Turner, Maine
Encyclopedia
Turner is a town
in Androscoggin County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 4,972 at the 2000 census
. Turner includes the villages of Turner Center and North Turner. The town is part of the Lewiston
-Auburn
, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area
.
on June 20, 1768 to Major James Warren and others, survivors of Captain Joseph Sylvester's company for their services in the 1690 Battle of Quebec
. It replaced a 1735 grant of the same name located at what is now Richmond, New Hampshire
, but which was ruled invalid in 1741 because of prior clams from the heirs of John Mason. Reverend Charles Turner of Scituate, Massachusetts
, acted as an agent for the dispossessed grantees, and would become the first minister of their new town.
It was settled in 1772 by Daniel Staples, Thomas Record, Elisha Record, Joseph Leavitt
and Abner Phillips. Many of the first settlers came from Pembroke, Massachusetts
, where most of the proprietors of Sylvester-Canada resided. Nearly all the early settlers came from towns which had sprung up around Plymouth, Massachusetts, including the Leavitt family, descendants of Deacon
John Leavitt
of Old Ship Church
in Hingham, Massachusetts
, and the Bradford family, descendants of Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony
. Following the Revolutionary War, settlement began to pick up, and by 1784 the expanding village had 30 families. Incorporated on July 7, 1786, Sylvester-Canada was renamed for Reverend Turner.
It was primarily a farming town producing corn
and apple
s, but with exceptional water power sites on the Nezinscot River. Here, Samuel Blake built in 1775 the first mill
, both a sawmill
and gristmill
, although it was destroyed by the great freshet
of 1785. It was rebuilt the next season. There were 5 sawmills and 3 gristmills in the community when a fire destroyed those at Turner Village in 1856. They were replaced, and by 1886, industries included not only sawmills and gristmills but a box factory, carriage
factory, shoe
factory, tannery
, paper pulp mill, cheese
factory, fulling
mill and pottery
factory.
, the town has a total area of 62.7 square miles (162.4 km²), of which 59.6 square miles (154.4 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8 km²), or 4.98%, is water. Turner is drained by the Nezinscot River
, Martin's Stream and the Androscoggin River
, which forms the town's border to the east.
The town is crossed by state routes 4
, 117 and 219. It borders the towns of Hartford
, Buckfield
and Hebron
to the west, Livermore
to the north, and Minot
and Auburn
to the south, and Greene, Leeds to the South West.
of 2000, there were 4,972 people, 1,768 households, and 1,393 families residing in the town. The population density
was 83.5 people per square mile (32.2/km²). There were 1,977 housing units at an average density of 33.2 per square mile (12.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.78% White, 0.10% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races
, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.78% of the population.
There were 1,768 households out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were married couples
living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,207, and the median income for a family was $52,241. Males had a median income of $34,917 versus $24,975 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $23,439. About 2.6% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% 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 Androscoggin County
Androscoggin County, Maine
Androscoggin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the county's population was 107,702. Its county seat is Auburn...
, 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 4,972 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...
. Turner includes the villages of Turner Center and North Turner. The town is part of the Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
-Auburn
Auburn, Maine
Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 23,055 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan...
, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area
New England City and Town Area
A New England City and Town Area or NECTA is a geographic and statistical entity defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, for use in describing aspects of the New England region of the United States...
.
History
First called Sylvester-Canada, the township was granted by the Massachusetts General CourtMassachusetts 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...
on June 20, 1768 to Major James Warren and others, survivors of Captain Joseph Sylvester's company for their services in the 1690 Battle of Quebec
Battle of Quebec (1690)
The Battle of Quebec was fought in October 1690 between the colonies of New France and Massachusetts Bay, then ruled by the kingdoms of France and England, respectively. It was the first time Quebec's defences were tested....
. It replaced a 1735 grant of the same name located at what is now Richmond, New Hampshire
Richmond, New Hampshire
Richmond is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,155 at the 2010 census.-History:The town was first chartered in 1735 by Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts...
, but which was ruled invalid in 1741 because of prior clams from the heirs of John Mason. Reverend Charles Turner of Scituate, Massachusetts
Scituate, Massachusetts
Scituate is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 18,133 at the 2010 census....
, acted as an agent for the dispossessed grantees, and would become the first minister of their new town.
It was settled in 1772 by Daniel Staples, Thomas Record, Elisha Record, Joseph Leavitt
Joseph Leavitt
Private Joseph Leavitt was an early settler of Maine, who moved to what was then the frontier of Massachusetts after serving three months in the Continental Army at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, and then declaring that he was unable to bear arms in conflict...
and Abner Phillips. Many of the first settlers came from Pembroke, Massachusetts
Pembroke, Massachusetts
Pembroke is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,927 at the 2000 census.The southwestern section of Pembroke is also known as Bryantville...
, where most of the proprietors of Sylvester-Canada resided. Nearly all the early settlers came from towns which had sprung up around Plymouth, Massachusetts, including the Leavitt family, descendants of Deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
John Leavitt
John Leavitt
Deacon John Leavitt was a tailor, public officeholder, and founding deacon of Old Ship Church in Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, the only remaining 17th-century Puritan meeting house in America and the oldest church in continuous ecclesiastical use in the United States...
of Old Ship Church
Old Ship Church
The Old Ship Church was built in 1681 in Hingham, Massachusetts in the United States. It is the oldest church in continuous ecclesiastical use in the United States. It is the only remaining 17th century Puritan meetinghouse in America...
in Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
, and the Bradford family, descendants of Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
. Following the Revolutionary War, settlement began to pick up, and by 1784 the expanding village had 30 families. Incorporated on July 7, 1786, Sylvester-Canada was renamed for Reverend Turner.
It was primarily a farming town producing 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...
and 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...
s, but with exceptional water power sites on the Nezinscot River. Here, Samuel Blake built in 1775 the first mill
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 :...
, both 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 :...
, although it was destroyed by the great freshet
Freshet
A freshet can refer to one of two things:* A flood resulting from heavy rain or a spring thaw. Whereas heavy rain often causes a flash flood, a spring thaw event is generally a more incremental process, depending upon local climate and topography...
of 1785. It was rebuilt the next season. There were 5 sawmills and 3 gristmills in the community when a fire destroyed those at Turner Village in 1856. They were replaced, and by 1886, industries included not only sawmills and gristmills but a box factory, 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,...
factory, 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, 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...
, paper pulp mill, 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, fulling
Fulling
Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
mill and pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
factory.
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 62.7 square miles (162.4 km²), of which 59.6 square miles (154.4 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8 km²), or 4.98%, is water. Turner is drained by the Nezinscot River
Nezinscot River
The Nezinscot River is a river in Maine. It runs east from the confluence of its East Branch and West Branch in Buckfield to its mouth on the Androscoggin River in Turner.-References:**...
, Martin's Stream and the Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...
, which forms the town's border to the east.
The town 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...
, 117 and 219. It borders the towns of Hartford
Hartford, Maine
Hartford is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Hartford is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area...
, Buckfield
Buckfield, Maine
Buckfield is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Buckfield is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area. It is a member of Maine School Administrative District 39 along with nearby Hartford and Sumner...
and Hebron
Hebron, Maine
Hebron is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Hebron is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The town's history has always been interconnected with Hebron Academy, a co-ed college preparatory boarding school which is located in the town's...
to the west, Livermore
Livermore, Maine
Livermore is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,106 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. High schools students from...
to the north, and Minot
Minot, Maine
Minot is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,248 at the 2000 census. The town includes the villages of West Minot and Minot Center...
and Auburn
Auburn, Maine
Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 23,055 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan...
to the south, and Greene, Leeds to the South West.
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 4,972 people, 1,768 households, and 1,393 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 83.5 people per square mile (32.2/km²). There were 1,977 housing units at an average density of 33.2 per square mile (12.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.78% White, 0.10% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.81% 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 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.78% of the population.
There were 1,768 households out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,207, and the median income for a family was $52,241. Males had a median income of $34,917 versus $24,975 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 $23,439. About 2.6% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Patrick DempseyPatrick DempseyPatrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award...
, actor - Eugene HaleEugene HaleEugene Hale was a Republican United States Senator from Maine.Born at Turner, Maine, he was educated in local schools and at Maine's Hebron Academy. He was admitted to the bar in 1857 and served for nine years as prosecuting attorney for Hancock County, Maine. He was elected to the Maine...
, senator - James Henry HoweJames Henry HoweJames Henry Howe was known for his position as a United States federal judge.Born in Turner, Maine, Howe began to study law in 1848 with his uncle Timothy Otis Howe. During his lifetime, he operated a private law firm, served in the army as a Colonel, and was appointed to be a United States...
, federal judge
Education
Leavitt Area High SchoolLeavitt Area High School
Leavitt Area High School is a public secondary school that serves grades 9–12 in Turner, Maine. It is a regional high school and serves the communities of Turner, Leeds, and Greene and is run by Maine School Administrative District 52...
Further reading
- History of Turner, Maine (1886)
- A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England, 1859; H. O. Houghton & Company, printers; Cambridge, Massachusetts