Hallowell, Maine

Hallowell, Maine
—  City  —
Hallowell circa 1905
Seal
Hallowell, Maine Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 44°17′12″N 69°47′52″W
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Kennebec
Incorporated	1771
Area
• Total	6.1 sq mi (15.8 km2)
• Land	5.9 sq mi (15.2 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	39 ft (12 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,467
• Density	420.1/sq mi (162.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04347
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-30550
GNIS feature ID	0567519
Website	www.hallowell.govoffice.com

Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census.

History

The city is named for Benjamin Hallowell, a Boston merchant and one of the Kennebec Proprietors, holders of land originally granted to the Plymouth Company by the British monarchy in the 1620s.

First to settle here was Deacon Pease Clark, who emigrated with his wife and son Peter from Attleborough, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1762. Legend has it that after disembarking on the west side of the Kennebec, near present-day Water Street, the Clarks took shelter in their overturned cart. On a riverfront lot measuring 50 rods (275 yards, about 250 meters), the Clark family raised corn, rye and other crops. The land on which the fire department now stands was the first to be cleared.

In 1797, the modern city of Augusta split from Hallowell to be a separate town. The part of Hallowell that is the current city was then known as "The Hook". Today, the city's population (2,467) is only slightly smaller than it was in 1820, the year Maine seceded from Massachusetts and became a state. Yet 183 years ago, Hallowell's inhabitants enjoyed the services of 71 stores along Water Street (by contrast, Augusta had a population of 1,000 and just 20 merchants). Thriving industries included shipbuilding (between 1783 and 1901, 50 ships were launched from Hallowell's wharves), trading, publishing and logging. Two grist mills, five sawmills and two slaughterhouses served the needs of residents near and far.

In 1815, the first granite quarried near the Manchester town line signaled the birth of an industry that would support Hallowell until 1908, when cement displaced stone as the construction material of choice. In 1826, the ice industry began in earnest, employing thousands over the next 75 years. Frozen blocks loaded onto Hallowell's schooners travelled as far as Cuba and the West Indies. Other local products exported via the Kennebec (and, after 1857, by train) from Hallowell included sandpaper, textiles, rope, linseed oil, oilcloth, wire, books and shoes.

While the Kennebec River sustained the city from its inception, this mighty freeway also inspired fear. Spring floods terrorized shopkeepers and sometimes brought commerce to a standstill. Worse still, citizens eager to cross the river and unwary children skating and playing too far from the riverbank lost their lives when ice turned out to be thinner than it looked. The cold wreaked havoc in other ways, as well: On July 9, 1816, a freak frost destroyed crops and forced hungry families to sell their farms for half their worth.

Geography

Hallowell is located at 44°17′12″N 69°47′52″W (44.286802, -69.797884).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (16 km²), of which, 5.9 square miles (15 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (3.76%) is water. Drained by Vaughn Brook, Hallowell is bounded by the Kennebec River.

The city is crossed by Interstate 95, as well as state routes 27 and 201. It borders the towns of Farmingdale to the south, Manchester to the west, Augusta to the north, and Chelsea across the Kennebec River to the east.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,467 people, 1,145 households, and 604 families residing in the city. The population density was 420.1 people per square mile (162.3/km²). There were 1,243 housing units at an average density of 211.7 per square mile (81.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.20% White, 0.41% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.

There were 1,145 households out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,058, and the median income for a family was $50,643. Males had a median income of $32,199 versus $26,531 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,457. About 3.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Hallowell, along with Farmingdale, Maine, is served by the Hall-Dale School System, which is part of the Kennebec Intra-District Schools (KIDS) Regional School Unit 2, which joins the towns of Dresden, Farmingdale, Hallowell, Monmouth, and Richmond.

Hallowell and Farmingdale operate 3 schools:

• Hall-Dale Elementary School (PK-5) 389 students, Hallowell
• Hall-Dale Middle School (6-8) 201 students, Farmingdale
• Hall-Dale High School (9-12) 349 students, Farmingdale

Site of interest

• Elm Hill Farm
• Gaslight Theater
• Hallowell Historic District
• Hubbard Free Library
• Kennebec Ice Arena
• Liberal Cup Microbrewery
• Powder House Lot
• Row House
• St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
• Vaughan Homestead

Notable people

• Gorham Dummer Abbott, Clergyman, Educator and Author
• Jacob Abbott, Children's writer
• George Baron, Mathematician
• Hiram Belcher, Congressman
• Supply Belcher, Composer, Singer, and compiler of tune books
• Joseph R. Bodwell, 40th Governor of Maine
• Elias Bond, Missionary and Teacher
• George Evans, Politician
• William H. Getchell, 19th-century Photographer
• John Hubbard, 22nd Governor of Maine
• Thomas Hamlin Hubbard, General, Lawyer, Philanthropist and Financier
• Hall J. Kelley, American settler and writer
• William Ladd, Ladd & Company founder
• Dale McCormick, first openly gay member of the Maine State Legislature
• Patrick K. McGowan, Politician
• Samuel Vaughn Merrick, Manufacturer
• Amos Nourse, Doctor and U.S. Senator
• John Otis, Congressman
• Howard Parshley, Zoologist
• Thomas Sewall, Doctor, Writer and Professor
• Peleg Sprague, US Federal Judge
• Amos Stoddard, served in the American Revolutionary War and The War of 1812
• Benjamin Vaughan, Political Economist, Merchant and Doctor
• Charlie Waitt, Baseball Player
• Samuel Wells, 25th Governor of Maine
• Reuel Williams, Senator

External links

• City of Hallowell, Maine
• Hubbard Free Library
• Kennebec Historical Society
• Hallowell Area Board of Trade and local businesses, Hallowell
• Maine.gov -- Hallowell, Maine