Berwick (town), Maine

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Berwick is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,353 at the 2000 census. It is situated beside the Salmon Falls River.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Salmon Falls River in 1921

Originally part of Kittery, Berwick was settled in about 1631. It was variously called the "Parish of Unity," "Kittery Commons" or "Kittery North Parish." "Unity" (Berwick) was populated with Scots prisoners of war captured at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650, then force-marched to Durham Cathedral in Durham, England. Tried for treason for supporting Charles I rather than Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector, they were shipped in a vessel called "Unity" to Massachusetts, where they were sold into slavery to work the Great Works sawmill until able to pay for their freedom. George Gray, of Lanark, Scotland, was among 150 prisoners who endured this ordeal, live to fight and protect his family and his lands during the King Phillips war and died in "Unity" (Berwick) in 1693. His descendants would populate other areas of Maine, notably Deer Isle and Stonington.

The community was attacked by Indians in 1675 at the advent of King Philip's War, and then through the French and Indian Wars. In raids of 1690-1691, it was burned and abandoned. It would be resettled in 1703 and called "Newichawannock," its Abenaki name. In 1713, it incorporated as "Berwick," the ninth oldest town in Maine, named after Berwick-upon-Tweed, England. The first schoolhouse in the state was built here in 1719. Berwick was once considerably larger in size, but South Berwick was set off in 1814, followed by North Berwick in 1831. Lumbering was a principal early industry. In the 19th century, Berwick enjoyed a symbiotic economic relationship with Somersworth, New Hampshire, the mill town to which it is connected by bridge across the Salmon Falls River.

Notable Inhabitants:

John Sullivan, general

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 97.3 km² (37.6 mi²). 96.1 km² (37.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.22%) is water. Berwick is drained by the Salmon Falls River.

[edit] Demographics

This article describes the town of Berwick as a whole. Additional demographic detail is available which describes the central settlement within the town, although that detail is included in the aggregate values reported here. See: Berwick (CDP), Maine.

Sullivan Square in c. 1906

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 6,353 people, 2,319 households, and 1,723 families residing in the town. The population density was 66.1/km² (171.1/mi²). There were 2,414 housing units at an average density of 25.1/km² (65.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.31% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 2,319 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.15.

Sullivan High School in c. 1925

In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $44,629, and the median income for a family was $53,776. Males had a median income of $36,329 versus $24,911 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,988. About 6.9% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.