Vassalboro, Maine
| Vassalboro, Maine | |
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| — Town — | |
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 Vassalboro, Maine
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| Coordinates: 44°25′15″N 69°38′30″W / 44.42083°N 69.64167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Kennebec |
| Incorporated | 1771 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 47.8 sq mi (123.8 km2) |
| • Land | 44.3 sq mi (114.7 km2) |
| • Water | 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 131 ft (40 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 4,047 |
| • Density | 91.4/sq mi (35.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 04989 |
| Area code(s) | 207 |
| FIPS code | 23-78745 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0582778 |
| Website | www.vassalboro.net |
Vassalboro is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,047 at the 2000 Census. Vassalboro includes the villages of South Vassalboro, North Vassalboro, and East Vassalboro, home to the town library and sports field.
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[edit] History
The town of Vassalboro was named for one of the proprietors of the Maine settlement, William Vassal (or Vassall), a descendant of one of the original patentees (and later deputy) of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and a wealthy merchant who eventually became a controversial Loyalist.[1] Other historians believe the town derives its name from the original Massachusetts proprietor William Vassal himself, who clashed with John Winthrop so frequently that he removed himself to the town of Scituate,[2] where he soon found himself embroiled in ecclesiastical controversy once again,[3] prompting his move after a decade to Barbados, where he died.[4]
On March 2, 1770, William Vassall, one of Vassalboro's early proprietors, conveyed to his niece Mary Prescott of Nova Scotia Lot Number 5 in Vassalboro, one of the so-called "Proprietor's Lots" reserved for the town's founders.[5] Niece Prescott sold the lot nine months later to a citizen of Hallowell.[6]
The William Vassal who conveyed the Proprietor's Lot was likely the same merchant who graduated from Harvard College, served as sheriff of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, but was forced to flee to England at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.[7] From the safety of his adopted home in Battersea, Surrey, England following the conclusion of hostilities, Loyalist Vassall sold off the rest of his considerable American holdings.[8]
The Revere House in East Vassalboro was once the home of Alexander Graham Bell. The Vassalboro Historical Society resides in the old school house near the East Vassalboro China Lake landing. The East Vassalboro Grange hosts a seasonal farmers market on Fridays 2-6 pm at the grange and the annual library book sale in the fall.
The Vassalboro rec fields on Bog hosts sports events and teams and has a newly opened walking trail which includes portions of the old Wiscassett Trolly line.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.8 square miles (124 km2), of which, 44.3 square miles (115 km2) of it is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) of it (7.35%) is water. Drained by Seven Mile Brook, Vassalboro is bounded on the west by the Kennebec River.
The town is served by U.S. Route 201 and U.S. Route 202, in addition to state routes 3, 9, 32 and 100. It borders the towns of China to the east, Augusta to the south, Winslow to the north, and across the Kennebec River, Sidney to the west.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 2,052 |
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| 1900 | 2,062 | 0.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,107 | 2.2% | |
| 1920 | 1,815 | −13.9% | |
| 1930 | 1,936 | 6.7% | |
| 1940 | 1,981 | 2.3% | |
| 1950 | 2,261 | 14.1% | |
| 1960 | 2,446 | 8.2% | |
| 1970 | 2,618 | 7.0% | |
| 1980 | 3,410 | 30.3% | |
| 1990 | 3,679 | 7.9% | |
| 2000 | 4,047 | 10.0% | |
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 4,047 people, 1,549 households, and 1,138 families residing in the town. The population density was 91.4 people per square mile (35.3/km²). There were 1,838 housing units at an average density of 41.5 per square mile (16.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.62% White, 0.15% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 1,549 households out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 19.0% 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 2.60 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,923, and the median income for a family was $40,192. Males had a median income of $31,859 versus $21,299 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,281. About 8.3% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
- The town is home to Vasssalboro Community School, which is attended by approximately 550 students
[edit] Sites of interest
- Grand View Topless Coffee Shop, recently opened and featured widely in the media
- Vassalboro Historical Society & Museum
[edit] Notable people
- Holman Day, author, editor
- Henry H. Goddard, psychologist, eugenicist
- Alfred Atmore Pope, industrialist, art collector
[edit] References
- ^ The Maine Book, Henry Ernest Dunnack, Augusta, Maine, 1920
- ^ Documentary History of the State of Maine, Vol. XIV, James Phinney Baxter, LeFavor-Tower Company, Portland, Me., 1910
- ^ History of Scituate, Massachusetts, Samuel Deane, James Loring, Boston, 1831
- ^ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. pp. 332–333. http://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&dq=A%20History%20and%20Description%20of%20New%20England%20Coolidge%20Mansfield&pg=PA332#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Vassalboro, Boston: Russell, http://history.rays-place.com/me/vassaloboro-me.htm
- ^ The Maine Book, Henry Ernest Dunnack, Augusta, Maine, Augusta, Maine 1920
- ^ The Loyalists of Massachusetts and The Other Side of the American Revolution, James H. Stark, The Salem Press Company, Salem, Massachusetts, 1910
- ^ Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Vol. V, Published by the Society, Boston, 1878
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
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