politician who served as the first Governor of Arizona Territory...
, congressman - Sarah Orne JewettSarah Orne JewettSarah Orne Jewett was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for her local color works set in or near South Berwick, Maine, on the border of New Hampshire, which in her day was a declining New England seaport.-Biography:Jewett's family had been residents of New England for many...
, novelist - J. Harold MurrayJ. Harold Murray.J. Harold Murray was an American baritone. For more than a decade, during the Roaring Twenties and the Depression Thirties, he contributed to the development of musical theater by bridging vaudeville, operetta and the modern American musical...
, singer - Rod PicottRod PicottRod Picott is a singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of Americana, alt-country, and folk. He grew up in New Hampshire, but relocated to Nashville, Tennessee in 1994. After several years of playing local clubs and supporting such acts as Alison Krauss, he released his first album in...
, songwriter - Deanna RixDeanna RixDeanna Rix is an U.S. female wrestler originally from South Berwick, Maine, and noted in the media for her success wrestling against girls and boys in State and National competitions.-Wrestling career:...
, wrestler - Luther C. TibbetsLuther C. TibbetsLuther Calvin Tibbets was born in South Berwick, York County, Maine. He and his wife Eliza Tibbets grew the first Washington Navel orange in Riverside, California in 1871, and founded the California citrus industry.-History:...
, founded California citrus industry
External links
- Town of South Berwick, Maine
- South Berwick Public Library
- South Berwick Strawberry Festival
- Old Berwick Historical Society
- Berwick Academy
- Epodunk Town Profile
- the236diner.com-a local news blog
- Discover South Berwick
- South Berwick Update-local town & school politics
- Maine Genealogy: South Berwick, York County, Maine