Winterport, Maine
Encyclopedia
Winterport is a town
in Waldo County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 3,602 at the 2000 census
. Each August the town hosts the Winterport Music Festival.
, it was set off and incorporated on March 12, 1860. It was named Winterport because of its fine harbor, which generally remained ice free, and so became a busy local terminus for trade
and shipping
during winter months. When the upper Penobscot River
froze, commodities like flour
were hauled in large quantities from here to Bangor
.
In 1841, Theophilus Cushing opened a large steam mill
which manufactured 11,000,000 feet of lumber
annually. It also made sugar box shooks, lath
, clapboard
, and soap and candle boxes. The town had two cooperage factories. Other industries produced harnesses
, cheese
and butter
, and men's vest
s. Until the Panic of 1857
, Winterport was a shipbuilding
center. But the principal business for most of the town was agriculture
.
, the town has a total area of 37.1 square miles (96.1 km²), of which, 35.6 square miles (92.2 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it (4.07%) is water. Drained by the Marsh River, Winterport is bounded by the Penobscot River
.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 1A, as well as Maine State Route 69 and Maine State Route 139. It borders the towns of Frankfort
to the south, Monroe
to the west, and Hampden and Newburgh
to the north. Bucksport lies across the Penobscot River to the east.
of 2000, there were 3,602 people, 1,379 households, and 1,035 families residing in the town. The population density
was 101.2 people per square mile (39.1/km²). There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 41.0 per square mile (15.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.11% White, 0.19% Black or African American
, 0.50% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races
, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.
There were 1,379 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples
living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,776, and the median income for a family was $50,041. Males had a median income of $31,473 versus $24,978 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,235. About 10.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 20.2% 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 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 population was 3,602 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...
. Each August the town hosts the Winterport Music Festival.
History
First settled in 1766 as part of FrankfortFrankfort, Maine
Frankfort is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,041 at the 2000 census.-History:Frankfort is the oldest town on the Penobscot River, first settled in the 1760s by Massachusetts soldiers from nearby Fort Pownall...
, it was set off and incorporated on March 12, 1860. It was named Winterport because of its fine harbor, which generally remained ice free, and so became a busy local terminus for trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
and shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
during winter months. When the upper Penobscot River
Penobscot River
The Penobscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to , making it the second longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains .It arises from four branches...
froze, commodities like flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
were hauled in large quantities from here to Bangor
Bangor, 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...
.
In 1841, Theophilus Cushing opened a large steam mill
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....
which manufactured 11,000,000 feet of 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....
annually. It also made sugar box shooks, lath
Lath
A lath is a thin, narrow strip of some straight-grained wood or other material, including metal or gypsum. A lattice, or lattice-work, is a criss-crossed or interlaced arrangement of laths, or the pattern made by such an arrangement...
, clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
, and soap and candle boxes. The town had two cooperage factories. Other industries produced harnesses
Horse harness
A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to pull various horse-drawn vehicles such as a carriage, wagon or sleigh. Harnesses may also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as a plow or canal boat....
, 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....
and butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
, and men's vest
Vest
A vest is a garment covering the upper body. The term has different meanings around the world:Waistcoat :. This is called a waistcoat in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, or a vest in the US and Canada. It is often worn as part of formal attire, or as the third piece of a lounge...
s. Until the Panic of 1857
Panic of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Indeed, because of the interconnectedness of the world economy by the time of the 1850s, the financial crisis which began in the autumn of 1857 was...
, Winterport was a shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
center. But the principal business for most of the town was 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...
.
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 37.1 square miles (96.1 km²), of which, 35.6 square miles (92.2 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it (4.07%) is water. Drained by the Marsh River, Winterport is bounded by the Penobscot River
Penobscot River
The Penobscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to , making it the second longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains .It arises from four branches...
.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 1A, as well as Maine State Route 69 and Maine State Route 139. It borders the towns of Frankfort
Frankfort, Maine
Frankfort is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,041 at the 2000 census.-History:Frankfort is the oldest town on the Penobscot River, first settled in the 1760s by Massachusetts soldiers from nearby Fort Pownall...
to the south, Monroe
Monroe, Maine
Monroe is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The town was named for President James Monroe. The population was 882 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
to the west, and Hampden and Newburgh
Newburgh, Maine
Newburgh is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,394 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....
to the north. Bucksport lies across the Penobscot River to the east.
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 3,602 people, 1,379 households, and 1,035 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 101.2 people per square mile (39.1/km²). There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 41.0 per square mile (15.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.11% White, 0.19% Black or African American
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...
, 0.50% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.11% 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 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.
There were 1,379 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,776, and the median income for a family was $50,041. Males had a median income of $31,473 versus $24,978 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 $18,235. About 10.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives and residents
- Mike BordickMike BordickMichael Todd Bordick is an American retired professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball from 1990 to 2003 with four different teams: the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays.-Early life:Bordick's father, Michael, was in the Air Force,...
, baseball shortstop - James Otis KalerJames Otis KalerJames Otis Kaler was an American journalist and author of children’s literature. He used the pen name James Otis.-Life and career:...
, journalist and children's author - Frederick LowFrederick LowFrederick Ferdinand Low was an American politician, US congressman and the ninth Governor of California.-Life:Born in Frankfort in 1828, Low attended the Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine. Low moved to California, entering the shipping business in San Francisco in 1849...
, congressman and 9th governor of California - Maj.Gen. Jonathan Merrill (1801-1848) Commander, Third Division, Maine Militia
- Michael ThibodeauMichael ThibodeauMichael D. Thibodeau is an American politician and businessperson. Thibodeau is a Republican State Senator from Maine's 23rd District, representing all of Waldo County. He graduated from Hampden Academy in 1984. He was first elected to the Maine State Senate in 2010 after serving from 2006 to 2010...
, State Senator - Daniel WhiteDaniel White (general)Daniel White was a Union general in the American Civil War from the state of Maine.Born in Winterport, Maine, a suburb of Bangor, White's father was a sea captain. In 1855 he spent a year mining for gold in California, returning to start a manufacturing venture in Bangor...
, brigadier general