Newry, Maine

Newry, Maine
Town

Newry, Maine Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 44°30′11″N 70°50′7″W / 44.50306°N 70.83528°W / 44.50306; -70.83528
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Oxford
Incorporated	1805
Area^[1]
• Total	61.55 sq mi (159.41 km²)
• Land	61.52 sq mi (159.34 km²)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km²)
Elevation	712 ft (217 m)
Population (2010)^[2]
• Total	329
• Estimate (2012^[3])	333
• Density	5.3/sq mi (2.0/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04261
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-49275
GNIS feature ID	0582623

Newry is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 329 at the 2010 census. Newry was the site of one of Maine's worst Cold War aircraft crashes. Newry is the home of Sunday River Ski Resort and has a proportionately large seasonal (winter) population.

History

Bear River in 1905

First called Sunday River Plantation, it was settled in 1781 by Benjamin Barker and his two brothers from Methuen, Massachusetts, together with Ithiel Smith of Cape Elizabeth.^[4] But the settlement was plundered in 1782 by Indians and abandoned. Then John J. Holmes of New Jersey purchased the land in 1794 with his sister's surname on the deed: Bostwick. On June 15, 1805, Bostwick Plantation was renamed by settlers that had come from Newry in what is now Northern Ireland.^[5]

The trade route (now Route 26) from Portland to Errol, New Hampshire, completed in 1802, passed through Newry. Farms were established on the intervales, which had excellent soil. Hay was the principal crop. Slopes of the mountains provided pasturage for grazing animals. A sawmill and gristmill were built on the Bear River, and by 1870 the population was 416. Today, Newry is noted as the home of Sunday River Ski Resort.^[6]

1960 KC-97 Stratotanker crash

Bear River Grange

At 2015 27 June 1960, a United States Air Force tanker of the 380th Air Refueling Squadron departed Plattsburgh AFB to refuel a Strategic Air Command bomber. The Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker rendezvoused with the B-47 Stratojet bomber at an altitude of 15,500 feet in the Fighting Fox aerial refueling area over Newry. As the bomber maneuvered into refueling position, a lubrication failure caused the tanker's outboard port engine supercharger impeller to disintegrate. Impeller fragments leaving the engine nacelle caused fuel leakage. The bomber observed ignition of the leaking fuel and broke away from formation. The tanker entered a gradual left turn which became a spiraling spin as the fire rapidly caused structural damage to the port wing. Seven miles away, three hundred people at a Rumford Point drive-in theater observed the tanker spin down with burning pieces flying off. The fuselage impacted a forested slope of granite boulders and caused a fireball seen fifty miles away in Lewiston, Maine. The port wing tip was found in Howard Pond three miles from the crash site. There were no survivors from the tanker's five-man crew.^[7] Wet vegetation limited spread of the fire, but fuel covered trees were completely consumed and the five acre hillside wreckage field was discernible for years amid the surrounding forest.

Newry murders

A 2012 TV episode, 'Sins and Secrets: Newry', told the story of a series of murders that happened at a local B&B in 2003. The convicted killer, charged in 2006 and now serving four consecutive life sentences, was a citizen of Newry.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 61.55 square miles (159.41 km²), of which, 61.52 square miles (159.34 km²) of it is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km²) is water.^[1] Newry is drained by the Bear River and Sunday River, which both flow into the Androscoggin River.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	202		—
1820	304		50.5%
1830	345		13.5%
1840	463		34.2%
1850	459		−0.9%
1860	474		3.3%
1870	416		−12.2%
1880	337		−19.0%
1890	343		1.8%
1900	286		−16.6%
1910	271		−5.2%
1920	254		−6.3%
1930	188		−26.0%
1940	167		−11.2%
1950	188		12.6%
1960	260		38.3%
1970	208		−20.0%
1980	235		13.0%
1990	316		34.5%
2000	344		8.9%
2010	329		−4.4%
Est. 2014	341	^[8]	3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9]

Artists' Covered Bridge (built in 1872)

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 329 people, 157 households, and 93 families residing in the town. The population density was 5.3 inhabitants per square mile (2.0/km²). There were 1,334 housing units at an average density of 21.7 per square mile (8.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.3% White, 1.2% Native American, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 157 households of which 17.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.62.

The median age in the town was 49.9 years. 14.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.1% were from 25 to 44; 41.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 53.2% male and 46.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 344 people, 142 households, and 90 families residing in the town. The population density was 5.6 people per square mile (2.2/km²). There were 1,075 housing units at an average density of 17.5 per square mile (6.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.26% White, 0.87% Native American, 0.29% Asian, and 0.58% from two or more races.

There were 142 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96.

Poplar Tavern c. 1918

In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 108.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $42,321, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $19,625 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,982. About 3.8% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

Artists' Covered Bridge (1872)
Step Falls Preserve
Sunday River Ski Resort
Grafton Notch State Park, just north of town

References

1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
↑ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 229.
↑ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson, ed. Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc. p. 365.
↑ Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Newry, Boston: Russell
↑ "REMEMBERING THE CREW OF KC-97G 52-2728". Peter Noddin. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newry, Maine.

Municipalities and communities of Oxford County, Maine, United States

County seat: Paris

Towns	Andover Bethel Brownfield Buckfield Byron Canton Denmark Dixfield Fryeburg Gilead Greenwood Hanover Hartford Hebron Hiram Lovell Mexico Newry Norway Otisfield Oxford Paris Peru Porter Roxbury Rumford Stoneham Stow Sumner Sweden Upton Waterford West Paris Woodstock

Plantations	Lincoln Plantation Magalloway Plantation

Unorganized territories	Milton North Oxford South Oxford

CDPs	Dixfield Fryeburg Mexico Norway Oxford Rumford South Paris

Other villages	Center Lovell Dickvale Kezar Falls North Waterford Waterford Flat

Androscoggin River Watershed

Tributaries	Alder River Bear River Cathance River Chickwolnepy Stream Clear Stream Concord River Cupsuptic River Dead Cambridge River Dead Diamond River Dead River (ME) Dead River (NH) Dead River (Sabattus) East Branch Cupsuptic River East Branch Dead Diamond River East Branch Nezinscot River East Branch Pleasant River East Branch Swift River Ellis River First East Branch Magalloway River Kennebago River Little Androscoggin River Little Dead Diamond River Little East Branch Cupsuptic River Little Magalloway River Little River Magalloway River Middle Branch Dead Diamond River Middle Branch Little Magalloway River Mollidgewock Brook Moose Brook Moose River Muddy River Nezinscot River Peabody River Pleasant River Rangeley River Rapid River Rattle River Sabattus River Sanborn River Second East Branch Magalloway River South Branch Little Dead Diamond River South Branch Sunday River Sunday River Swift Cambridge River Swift Diamond River Swift River Third East Branch Magalloway River Webb River West Branch Dead Diamond River West Branch Ellis River West Branch Little Dead Diamond River West Branch Little Magalloway River West Branch Magalloway River West Branch Nezinscot River West Branch Peabody River West Branch Pleasant River West Branch Swift River Wild River

Lakes	Akers Pond Androscoggin Lake Lake Auburn Aziscohos Lake Echo Lake Greenough Pond Mooselookmeguntic Lake Parker Pond Pontook Reservoir Rangeley Lake Richardson Lakes Thompson Lake Success Pond Umbagog Lake Webb Lake

Towns	Albany Andover Auburn Berlin Bethel Bowdoin Brunswick Buckfield Byron Cambridge Canton Carthage Chesterville Dixfield Dummer Durham Errol Fayette Gilead Gorham Greene Greenwood Hanover Hartford Hebron Jay Leeds Lewiston Lisbon Livermore Livermore Falls Mechanic Falls Mexico Minot Monmouth Mount Vernon Newry Norway Otisfield Oxford Paris Peru Pittsburg Poland Randolph Rangeley Readfield Roxbury Rumford Sabattus Shelburne Stewartstown Sumner Topsham Turner Upton Vienna Wales Wayne Weld Wentworth's Location West Paris Woodstock

Landmarks	Brown Company Maine Central Railroad Old Speck Mountain Rumford Mill St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad White Mountains

Coordinates: 44°29′14″N 70°47′13″W / 44.48722°N 70.78694°W / 44.48722; -70.78694

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