Boothbay, Maine
Encyclopedia
Boothbay is a town
in Lincoln County
, Maine
, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of East Boothbay and Trevett. The Boothbay region is a center of summer tourist activity, and a significant part of its population does not live there year round.
an presence was a British
fishing
station on Cape Newagen in 1623. By the 1630s, there were a few families. Henry Curtis purchased from the sachem
Mowhotiwormet (commonly known as Chief Robinhood) the right to settle here in 1666. The inhabitants fled in 1676 during King Philip's War
and returned in 1677. In 1689 during King William's War
, they were driven out again, and the village remained a desolate waste for 40 years.
Colonel David Dunbar, governor of the Territory of Sagadahock
, laid out a town in 1730 known as Townsend, and convinced about 40 families of Scots-Irish Presbyterians
, largely from the north of Ireland
, to settle here. Some were veteran
s of the Revolution of 1688
. Named for Lord Charles Townshend
, this settlement survived and was incorporated November 3, 1764. It was renamed Boothbay in 1842 after the hamlet
of Boothby, which is located about a mile east of Welton le Marsh in Lincolnshire
, England. Southport
was set off in 1842 and incorporated as a town, followed in 1889 by Boothbay Harbor.
, the town has a total area of 46.1 square miles (119.4 km²), of which 22.1 square miles (57.2 km²) is land and 24 square miles (62.2 km²) (52.09%) is water. Situated on the Cape Newagen peninsula
extending into the Gulf of Maine
, Boothbay lies between the Sheepscot River
and Damariscotta River
. The town includes Damariscove Island
.
Boothbay is crossed by state routes 27
and 96. It borders the towns of Edgecomb
to the north, and Boothbay Harbor to the south. Separated by water, it is near the towns of Westport to the west, and South Bristol
to the east.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,960 people, 1,261 households, and 881 families residing in the town. The population density
was 134.0 people per square mile (51.7/km²). There were 2,046 housing units at an average density of 92.6 per square mile (35.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.05% White, 0.03% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.10% from other races
, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.
There were 1,261 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,406, and the median income for a family was $45,761. Males had a median income of $30,500 versus $28,370 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,036. About 5.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% 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 Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Maine
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 34,457. Its county seat is Wiscasset. It was founded in 1760 and named after the English city Lincoln. At its founding, it accounted for three-fifths of the State's land, and stretched east to Nova...
, 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 2,960 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of East Boothbay and Trevett. The Boothbay region is a center of summer tourist activity, and a significant part of its population does not live there year round.
History
The first EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an presence was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
station on Cape Newagen in 1623. By the 1630s, there were a few families. Henry Curtis purchased from the sachem
Sachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
Mowhotiwormet (commonly known as Chief Robinhood) the right to settle here in 1666. The inhabitants fled in 1676 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...
and returned in 1677. In 1689 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...
, they were driven out again, and the village remained a desolate waste for 40 years.
Colonel David Dunbar, governor of the Territory of Sagadahock
Territory of Sagadahock
The Territory of Sagahadock, also called the Sagahadoc Colony and New Castle, was an English colonial territory which included the eastern part of what was later colonial Maine and was more sparsely settled than the western region...
, laid out a town in 1730 known as Townsend, and convinced about 40 families of Scots-Irish Presbyterians
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
, largely from the north of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, to settle here. Some were veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s of the Revolution of 1688
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
. Named for Lord Charles Townshend
Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend
Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend Bt, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served for a decade as Secretary of State, directing British foreign policy...
, this settlement survived and was incorporated November 3, 1764. It was renamed Boothbay in 1842 after the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Boothby, which is located about a mile east of Welton le Marsh in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England. Southport
Southport, Maine
Southport is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 684 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of Southport, West Southport, Cape Newagen, and Squirrel Island.-History:...
was set off in 1842 and incorporated as a town, followed in 1889 by Boothbay Harbor.
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 46.1 square miles (119.4 km²), of which 22.1 square miles (57.2 km²) is land and 24 square miles (62.2 km²) (52.09%) is water. Situated on the Cape Newagen peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
extending into the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
, Boothbay lies between the Sheepscot River
Sheepscot River
The Sheepscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Its lower portion is a complex island estuary with connections to the Kennebec River downstream of Merrymeeting Bay.-Route:...
and Damariscotta River
Damariscotta River
The Damariscotta River is a tidal river in Lincoln County, Maine, that empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Damariscotta is an old Abenaki word for "river of many fishes"...
. The town includes Damariscove Island
Damariscove Island
Damariscove is an uninhabited island that is part of Boothbay Harbor, Lincoln County, Maine, United States, about off the coast at the mouth of the Damariscotta River. The long, narrow island is approximately long and at its widest point...
.
Boothbay is crossed by state routes 27
Maine State Route 27
State Route 27 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the village of Newagen in Southport to the Canadian Border in Coburn Gore...
and 96. It borders the towns of Edgecomb
Edgecomb, Maine
Edgecomb is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,090 at the 2000 census. The town was named for Lord Edgecomb, a supporter of the colonists...
to the north, and Boothbay Harbor to the south. Separated by water, it is near the towns of Westport to the west, and South Bristol
South Bristol, Maine
South Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 897 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, South Bristol includes the villages of Walpole and Christmas Cove, the latter at Rutherford Island...
to the east.
Demographics
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 134.0 people per square mile (51.7/km²). There were 2,046 housing units at an average density of 92.6 per square mile (35.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.05% White, 0.03% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.10% 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 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.
There were 1,261 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% 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, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.77.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,406, and the median income for a family was $45,761. Males had a median income of $30,500 versus $28,370 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 $22,036. About 5.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
- Boothbay Playhouse
- Boothbay Railway Village
- Boothbay Region Historical Society
- Ram Island Light
- Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
- Boothbay Region Land Trust coastal preserves—publicly accessible hiking trails
Further reading
- History of Boothbay, Southport and Boothbay Harbor, Maine, 1623–1905, by Francis Byron Greene; published 1906