Bucksport, Maine

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Bucksport, Maine
Bucksport from Fort Knox
Bucksport from Fort Knox
Motto: Rich in heritage, looking to the future.
Country United States
State Maine
County Hancock
Incorporated 1792
Area
 - Total 56.5 sq mi (146.2 km²)
 - Land 51.6 sq mi (133.5 km²)
 - Water 4.9 sq mi (12.7 km²)
Population (2000)
 - Total 4,908
 - Density 95.2/sq mi (36.8/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 04416
Area code(s) 207
Website: www.bucksport.biz

Bucksport is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,908 at the 2000 census. Bucksport is a historic town across the Penobscot River from Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, which recently replaced the Waldo-Hancock Bridge.

Contents

[edit] History

Once territory of the Tarrantine (now called Penobscot) Abenaki Indians, it was one of six townships granted by the Massachusetts General Court to Deacon David Marsh of Haverhill, Massachusetts and 351 others. Colonel Jonathan Buck and a number of the grantees arrived in 1762 to survey the land, then returned to Haverhill. In June of 1763, Buck came back to settle permanently what was known as Plantation No. 1, building a sawmill on Mill Creek, as well as a house and store. By 1775 the plantation had 21 families. Legend holds that Buck voraciously consumed a witch with his teeth, and her phallus's outline is forever cursed to be on his granite monument.[1]

During the Revolutionary War, the British military built Fort George at Castine. On April 14, 1779, the stronghold became the site of a major American naval defeat called the Penobscot Expedition. The following day, when most of Plantation No. 1 was deserted, the 16-gun Royal navy sloop HMS Nautilus anchored at the harbor. Its crew burned the town, sparing only those remaining inhabitants who swore allegiance to the Crown. But following the peace treaty of 1783, the town was resettled and called Buckstown Plantation after its founder. Incorporated on June 27, 1792 as Buckstown, it was renamed Bucksport in 1817. The town was occupied by the British during the War of 1812. In 1851, the East Maine Conference Seminary was opened by the Methodist Church as a preparatory school, but closed in 1933 when Bucksport opened its first public secondary school.

The town's surface is uneven, with ponds and streams. Farmers grew hay and potatoes. Shipbuilding, however, would become the principal occupation. Many worked at fisheries, sailing to the Grand Banks for their catch. Other industries produced lumber, ships' pumps, blocks, plugs, wedges and wheels, boats, barrels, carriages, leather, boots and shoes and stone work. In 1874, the Bucksport and Bangor Railroad was completed. It provided Bangor with shipping access to Penobscot Bay during winter months when the Penobscot River froze. The Maine Seaboard Paper Company in 1930 opened the Bucksport Mill, a paper mill with 2 machines which manufactured 300 tons of newsprint per day. Now it is owned by International Paper, and has 4 machines with a capacity to manufacture 482,800 tons annually. The factory produces lightweight coated paper used in such publications as Time Magazine and the L. L. Bean catalog.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.5 square miles (146.2 km²), of which, 51.6 square miles (133.5 km²) of it is land and 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it (8.68%) is water. Located at the head of Penobscot Bay, Bucksport is drained by the Penobscot River. It includes Silver Lake, a recreation, fishing and birdwatching site.

The town is crossed by U. S. Route 1 and state routes 3, 15 and 46. It borders the towns of Orrington and Holden to the north, Dedham and Orland to the east, and (separated by the Penobscot River) Verona to the south, and Prospect, Frankfort and Winterport to the west.

[edit] Demographics

See also: Bucksport (CDP), Maine

East Maine Conference Seminary in c. 1907; at right is its first building, Wilson Hall, erected in 1851
East Maine Conference Seminary in c. 1907; at right is its first building, Wilson Hall, erected in 1851

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 4,908 people, 2,049 households, and 1,360 families residing in the town. The population density was 95.2 people per square mile (36.8/km²). There were 2,282 housing units at an average density of 44.3/sq mi (17.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.06% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.

There were 2,049 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87.

Bucksport National Bank, c. 1910
Bucksport National Bank, c. 1910

In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,812, and the median income for a family was $41,818. Males had a median income of $35,067 versus $22,739 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,587. About 9.4% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Sites of interest

[edit] Gallery

Bucksport from the top of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge

[edit] References

  1. ^ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). in Doris A. Isaacson: Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc., 266-269. 
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links


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