Thorndike, Maine
Encyclopedia
Thorndike is a town
in Waldo County
, Maine
, United States
. The town was named after Israel Thorndike, a landowner. The population was 712 at the 2000 census
.
, the town has a total area of 25.3 square miles (65.5 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 712 people, 279 households, and 201 families residing in the town. The population density
was 28.2 people per square mile (10.9/km²). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 13.3 per square mile (5.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.02% White, 0.14% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.28% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population.
There were 279 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples
living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,786, and the median income for a family was $29,479. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $24,018 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,090. About 14.9% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 26.3% of those age 65 or over.
John True Gordon was quickly arrested and held for trial. One of the biggest that Waldo County had ever seen. After offering little defense he was convicted and sentenced to be hanged with the Smuttynose Island Murderer Louis H.F. Wagner on the gallows of the Maine State Prison at Thomaston.
On the day of his execution, June 25, 1875, John True attempted suicide and had to be carried to the gallows and held in place while the trap dropped.
Months after the execution, police received a mailed letter of confession from an anonymous source claiming responsibility for the murders. The truth about the case is still unknown.
Gordon's victims were buried in Thorndike and it was said the funeral was attended by 5,000 people and over 500 wagons. The Thorndike Slayer was recently included in a book entitled Return to Smuttynose Island and other Maine Axe Murders by Emeric Spooner.
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 Waldo County
Waldo County, Maine
Waldo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 38,786. Its county seat is Belfast.Waldo County was founded on 7 February 1827 from a portion of Hancock County...
, 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 town was named after Israel Thorndike, a landowner. The population was 712 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...
.
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 25.3 square miles (65.5 km²), all of it land.
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 712 people, 279 households, and 201 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 28.2 people per square mile (10.9/km²). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 13.3 per square mile (5.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.02% White, 0.14% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.28% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population.
There were 279 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,786, and the median income for a family was $29,479. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $24,018 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 $13,090. About 14.9% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 26.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
In 1873 John True Gordon, after a family dispute, killed his brother, sister-in-law and their daughter while they slept, with an ax. He then set the farmhouse on fire and began saving the furniture. A farm worker also living in the home, woke to the smell of smoke, raising an alarm. 2 young family members escaped to the neighbors, as the surrounding farms turned out to help put out the fire.John True Gordon was quickly arrested and held for trial. One of the biggest that Waldo County had ever seen. After offering little defense he was convicted and sentenced to be hanged with the Smuttynose Island Murderer Louis H.F. Wagner on the gallows of the Maine State Prison at Thomaston.
On the day of his execution, June 25, 1875, John True attempted suicide and had to be carried to the gallows and held in place while the trap dropped.
Months after the execution, police received a mailed letter of confession from an anonymous source claiming responsibility for the murders. The truth about the case is still unknown.
Gordon's victims were buried in Thorndike and it was said the funeral was attended by 5,000 people and over 500 wagons. The Thorndike Slayer was recently included in a book entitled Return to Smuttynose Island and other Maine Axe Murders by Emeric Spooner.