Hancock, Maine
Encyclopedia
Hancock is a town in Hancock County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 2,147 at the 2000 census. Located on the mainland at the head of Frenchman Bay
, Hancock has commanding views of Mount Desert Island
.
. Formed from portions of Sullivan
, Trenton
and Plantation No. 8, the town was incorporated by the state legislature on February 21, 1828 and named for John Hancock
. It had two water power sites to operate mills
-- the Kilkenny and Egypt streams. There was one gristmill
, four shingle
mills and four lath
mills. Other products included staves
, lumber
, boot
s, shoes
, wagon
s and sleighs. Many inhabitants were engaged in seafaring, particularly fishing
at the Grand Banks
.
, the town has a total area of 38.7 square miles (100.2 km²).29.8 square miles (77.2 km²) of it is land and 8.8 square miles (22.8 km²) of it (22.85%) is water. Drained by the Kilkenny Stream and Egypt Stream, Hancock is situated on Skillings River, Taunton Bay and Frenchman Bay
, part of the Atlantic Ocean
.
The town is crossed by U. S. Route 1
and State Route 182. It borders the towns of Lamoine
to the south, Ellsworth
to the west, T8 SD to the north, Franklin
to the east, and (separated by water) is near Sullivan
and Sorrento
to the southeast.
of 2000, there were 2,147 people, 927 households, and 596 families residing in the town. The population density
was 72.0 people per square mile (27.8/km²). There were 1,200 housing units at an average density of 40.2 per square mile (15.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.39% White, 0.33% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races
, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.
There were 927 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% 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 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,778, and the median income for a family was $36,855. Males had a median income of $27,448 versus $21,031 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,339. About 6.9% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Hancock County, Maine
Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 54,418. Its county seat is Ellsworth. It was incorporated on June 25, 1789...
, 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 2,147 at the 2000 census. Located on the mainland at the head of Frenchman Bay
Frenchman Bay
Frenchman Bay is a bay in Hancock County, Maine, named for Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer who visited the area in 1604....
, Hancock has commanding views of Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island , in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 6th largest island in the contiguous United States. Though it is often claimed to be the third largest island on the eastern seaboard of the United States, it is actually second...
.
History
It was first settled in 1766 by Philip and S. Hodgkins from GeorgetownGeorgetown, Maine
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...
. Formed from portions of Sullivan
Sullivan, Maine
Sullivan is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2000 census. The town was named for Daniel Sullivan, an early settler.-Geography:...
, Trenton
Trenton, Maine
Trenton is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States, near Acadia National Park. The population was 1,370 at the 2000 census. Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport is located in Trenton....
and Plantation No. 8, the town was incorporated by the state legislature on February 21, 1828 and named for John Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
. It had two water power sites to operate 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 :...
-- the Kilkenny and Egypt streams. There was one 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 :...
, four 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 and four lath
Lath
A lath is a thin, narrow strip of some straight-grained wood or other material, including metal or gypsum. A lattice, or lattice-work, is a criss-crossed or interlaced arrangement of laths, or the pattern made by such an arrangement...
mills. Other products included 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...
, 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....
, 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, shoes
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
, wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
s and sleighs. Many inhabitants were engaged in seafaring, particularly 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....
at the Grand Banks
Grand Banks
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a group of underwater plateaus southeast of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. These areas are relatively shallow, ranging from in depth. The cold Labrador Current mixes with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream here.The mixing of these waters...
.
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 38.7 square miles (100.2 km²).29.8 square miles (77.2 km²) of it is land and 8.8 square miles (22.8 km²) of it (22.85%) is water. Drained by the Kilkenny Stream and Egypt Stream, Hancock is situated on Skillings River, Taunton Bay and Frenchman Bay
Frenchman Bay
Frenchman Bay is a bay in Hancock County, Maine, named for Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer who visited the area in 1604....
, 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...
.
The town is crossed by U. S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maine
In the U.S. state of Maine, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway serving the eastern part of the state. It parallels the Atlantic Ocean from New Hampshire north through Portland, Brunswick, and Belfast to Calais, and then the St. Croix River and the rest of the Canadian border...
and State Route 182. It borders the towns of Lamoine
Lamoine, Maine
Lamoine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The town was named for DeLamoine, an early landowner. The word "La moine" is French and translates to "The Least." The population was 1,495 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
to the south, Ellsworth
Ellsworth, Maine
Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Maine, United States. The 2010 Census determined it had a population of 7,741. Ellsworth was Maine's fastest growing city from 2000-2010 with a growth rate of nearly 20 percent...
to the west, T8 SD to the north, Franklin
Franklin, Maine
Franklin is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,370 at the 2000 census. The first settler in 1764, was Moses Butler, for whom Butler's Point is named...
to the east, and (separated by water) is near Sullivan
Sullivan, Maine
Sullivan is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2000 census. The town was named for Daniel Sullivan, an early settler.-Geography:...
and Sorrento
Sorrento, Maine
Sorrento is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 290 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
to the southeast.
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 2,147 people, 927 households, and 596 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 72.0 people per square mile (27.8/km²). There were 1,200 housing units at an average density of 40.2 per square mile (15.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.39% White, 0.33% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.14% 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 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.
There were 927 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% 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 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,778, and the median income for a family was $36,855. Males had a median income of $27,448 versus $21,031 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 $17,339. About 6.9% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
- The town is home to the Hancock Grammar school.
- The town is also home to the Pierre Monteux SchoolPierre Monteux SchoolThe Pierre Monteux School for conductors and orchestra musicians, founded by the famous conductor Pierre Monteux, is a 6-week summer orchestra program located in Hancock, Maine. After Monteux's death, Maestro Charles Bruck took over leadership of the school. His protege, Michael Jinbo, is the...
for Conductors and Orchestra Musicians.