Georgetown, Maine
Encyclopedia
Georgetown is a town
in Sagadahoc County
, Maine
, United States. The population was 1,020 at the 2000 census. Home to Reid State Park
, the town is part of the Portland
–South Portland
–Biddeford
, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area
. Located on an island accessible by car from the mainland, Georgetown includes the villages of Five Islands, Georgetown, Bay Point, Marrtown, West Georgetown and Robinhood. It is a popular tourist destination.
called the island Erascohegan, meaning "good spear-fishing." John Parker, a fisherman
from Bedfordshire, England, purchased it in 1649 from Chief Mowhotiwormet, commonly known as Chief Robinhood, for a hogshead
of rum
and some pumpkin
s. Parker built the first permanent homestead on what eventually became known as Parker's Island.
The Kennebec River
valley was attacked and burned in 1676 during King Philip's War
, then again in 1689 at the outset of King William's War
, and was not resettled until after the 1713 Treaty of Portsmouth
. The town of Newtown-on-Arrowsic was rebuilt in 1714 on the southern end of Arrowsic Island
, which was incorporated in 1716 by the Massachusetts General Court
as Georgetown-on-Arrowsic, named for Fort St. George
. The town's boundaries were extended to encompass Parker's Island, Woolwich
, Phippsburg
and Bath
(which included West Bath
). Abandoned during Dummer's War
and beleaguered during the French and Indian Wars
, the region resettled slowly in the 1750s until peace was assured with the 1759 Fall of Quebec
.
About half of Parker's Island provided grazing land, and some residents raised livestock
and produced butter
and cheese
. In 1858, there were two sawmill
s, two shingle
mills, a pailmaker and a shipbuilder. But the merchant marine and fishing
were the town's principal occupations. By 1841, all the other parts of Georgetown had been set off and incorporated as towns, leaving Parker's Island with sole claim to the ancient name. Situated between the mouths of the Sheepscot
and Kennebec rivers on the Gulf of Maine
, Georgetown developed into a summer resort, attracting a number of prominent artists. The island is a noted site for bird watching.
, the town has a total area of 31.9 square miles (82.6 km²), of which, 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²) of it is land and 13.1 square miles (33.9 km²) of it (41.16%) is water. Georgetown is located on an island near the mouth of the Kennebec River
and Gulf of Maine
, part of the Atlantic Ocean
.
It is crossed by Maine State Route 127. The island is separated by water from Westport to the northeast, Southport
to the east, Phippsburg
to the west, Arrowsic
to the northwest, and Woolwich
to the north.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,020 people, 441 households, and 287 families residing in the town. The population density
was 54.4 people per square mile (21.0/km²). There were 931 housing units at an average density of 49.7 per square mile (19.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.92% White, 0.10% African American, 0.49% Asian, 0.10% from other races
, and 0.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 441 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples
living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,813, and the median income for a family was $58,438. Males had a median income of $39,028 versus $24,792 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,709. About 3.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% 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 Sagadahoc County
Sagadahoc County, Maine
Sagadahoc County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 35,293. Its county seat is Bath. In total area, it is the smallest county in Maine....
, 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 1,020 at the 2000 census. Home to Reid State Park
Reid State Park
Reid State Park is a state park on Georgetown Island, in Sagadahoc County, Maine. There are several naturally sandy beaches which contrast with the usually rocky coast of Maine. The conditions make for excellent swimming during the summer months, with a natural inlet providing a somewhat warmer...
, the town is part of the Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
–South Portland
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
–Biddeford
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area
The Portland–South Portland–Biddeford Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Greater Portland, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Maine, anchored by the city of Portland and the smaller cities of South Portland and Biddeford...
. Located on an island accessible by car from the mainland, Georgetown includes the villages of Five Islands, Georgetown, Bay Point, Marrtown, West Georgetown and Robinhood. It is a popular tourist destination.
History
Abenaki IndiansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
called the island Erascohegan, meaning "good spear-fishing." John Parker, a fisherman
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
from Bedfordshire, England, purchased it in 1649 from Chief Mowhotiwormet, commonly known as Chief Robinhood, for a hogshead
Hogshead
A hogshead is a large cask of liquid . More specifically, it refers to a specified volume, measured in either Imperial units or U.S. customary units, primarily applied to alcoholic beverages such as wine, ale, or cider....
of rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
and some pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
s. Parker built the first permanent homestead on what eventually became known as Parker's Island.
The Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
valley was attacked and burned 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...
, then again in 1689 at the outset of 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...
, and was not resettled until after the 1713 Treaty of Portsmouth
Treaty of Portsmouth (1713)
The Treaty of Portsmouth, signed on July 13, 1713, ended hostilities between Eastern Abenakis with the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The agreement renewed a treaty of 1693 the Indians had made with Governor William Phips, two in a series of attempts to establish peace between Indians and...
. The town of Newtown-on-Arrowsic was rebuilt in 1714 on the southern end of Arrowsic Island
Arrowsic, Maine
Arrowsic is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. During the French and Indian Wars, Arrowsic was site of a succession of important and...
, which was incorporated in 1716 by 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...
as Georgetown-on-Arrowsic, named for Fort St. George
Fort St. George (Popham Colony)
Fort St. George, named for the patron saint of England, was built in 1607 by Popham Colony near Sabino Head, ten miles/15 kilometres south of what is now Bath, Maine, in the town of Phippsburg, Maine, United States...
. The town's boundaries were extended to encompass Parker's Island, Woolwich
Woolwich, Maine
Woolwich is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,810 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
, Phippsburg
Phippsburg, Maine
Phippsburg is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States, on the west side of the mouth of the Kennebec River. The population was 2,106 at the 2000 census. It is within the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical rea...
and Bath
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
(which included West Bath
West Bath, Maine
West Bath is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,798 at the 2000 census. A sub-locality of West Bath is Winnegance...
). Abandoned during Dummer's War
Dummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...
and beleaguered during the French and Indian Wars
French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...
, the region resettled slowly in the 1750s until peace was assured with the 1759 Fall of Quebec
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War...
.
About half of Parker's Island provided grazing land, and some residents raised livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
and produced 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 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....
. In 1858, there were two 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....
s, two 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...
mills, a pailmaker and a shipbuilder. But the merchant marine and 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....
were the town's principal occupations. By 1841, all the other parts of Georgetown had been set off and incorporated as towns, leaving Parker's Island with sole claim to the ancient name. Situated between the mouths of the Sheepscot
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 Kennebec rivers on 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...
, Georgetown developed into a summer resort, attracting a number of prominent artists. The island is a noted site for bird watching.
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 31.9 square miles (82.6 km²), of which, 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²) of it is land and 13.1 square miles (33.9 km²) of it (41.16%) is water. Georgetown is located on an island near the mouth of the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
and 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...
, part of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
It is crossed by Maine State Route 127. The island is separated by water from Westport to the northeast, 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:...
to the east, Phippsburg
Phippsburg, Maine
Phippsburg is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States, on the west side of the mouth of the Kennebec River. The population was 2,106 at the 2000 census. It is within the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical rea...
to the west, Arrowsic
Arrowsic, Maine
Arrowsic is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. During the French and Indian Wars, Arrowsic was site of a succession of important and...
to the northwest, and Woolwich
Woolwich, Maine
Woolwich is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,810 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
to the north.
Demographics
Census
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 1,020 people, 441 households, and 287 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 54.4 people per square mile (21.0/km²). There were 931 housing units at an average density of 49.7 per square mile (19.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.92% White, 0.10% African American, 0.49% 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 0.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 441 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% 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, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,813, and the median income for a family was $58,438. Males had a median income of $39,028 versus $24,792 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 $24,709. About 3.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Marsden HartleyMarsden HartleyMarsden Hartley was an American Modernist painter, poet, and essayist.-Early life and education:Hartley was born in Lewiston, Maine, where his English parents had settled. He was the youngest of nine children. His mother died when he was eight, and his father remarried four years later to Martha...
, artist - Dahlov IpcarDahlov IpcarDahlov Ipcar is an American painter, illustrator and author. She is best known for her colorful, kaleidoscopic-styled paintings featuring animals - primarily in either farm or wild settings...
, artist and children's author, daughter of Marguerite and William Zorach - Gaston LachaiseGaston LachaiseGaston Lachaise was an American sculptor of French birth, active in the early 20th century. A native of Paris, he was most noted for his female nudes such as Standing Woman.-Early life and education:...
, sculptor - Laura E. RichardsLaura E. RichardsLaura Elizabeth Howe Richards was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a high-profile family. During her life, she wrote over 90 books, including children's, biographies, poetry, and others. A well-known children's poem for which she is noted is the literary nonsense verse Eletelephony.Her father...
, children's author - Marguerite ZorachMarguerite ZorachMarguerite Zorach was an American fauvist painter, textile artist, and graphic designer and was an early exponent of modernism in America. She won the 1920 Logan Medal of the Arts.-Life:...
, artist - William ZorachWilliam ZorachWilliam Zorach was a Lithuanian-born American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and writer. He won the Logan Medal of the arts.-Life and career:...
, artist
Sites of interest
- Ledgemere Nature Preserve
- Georgetown Historical Society & Museum
- Josephine Newman Wildlife Sanctuary
- Perkins Island Light
- Reid State Park
- Seguin Island Light