Brewer, Maine
Encyclopedia
Brewer is a city in Penobscot County
, Maine
, United States
. It is part of the Bangor, Maine
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after its first settler, Colonel John Brewer. The population was 9,482 at the 2010 census.
Brewer is the sister city of Bangor
. The two are on opposite sides of the Penobscot River
and are connected by three bridges. Brewer and Bangor were originally both part of Condeskeag Plantation, though the Brewer part was also called "New Worcester" after John Brewer's birthplace. In 1788 Orrington, Maine
was incorporated with Brewer/New Worcester as its major village. The other half of Condeskeag incorporated in 1791 as Bangor
. Finally, in 1812 Brewer
broke away from Orrington and incorporated as a separate town.
, the city has a total area of 15.6 square miles (40.4 km²), of which, 15.1 square miles (39.1 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it is water. The total area is 3.21% fresh water.
The villages of South Brewer and North Brewer are both within city limits. South Brewer was formerly the city's major industrial area.
. Sargent was the owner of a large South Brewer sawmill. During the Civil War, he commanded the company of "Tigers" (Penobscot River Drivers) in the 2nd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
, also called "The Bangor Regiment". This was the first unit to march out of the state in 1861, and participated in 11 battles over two years. Sargent was eventually promoted to Lt. Col., or second in-command of the regiment.
The city's most imposing architectural landmark is the shingle style First Congregational Church, which stands on a bluff above the river overlooking Bangor.
Ship-building was also a major Brewer industry, as was saw-milling. Brewer's sawmills tended to be steam-powered, unlike those farther up the Penobscot River
, which were powered by waterfalls. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the city also had a significant ice industry, which survives today in the form of the Getchell Brothers company.
The Eastern Manufacturing Company opened a pulp and paper mill in South Brewer in 1889 that became the city's largest employer. The mill closed in 2004, and the site has now been re-developed by the CIANBRO Corporation. The Eastern began as a sawmill owned by Fred W. Ayer, who in the late 1880s began experimenting with paper-making (using the newly-developed sulfite
process) in order to utilize his left-over slab lumber. In 1899 Ayer patented a new method of sulfite
digestion which subsequently became the basis for operations at the Eastern, as well as the Great Northern
mill in Millinocket, Maine
, thus circumventing an important patent owned by the competing International Paper
Corporation. "The Eastern", as the mill was known locally, began specializing in fine grades of paper around 1905 (such as their trademark "Atlantic Bond"), and the company was eventually renamed "Eastern Fine Paper, Inc."
In the early morning hours of August 29, 1903, bank robbers broke into the Brewer Savings Bank using dynamite. They got only $300 from the vault (most of the money having been removed) and retreated across the bridge to Bangor
firing their guns at people in Brewer and police on the Bangor side. Despite mobilizing the entire Bangor police force in pursuit, they escaped capture.
On June 12, 1906, four Brewer High School
students drowned while sailing at Brewer Lake. On hearing the news, a woman in nearby Old Town
went into a trance and reportedly identified the location of the bodies with some accuracy, though they were recovered before her information arrived at the lake. The incident was later reported in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.
Graduation ceremonies were canceled and 1,000 people attended the funeral.
The Ku Klux Klan
paraded openly down North Main Street in Brewer in 1924.
of 2000, there were 8,987 people, 3,842 households, and 2,401 families residing in the city. The population density
was 595.3 people per square mile (229.8/km²). There were 4,064 housing units at an average density of 269.2 per square mile (103.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.63% White, 0.33% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races
, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.
There were 3,842 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,949, and the median income for a family was $46,632. Males had a median income of $35,016 versus $26,850 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $20,158. About 8.6% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
Penobscot County, Maine
Penobscot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. For U.S. Census statistical purposes, it is part of the Bangor, Maine, New England County Metropolitan Area . As of 2010, the population was 153,923...
, 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...
. It is part of the Bangor, Maine
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...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after its first settler, Colonel John Brewer. The population was 9,482 at the 2010 census.
Brewer is the sister city of 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...
. The two are on opposite sides of 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...
and are connected by three bridges. Brewer and Bangor were originally both part of Condeskeag Plantation, though the Brewer part was also called "New Worcester" after John Brewer's birthplace. In 1788 Orrington, Maine
Orrington, Maine
Orrington is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,526 at the 2000 census.-History:Orrington was originally part of Condustiegg Plantation, which also included the present-day cities of Bangor and Brewer. Orrington was incorporated as a town in 1788 with its major...
was incorporated with Brewer/New Worcester as its major village. The other half of Condeskeag incorporated in 1791 as 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...
. Finally, in 1812 Brewer
Brewer
Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
broke away from Orrington and incorporated as a separate town.
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 city has a total area of 15.6 square miles (40.4 km²), of which, 15.1 square miles (39.1 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it is water. The total area is 3.21% fresh water.
The villages of South Brewer and North Brewer are both within city limits. South Brewer was formerly the city's major industrial area.
Historic buildings
The Victorian-style Daniel Sargent House (1847 and later) in South Brewer is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Sargent was the owner of a large South Brewer sawmill. During the Civil War, he commanded the company of "Tigers" (Penobscot River Drivers) in the 2nd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
2nd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 2nd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered in Bangor, Maine for two year's service on May 28, 1861 and mustered out in the same place on June 9, 1863...
, also called "The Bangor Regiment". This was the first unit to march out of the state in 1861, and participated in 11 battles over two years. Sargent was eventually promoted to Lt. Col., or second in-command of the regiment.
The city's most imposing architectural landmark is the shingle style First Congregational Church, which stands on a bluff above the river overlooking Bangor.
Historic industries
Brewer was as famous for brick-making in the 19th century as Bangor was for lumber. By the 1850s there were 12-15 brickyards in Brewer making 12 million bricks annually. Most of these were shipped to Boston and vicinity. It is said that most of the Back Bay and South End neighborhoods of Boston are built of Brewer brick. Frank O. Farrington of Brewer patented a machine for edging and turning bricks in 1859Ship-building was also a major Brewer industry, as was saw-milling. Brewer's sawmills tended to be steam-powered, unlike those farther up 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...
, which were powered by waterfalls. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the city also had a significant ice industry, which survives today in the form of the Getchell Brothers company.
The Eastern Manufacturing Company opened a pulp and paper mill in South Brewer in 1889 that became the city's largest employer. The mill closed in 2004, and the site has now been re-developed by the CIANBRO Corporation. The Eastern began as a sawmill owned by Fred W. Ayer, who in the late 1880s began experimenting with paper-making (using the newly-developed sulfite
Sulfite
Sulfites are compounds that contain the sulfite ion SO. The sulfite ion is the conjugate base of bisulfite. Although the acid itself is elusive, its salts are widely used.-Structure:...
process) in order to utilize his left-over slab lumber. In 1899 Ayer patented a new method of sulfite
Sulfite
Sulfites are compounds that contain the sulfite ion SO. The sulfite ion is the conjugate base of bisulfite. Although the acid itself is elusive, its salts are widely used.-Structure:...
digestion which subsequently became the basis for operations at the Eastern, as well as the Great Northern
Great Northern
Great Northern may refer to:* Great Northern , led by former 30 Seconds to Mars member Solon Bixler*Great Northern , led by former Mission Mountain Wood Band member Rob Quist...
mill in Millinocket, Maine
Millinocket, Maine
Millinocket is a former mill town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,203 at the 2000 census. Millinocket is both a forest products and recreational area.-History:...
, thus circumventing an important patent owned by the competing International Paper
International Paper
International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 59,500 employees, and it is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:...
Corporation. "The Eastern", as the mill was known locally, began specializing in fine grades of paper around 1905 (such as their trademark "Atlantic Bond"), and the company was eventually renamed "Eastern Fine Paper, Inc."
Notable events
In 1900, Dione Polliot, a 17-year old French-Canadian girl, won $10 for being the first person to climb to the top of the 173-foot chimney of the Eastern Manufacturing Company. The company had a standing offer of $5 to the first boy who made it to the top, but all had turned back half-way. The bet was spontaneously doubled when Polliot took the dare. The feat was reported in the New York Times, which called Polliot "not only the prettiest girl in South Brewer, but the pluckiest".In the early morning hours of August 29, 1903, bank robbers broke into the Brewer Savings Bank using dynamite. They got only $300 from the vault (most of the money having been removed) and retreated across the bridge 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...
firing their guns at people in Brewer and police on the Bangor side. Despite mobilizing the entire Bangor police force in pursuit, they escaped capture.
On June 12, 1906, four Brewer High School
Brewer High School (Brewer, Maine)
Brewer High School is a public high school in Brewer, Maine. In 2010, 172 students graduated from Brewer. Residents of Brewer, Glenburn, Eddington, Clifton, Orrington, Aurora, Bradley, and Holden attend Brewer High School....
students drowned while sailing at Brewer Lake. On hearing the news, a woman in nearby Old Town
Old Town, Maine
Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,840 at the 2010 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on a relatively large island, though its boundaries extend beyond that...
went into a trance and reportedly identified the location of the bodies with some accuracy, though they were recovered before her information arrived at the lake. The incident was later reported in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.
Graduation ceremonies were canceled and 1,000 people attended the funeral.
The Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan in Maine
Although the Ku Klux Klan is popularly associated with white supremacy, the revived Klan of the 1920s was also anti-Catholic. In the State of Maine, with a negligible African-American population but a burgeoning number of French-Canadian and Irish immigrants, the Klan revival of the 1920s was...
paraded openly down North Main Street in Brewer in 1924.
Notable people
- Gen. John BlakeBattle of HampdenThe Battle of Hampden, though a minor action of the War of 1812, was the last significant clash of arms in New England, in this instance, in the District of Maine . It represented the end of two centuries of violent contest over Maine by surrounding political units...
, U.S. Army officer, led militia in the Battle of HampdenBattle of HampdenThe Battle of Hampden, though a minor action of the War of 1812, was the last significant clash of arms in New England, in this instance, in the District of Maine . It represented the end of two centuries of violent contest over Maine by surrounding political units...
(1814) during the War of 1812. - Lewis Orsmond Brastow (1834–1912), dean of the Yale Divinity SchoolYale Divinity SchoolYale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
. - Maj. Gen. Joshua ChamberlainJoshua ChamberlainJoshua Lawrence Chamberlain , born as Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain, was an American college professor from the State of Maine, who volunteered during the American Civil War to join the Union Army...
, educator and Civil War hero, 32nd Governor of Maine. - Erica CommeauErica CommeauErica Marie Commeau is a beauty queen, local reality television star and aspiring model.Commeau, who hails from Brewer, Maine, won the Miss Maine USA 2005 crown in late 2004, having previously placed in the semi-finals in the 2003 pageant. She represented Maine in the Miss USA 2005 pageant held...
, Miss Maine USA 2005. - Sean Danielsen, Lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Smile Empty Soul.
- Howie DayHowie DayHoward Kern "Howie" Day is an American singer-songwriter. Beginning his career as a solo artist in the late 1990s, Day became known for his extensive touring and in-concert use of samplers and effects pedals in order to accompany himself...
, singer-musician, raised in Brewer, graduated from Brewer High School (1999). - Charles Fletcher DoleCharles Fletcher DoleCharles Fletcher Dole was an influential Unitarian minister, speaker, and writer in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston, Massachusetts, and Chairman of the Association to Abolish War...
, influential UnitarianUnitarianismUnitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
minister, speaker, and writer. - Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, author, ornithologist, folklorist, and researcher on psychic phenomena.
- Oliver C. FarringtonOliver C. FarringtonOliver Cummings Farrington was an American geologist. He was born at Brewer, Maine, and was educated at the University of Maine and at Yale University , where he was tutor in 1890-91...
, noted geologist and meteorite expert at the Field Museum of Natural HistoryField Museum of Natural HistoryThe Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It sits on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan, part of a scenic complex known as the Museum Campus Chicago...
in Chicago. - Adrian GrenierAdrian GrenierAdrian Grenier is an American actor, musician and director. He is best known for his lead role on the HBO original series, Entourage, as Vincent Chase.-Early life:...
, actor, lived in Brewer during the mid-1990s. - Col. Jasper Hutchings, led an African-American regiment in the American Civil War, and was later Mayor of Brewer
- William Emory QuinbyUnited States Ambassador to the NetherlandsThe United States diplomatic mission to the Netherlands consists of the embassy located in The Hague and a consular office located in Amsterdam.In 1782, John Adams was appointed America's first Minister Plenipotentiary to Holland...
, editor of the Detroit Free PressDetroit Free PressThe Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
, United States Ambassador to the NetherlandsUnited States Ambassador to the NetherlandsThe United States diplomatic mission to the Netherlands consists of the embassy located in The Hague and a consular office located in Amsterdam.In 1782, John Adams was appointed America's first Minister Plenipotentiary to Holland...
.
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 8,987 people, 3,842 households, and 2,401 families residing in the city. 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 595.3 people per square mile (229.8/km²). There were 4,064 housing units at an average density of 269.2 per square mile (103.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.63% White, 0.33% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.23% 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 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.
There were 3,842 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% 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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,949, and the median income for a family was $46,632. Males had a median income of $35,016 versus $26,850 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 city was $20,158. About 8.6% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.