Brunswick, Maine

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Town of Brunswick
Federal Street
Town of Brunswick is located in Maine
Town of Brunswick
Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 43°54′39″N 69°57′47″W / 43.91083°N 69.96306°W / 43.91083; -69.96306
County Cumberland
Settled 1628
Incorporated (town) 1738
Area
 - Total 140.4 km2 (54.2 sq mi)
 - Land 121.2 km2 (46.8 sq mi)
Population (2000)
 - Total 21,172
 - Density 174.7/km2 (452.6/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 04011
Website www.brunswickme.org

Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,172 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and the Naval Air Station Brunswick.

Contents

[edit] History

Harriet Beecher Stowe House, where, between 1850 and 1852, Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin

Settled in 1628 by Thomas Purchase and other fishermen, the area was called by its Indian name, Pejepscot, meaning "the long, rocky rapids part [of the river]." In 1639, Purchase placed his settlement under protection of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During King Philip's War, Pejepscot in 1676 was burned and abandoned, although a garrison called Fort Andros was built on the ruins during King William's War. The Treaty of Portsmouth of 1713 then brought peace to the region between the Abenaki Indians and English settlements. [1]

In 1714, a consortium from Boston and Portsmouth bought the land, thereafter called the Pejepscot Purchase. The Massachusetts General Court constituted the township in 1717, naming it Brunswick in honor of the House of Brunswick and its scion, King George I. A stone fort called Fort George was built in 1715 near the falls. But on July 13, 1722, warriors from Norridgewock burned the village. Consequently, Governor Samuel Shute declared war on the Abenakis. In 1724, 208 English troops left Fort Richmond and sacked Norridgewock during Dummer's War. Brunswick was again rebuilt in 1727, and in 1738 incorporated a town. It became a prosperous seaport, where Bowdoin College would be chartered in 1794.[1]

Cabot Mfg. Co. and falls c. 1912

The Androscoggin River falls in 3 successive stages over a distance of 41 feet, providing water power for industry. Brunswick became a major producer of lumber, with as many as 25 sawmills. Some of the lumber went into shipbuilding. Other firms produced paper, soap, flour, marble and granite work, carriages and harness, plows, furniture, shoes and confections. The town was site of the first cotton mill in Maine, the Brunswick Cotton Manufactory Company, built in 1809 to make yarn. Purchased in 1812, the mill was enlarged by the Maine Cotton & Woolen Factory Company. In 1857, the Cabot Manufacturing Company was established to make cotton textiles. It bought the failed Warumbo Manufacturing Company and expanded the brick factory along the falls. Needing even more room, the company in 1890 persuaded the town to move Maine Street.

Brunswick today has a number of historic districts recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Pennellville Historic District, to preserve shipbuilders' and sea captains' mansions built in the Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate architectural styles. Principal employers for Brunswick include Naval Air Station Brunswick, L.L. Bean, Bath Iron Works, as well as companies that produce fiberglass construction material and electrical switches. A number of health services providers serving Maine's mid-coast area are located in Brunswick.

The book Uncle Tom's Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe while she was living in Brunswick because her husband was a professor at Bowdoin. She got a key vision for the book in the First Parish Church. A scene in the 1993 movie The Man Without a Face was filmed in the town.

Captain John Curtis Memorial Library c. 1915

Class of 1903 Gates at Bowdoin c. 1920

Massachusetts Hall at Bowdoin in 1907

Merrymeeting Park Casino c. 1905

[edit] Notable residents

Bowdoin College Museum of Art c. 1912

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 54.2 square miles (140.4 km²), of which, 46.8 square miles (121.2 km²) of it is land and 7.4 square miles (19.3 km²) of it (13.72%) is water. Brunswick is located at the head of Casco Bay, as well as the head of tide and head of navigation on the Androscoggin River.

The town is crossed by I-95.svg Interstate 295, US 1.svg U.S. Route 1 and US 201 (wide).svg 201, and MA Route 24.svg Maine State Route 24, MA Route 123.svg Maine State Route 123 and MA Route 196.svgMaine State Route 196.

[edit] Neighboring cities and towns

Durham Topsham Bath
Durham North West Bath
West   Brunswick    East
South
Freeport Harpswell Phippsburg

[edit] Demographics

House where author Nathaniel Hawthorne, Class of 1825, roomed while enrolled at Bowdoin College
See also: Brunswick (CDP), Maine

As of the census[2][page needed] of 2000, there were 21,172 people, 8,150 households, and 5,150 families residing in the town. The population density was 452.6 people per square mile (174.7/km²). There were 8,720 housing units at an average density of 186.4/sq mi (72.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.35% White, 1.71% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.62% of the population.

There were 8,150 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95.

House where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Class of 1825, roomed

In the town the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,402, and the median income for a family was $49,088. Males had a median income of $32,141 versus $24,927 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,322. About 5.0% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

[edit] Sites of interest

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England; Boston, Massachusetts 1859
  2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

[edit] Further reading

Search Wikisource Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Brunswick (Maine).

[edit] External links

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County seat: Portland
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Coordinates: 43°54′39″N 69°57′47″W / 43.91083°N 69.96306°W / 43.91083; -69.96306

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