Perkins Township, Maine
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Swan Island Historic District | |
 Ferry from Richmand to Swan Island (ca. 1900) | |
| Nearest city | Richmond, Maine |
|---|---|
| Area | 1,500 acres (610 ha) |
| Built | 1763 |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Federal, Late Victorian |
| NRHP Reference # | 95001461[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 14, 1995 |
Perkins Township (Swan Island) is an unorganized territory in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. Originally incorporated as the town of Perkins, it has been uninhabited since being abandoned by the 1940s. The township comprises Swan Island, Little Swan Island and some tidal flats - all within the Kennebec River between the towns of Richmond and Dresden, Maine.
The Swan Island Historic District (Perkins Township Historic District) comprises much of the township with 8 buildings, 5 structures and 1,500 acres (6.1 km2). Some of the buildings date to the 1750s. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The town of Perkins was incorporated in the mid-19th century and then disincorporated in 1918, becoming Perkins Township, its legal name. Its population was 0 at the 2010 census.[2]
The township is managed by the Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife as the Steve Powell Wildlife Management Area. This web page provides information on public access - which is restricted. Swan Island is known for its abundant wildlife.
History
During the 19th century, the town of Perkins was a community of almost 100 residents who under-took shipbuilding, farming and ice harvesting. The island also attracted summer residents who built summer homes, and its most famous summer resident was Thomas Handasyd Perkins. The town was named for him when it was incorporated in the mid-19th century, after he paid for incorporation.
Besides town government the town also had a schoolhouse and cemetery. However the town was disincorporated in 1918, so it became a township managed by the state. By the mid-1940s the Great Depression and ongoing pollution of the Kennebec River led to the decline of the island's industries and the island was abandoned.
Little was done until the 1990s when efforts were made to protect some of the buildings, a process that is ongoing.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Swan Island has a total area of 9.7 km² (3.7 mi²). 5.8 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is land and 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²) of it (40.37%) is water.[2]
References
- ↑ Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- 1 2 "2010 Census Gazetteer Files - County Subdivisions: Maine". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Swan Island, Maine. |
- Friends of Swan Island (Link inactive as of April 25, 2016) A non-profit volunteer group dedicated to helping preserve Swan Island's historic homesteads.
- Swan Island at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
- Maine Genealogy: Perkins Township, Sagadahoc County, Maine
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Coordinates: 44°02′46″N 69°48′06″W / 44.04611°N 69.80167°W