Carthage, Maine
Encyclopedia
Carthage is a town
in Franklin County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 520 at the 2000 census.
from Jonathan Phillips of Boston, who had purchased an even larger tract from the state of Massachusetts
about 1790. Plantation No. 4 was noted for extensive forests of pine
and valuable formations of limestone
. In 1804, William Bowley and his family from Bristol, New Hampshire
settled in Plantation No. 4, and with his brother Oliver and father Gideon, built the first sawmill
at what was called Bowley's Mills on the Webb River at the foot of Webb Lake. They built a gristmill
the following year.
The town was incorporated on February 20, 1826 and named after Carthage
, the ancient Mediterranean
city in what is today Tunisia
in North Africa
. In 1849, land was set off to form a new Plantation No. 4. By 1880, when the population was 507, Carthage had farms, two sawmills, a gristmill and a limestone quarry
.
, the town has a total area of 33.3 square miles (86.2 km²), of which, 33.2 square miles (86 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.36%) is water. Carthage is drained by the Webb River
, which meanders south from Webb Lake to join the Androscoggin River
. The town is situated in a valley between ranges of foothills and mountains.
The town is served by Maine State Route 142. It borders the towns of Weld
to the north, Perkins Plantation, Plantation No. 4, Wilton and Temple
to the east, and Mexico and Dixfield to the south in Oxford County
.
of 2000, there were 520 people, 198 households, and 144 families residing in the town. The population density
was 15.7 people per square mile (6.1/km²). There were 291 housing units at an average density of 8.8 per square mile (3.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.31% White, 0.38% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.19% from other races
, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.58% of the population.
There were 198 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples
living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,773, and the median income for a family was $32,917. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $16,964 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $12,169. About 8.2% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and none 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 Franklin County
Franklin County, Maine
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 30,768. Its county seat is Farmington.Franklin County was established on 9 May 1838.-Geography:...
, 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 520 at the 2000 census.
History
First known as Plantation No. 4, Abbott's Purchase, it was part of a large tract of land bought in 1815 by Jacob Abbott of Wilton, New HampshireWilton, New Hampshire
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 3,743 people, 1,410 households, and 1,023 families living in the town. The population density was 145.3 people per square mile . There were 1,451 housing units at an average density of 56.3 per square mile...
from Jonathan Phillips of Boston, who had purchased an even larger tract from the state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
about 1790. Plantation No. 4 was noted for extensive forests of pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
and valuable formations of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. In 1804, William Bowley and his family from Bristol, New Hampshire
Bristol, New Hampshire
Bristol is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,054 at the 2010 census. It is home to Wellington State Park, Sugar Hill State Forest, and Profile Falls on the Smith River...
settled in Plantation No. 4, and with his brother Oliver and father Gideon, built the first 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....
at what was called Bowley's Mills on the Webb River at the foot of Webb Lake. They built a 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 :...
the following year.
The town was incorporated on February 20, 1826 and named after Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
, the ancient Mediterranean
Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...
city in what is today Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. In 1849, land was set off to form a new Plantation No. 4. By 1880, when the population was 507, Carthage had farms, two sawmills, a gristmill and a limestone quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
.
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 33.3 square miles (86.2 km²), of which, 33.2 square miles (86 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.36%) is water. Carthage is drained by the Webb River
Webb River
The Webb River is a river in western Maine. It is a tributary of the Androscoggin River, which flows to the Kennebec River and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean....
, which meanders south from Webb Lake to join 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 situated in a valley between ranges of foothills and mountains.
The town is served by Maine State Route 142. It borders the towns of Weld
Weld, Maine
Weld is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 402 at the 2000 census. Set beside Webb Lake and almost surrounded by mountains, Weld is noted for its scenic beauty. It is home to Mount Blue State Park and Camp Kawanhee for Boys....
to the north, Perkins Plantation, Plantation No. 4, Wilton and Temple
Temple, Maine
Temple is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The town was named after Temple, New Hampshire. It is located at the end of Maine State Route 43 , and is said to be one of only two towns in Maine to be situated at the end of a public highway...
to the east, and Mexico and Dixfield to the south 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...
.
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 520 people, 198 households, and 144 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 15.7 people per square mile (6.1/km²). There were 291 housing units at an average density of 8.8 per square mile (3.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.31% White, 0.38% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.19% 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 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.58% of the population.
There were 198 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% 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, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,773, and the median income for a family was $32,917. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $16,964 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 $12,169. About 8.2% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.