Buckfield, Maine
Encyclopedia
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
. The population was 1,723 at the 2000 census.
, a fur trapper. Abijah Buck and Thomas Allen moved here in spring of 1777 with their families. In 1785, the inhabitants procured a survey of the town and purchased it from Massachusetts for 2 shilling
s per acre. Originally called Bucktown Plantation (or Plantation No. 5), in 1793 the Massachusetts General Court
incorporated it as Buckfield, named for Abijah Buck.
The surface of the town is uneven, but has deep, dark soil that yielded good crops of grain
, corn
and apple
s. The east and west branches of the Nezinscot River join at Buckfield Village, supplying water power for mills
. Products included lumber
, roof shingle
s, barrel staves
, box boards, shovel
handles, snow-shovels, handsleds, drag-rakes, brushes, brush blocks, powder-kegs, leather harness
, cutting-blocks and men's boot
s. In 1870, the population of the town was 1,494. The Rumford Falls and Buckfield Railroad passed through the town. Its depot was at Buckfield Village, the business center for the area.
, the town has a total area of 37.9 square miles (98.2 km²), of which, 37.7 square miles (97.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.53%) is water. Buckfield is drained by the Nezinscot River
, a tributary of the Androscoggin River
.
The town is crossed by state routes 117 and 140. It borders the towns of Sumner
and Hartford
to the north, Turner
to the east, Hebron
to the south, and Paris
to the west and West Paris
to the northwest.
of 2000, there were 1,723 people, 668 households, and 476 families residing in the town. The population density
was 45.7 people per square mile (17.7/km²). There were 715 housing units at an average density of 19.0 per square mile (7.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 100% [98.49% White, 0.17% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.12% from other races
, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.
There were 668 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples
living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,821, and the median income for a family was $40,078. Males had a median income of $28,472 versus $22,262 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,503. About 5.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 9.9% 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 Oxford County
Oxford County, Maine
Oxford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine with a population of 57,833 as of the 2010 U.S. census. Its county seat is Paris.Part of Oxford County is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, metropolitan New England City and Town Area while a different part of Oxford County is...
, 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...
. Buckfield is included in 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...
. It is a member of Maine School Administrative District 39 along with nearby 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...
and Sumner
Sumner, Maine
Sumner is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Sumner is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 854 at the 2000 census. The town includes the villages of West Sumner and East Sumner....
. The population was 1,723 at the 2000 census.
History
It was first settled in 1776 by Benjamin Spaulding from Chelmsford, MassachusettsChelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
, a fur trapper. Abijah Buck and Thomas Allen moved here in spring of 1777 with their families. In 1785, the inhabitants procured a survey of the town and purchased it from Massachusetts for 2 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s per acre. Originally called Bucktown Plantation (or Plantation No. 5), in 1793 the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts 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...
incorporated it as Buckfield, named for Abijah Buck.
The surface of the town is uneven, but has deep, dark soil that yielded good crops of grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
, 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. The east and west branches of the Nezinscot River join at Buckfield Village, supplying water power for mills
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 :...
. Products included 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....
, roof shingle
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
s, barrel staves
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
, box boards, shovel
Shovel
A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
handles, snow-shovels, handsleds, drag-rakes, brushes, brush blocks, powder-kegs, leather harness
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....
, cutting-blocks and men's boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
s. In 1870, the population of the town was 1,494. The Rumford Falls and Buckfield Railroad passed through the town. Its depot was at Buckfield Village, the business center for the area.
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 37.9 square miles (98.2 km²), of which, 37.7 square miles (97.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.53%) is water. Buckfield 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:**...
, a tributary of 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...
.
The town is crossed by state routes 117 and 140. It borders the towns of Sumner
Sumner, Maine
Sumner is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Sumner is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 854 at the 2000 census. The town includes the villages of West Sumner and East Sumner....
and 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...
to the north, Turner
Turner, Maine
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...
to the east, 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 south, and Paris
Paris, Maine
Paris is a town in and the county seat of Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,793 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of South Paris is located within the town. Because the U.S. Post Office refers to the entire town as South Paris, the town as a whole is commonly...
to the west and West Paris
West Paris, Maine
West Paris is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,722 at the 2000 census.-History:It began as part of Paris, granted by the Massachusetts General Court in 1771 to Captain Joshua Fuller and his company of 64 soldiers as payment for their service to the colony...
to the northwest.
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 1,723 people, 668 households, and 476 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 45.7 people per square mile (17.7/km²). There were 715 housing units at an average density of 19.0 per square mile (7.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 100% [98.49% White, 0.17% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.12% 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 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.
There were 668 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% 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, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,821, and the median income for a family was $40,078. Males had a median income of $28,472 versus $22,262 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 $17,503. About 5.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- William BerryWilliam Berry (Sergeant)William Berry was a Maine-born soldier during the American Revolution.-Early years:Born in Falmouth, Maine, a grandson of Captain George Berry, he was one of the earliest settlers of Buckfield, Maine having settled there thirteen years before the incorporation of the town.-Marriage:He married...
, soldier. - John Lewis ChildsJohn Lewis ChildsJohn Lewis Childs was a horticultural businessman and politician who founded Floral Park, New York. In addition to a widespread reputation for being a zealous ornithologist, Childs is also credited with founding the first seed catalog business in the United States.-About:Childs was born in...
, horticulturist, N.Y. state senator, founder of Floral Park, New YorkFloral Park, New YorkFloral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. The village is at the western border of Nassau County, and is located in both the Town of Hempstead and the Town of North Hempstead...
. - 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. - Fritz GrobeEepybirdEepyBird is an entertainment company best known for creating the viral video "The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments" which won the first ever Webby Award for Viral Video in 2007 and, was named "Online Game Changer of the Decade" in December 2009 by the readers of GoViral.com as "the most...
, professional juggler and co-founder of Eepybird (the "Diet Coke and Mentos Guys"). - Ray LamontagneRay LaMontagneRaymond "Ray" Charles Jack LaMontagne is a Grammy-award winning American singer-songwriter. LaMontagne has released four studio albums, Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain and God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise. He was born in New Hampshire and was inspired to create music after...
, singer and songwriter. - John Davis LongJohn Davis LongJohn Davis Long was a U.S. political figure. He served as the 32nd Governor of Massachusetts between 1880 and 1883. He later served as the Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1902....
, Secretary of the Navy, 32nd governor of Massachusetts. - Mark MusashiMark MusashiMasaru Edward Fulenwider-Musashi , better known by the stage name , is a Wushu martial artist and a stuntman/actor or Gaijin tarento. Raised in Buckfield, Maine, he attended Dartmouth College , majoring in East Asian Languages and Literatures and minoring in Drama...
, martial artist, stuntman, actor. - Virgil D. ParrisVirgil D. ParrisVirgil Delphini Parris was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and cousin of Albion Keith Parris.Born in Buckfield, Maine, Parris attended the common schools, whereupon he entered Hebron Academy in Hebron, Maine, then Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He was graduated from Union College at...
, congressman. - Thomas PhelpsThomas PhelpsThomas Stowell Phelps was an officer in the United States Navy. He served in the United States Navy from 1840 to 1884, attaining the rank of Captain in 1871 and Rear Admiral in 1884...
, naval officer. - Charles H. PrinceCharles H. PrinceCharles Henry Prince was a U.S. Representative from Georgia.Born in Buckfield, Maine, Prince attended local schools. After school he engaged in mercantile pursuits and was appointed postmaster in 1861...
, congressman. - Albion Woodbury Small, sociologist and educator.
- Seba SmithSeba SmithSeba Smith was an American humorist and writer. He was married to Elizabeth Oakes Smith, also a major writer and feminist....
, humorist and writer. - Stephen VoltzEepybirdEepyBird is an entertainment company best known for creating the viral video "The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments" which won the first ever Webby Award for Viral Video in 2007 and, was named "Online Game Changer of the Decade" in December 2009 by the readers of GoViral.com as "the most...
, attorney and co-founder of Eepybird (the "Diet Coke and Mentos Guys").