Strong, Maine
Encyclopedia
Strong is a town
in Franklin County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 1,259 at the 2000 census
. Strong is home to the annual Sandy River Festival.
. Readstown was incorporated on January 31, 1801 and named for Caleb Strong
, governor of Massachusetts
. The Maine Republican Party
was founded here on August 7, 1854.
Set on a hilly intervale above a big bend in the Sandy River
, the area provided fertile soil for agriculture
. Farmers grew hay
, wheat
, corn
, oats
and potato
es. The northeast branch of the Sandy River provided water power for mills, helping make Strong prosperous. By 1859, when the population was 1,008, it had sawmill
s, a gristmill
, a fulling mill, a carding
machine, a starch
factory and a tannery
.
The narrow gauge
Sandy River Railroad
connected Farmington and Phillips
in 1879. By 1886, town industries included a boot
and shoe
factory, machine shops, a cheese
factory, a clothespin manufacturer, a maker of cane
seat chair bottoms, and an excelsior factory. It was noted as "one of the prettiest villages in the county."
Strong was called "Toothpick Capital of the World" due to the productivity of the Strong Wood Products Incorporated plant, which once manufactured 20 million toothpick
s per day.
, the town has a total area of 29.3 square miles (75.9 km²), of which 28.7 square miles (74.3 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (1.88%) is water. Strong is located above a bend in the Sandy River
, a tributary of the Kennebec River
.
The town borders the towns of New Vineyard
to the east, Farmington to the south, and Temple
and Avon
to the west, and Freeman Township to the north.
Strong is crossed by state routes 4
, 145
, 149 and 234.
of 2000, there were 1,259 people, 498 households, and 343 families residing in the town. The population density
was 43.8 people per square mile (16.9/km²). There were 614 housing units at an average density of 21.4 per square mile (8.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.21% White, 0.16% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% from other races
, and 0.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.
There were 498 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples
living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,568, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $26,111 versus $18,636 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,232. About 9.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% 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 Franklin County
Franklin County, Maine
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 30,768. Its county seat is Farmington.Franklin County was established on 9 May 1838.-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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,259 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. Strong is home to the annual Sandy River Festival.
History
The plantation was called Township No. 3, First Range North of Plymouth Claim, West of Kennebec River (or T3 R1 NPC WKR), then successively known as Middletown and Readstown. It was first settled in 1784 by William Read from NobleboroNobleboro, Maine
Nobleboro, founded in 1788, is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,626 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:As of the census of 2000,...
. Readstown was incorporated on January 31, 1801 and named for Caleb Strong
Caleb Strong
Caleb Strong was Massachusetts lawyer and politician who served as the sixth and tenth Governor of Massachusetts between 1800 and 1807, and again from 1812 until 1816.-Biography:...
, governor of Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
. The Maine Republican Party
Maine Republican Party
The Maine Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Maine. It was founded in Strong, Maine on August 7, 1854. The state Chairman is Charles M. Webster....
was founded here on August 7, 1854.
Set on a hilly intervale above a big bend in the Sandy River
Sandy River (Kennebec River)
The Sandy River is a tributary of the Kennebec River in the U.S. state of Maine.The Sandy River originates in the Sandy River Ponds at an elevation of in Sandy River Plantation. The river flows south to a confluence with Chandler Mill Stream in Maine Township E and then easterly to its...
, the area provided fertile soil for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Farmers grew hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
and potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es. The northeast branch of the Sandy River provided water power for mills, helping make Strong prosperous. By 1859, when the population was 1,008, it had sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s, a 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 :...
, a fulling mill, a carding
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
machine, a starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
factory and a tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
.
The narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
Sandy River Railroad
Sandy River Railroad
The Sandy River Railroad was built to serve the towns of Strong and Phillips in the Sandy River valley upstream of Farmington. The Sandy River Railroad was the first narrow gauge common carrier railroad built in the State of Maine.- History :...
connected Farmington and Phillips
Phillips, Maine
Phillips is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 990 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad, a heritage railroad.-History:...
in 1879. By 1886, town industries included a 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....
and shoe
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...
factory, machine shops, a cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
factory, a clothespin manufacturer, a maker of cane
Caning (furniture)
In the context of furniture, caning is a method of weaving chair seats and other furniture. Caning material is wicker such as cane, or it is derived from the skin of rattan vines native to Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Some vines reach 500 feet in length. One of the earliest woven chair...
seat chair bottoms, and an excelsior factory. It was noted as "one of the prettiest villages in the county."
Strong was called "Toothpick Capital of the World" due to the productivity of the Strong Wood Products Incorporated plant, which once manufactured 20 million toothpick
Toothpick
A toothpick is a small stick of wood, plastic, bamboo, metal, bone or other substance used to remove detritus from the teeth, usually after a meal. A toothpick usually has one or two sharp ends to insert between teeth. They can also be used for picking up small appetizers or as a cocktail...
s per day.
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 29.3 square miles (75.9 km²), of which 28.7 square miles (74.3 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (1.88%) is water. Strong is located above a bend in the Sandy River
Sandy River (Kennebec River)
The Sandy River is a tributary of the Kennebec River in the U.S. state of Maine.The Sandy River originates in the Sandy River Ponds at an elevation of in Sandy River Plantation. The river flows south to a confluence with Chandler Mill Stream in Maine Township E and then easterly to its...
, a tributary of 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...
.
The town borders the towns of New Vineyard
New Vineyard, Maine
New Vineyard is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 725 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water.-Demographics:...
to the east, Farmington to the south, and Temple
Temple, Maine
Temple is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The town was named after Temple, New Hampshire. It is located at the end of Maine State Route 43 , and is said to be one of only two towns in Maine to be situated at the end of a public highway...
and Avon
Avon, Maine
Avon is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 461 at the 2010 census. Avon is home to Mount Blue, part of Mount Blue State Park.-History:...
to the west, and Freeman Township to the north.
Strong is crossed by state routes 4
Maine State Route 4
State Route 4 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the New Hampshire border in South Berwick to Haines Landing on Mooselookmeguntic Lake in the town of Rangeley...
, 145
Maine State Route 145
State Route 145 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways. It runs from an intersection with State Route 4 in Strong to an intersection with State Route 142 near Kingfield. The route is also known as Maine Street in Strong....
, 149 and 234.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,259 people, 498 households, and 343 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 43.8 people per square mile (16.9/km²). There were 614 housing units at an average density of 21.4 per square mile (8.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.21% White, 0.16% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.
There were 498 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% 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, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,568, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $26,111 versus $18,636 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $14,232. About 9.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Elizabeth Chase AllenElizabeth Chase AllenElizabeth Chase Akers Allen was an American author, journalist and poet.-Biography:Born Elizabeth Anne Chase, she grew up in Farmington, Maine, where she attended Farmington Academy...
, author, journalist, poet. - Ben C. EastmanBen C. EastmanBen C. Eastman was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.Born in Strong, Maine, Eastman attended the public schools.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar in 1840 and practiced in Green Bay, Wisconsin....
, congressman. - James PorterJames Porter (7th Cavalry)James Ezekiel Porter was one of General Custer's officers killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand....
(1847–1876), military officer.