Winslow, Maine

Winslow was originally an Indian settlement named Taconock. During King William's War, Major Benjamin Church led his third expedition east from Boston in 1692. During this expedition he and 450 troops raided the native villages at both Penobscot (Castine, Maine) and present-day Winslow.^[4]

Winslow was then settled by colonists from Plymouth Colony. The area was covered by the land patent given by the English Crown to Pilgrim governor William Bradford and his associates. The earliest settlers had such Old Colony and Pilgrim names as Winslow, Bradford, Warren, and Otis. Descendants of those early settlers can still be found in the town.^[5]

In 1754, Fort Halifax was built by order of the Massachusetts General Court on the peninsula at the confluence of the Sebasticook and Kennebec rivers. A settlement subsequently sprang up under its protection, and was named in honor of General John Winslow, of Marshfield, Massachusetts who had overseen the fort's construction. General Winslow was a descendant of Edward Winslow, a Pilgrim governor of Plymouth Colony who arrived on the Mayflower and founded the town of Marshfield. General Winslow lived in the mansion built in 1699 by his father, Isaac Winslow. The historic Winslow House still stands today in Marshfield and is on the National Register of Historic Places.^[5]

The Sebasticook and Kennebec rivers provided major early routes to transport food, goods, and more settlers. Benedict Arnold followed the Kennebec River north in 1775, stopping at Fort Halifax in Winslow on his ill-fated attempt to invade Canada. The Fort Halifax blockhouse, formerly the nation's oldest wooden structure of its type, was rebuilt after the original was swept down the Kennebec River by raging flood waters on April 1, 1987.

Thousands of Irish and French Canadian immigrants used the Old Canada Road (now a scenic byway) section of U.S. Route 201 during the 19th century to find seasonal or project employment, and later make the Kennebec River Valley region their home. Early Winslow settlers used water power for industrial development. Modern Winslow developed around the Hollingsworth & Whitney Company paper mill, located along the Kennebec River. The mill was later purchased by the Scott Paper Company, whose 1995 merger with Kimberly-Clark led to the factory's closure in 1997. Winslow's industrial decline started in the 1980s, although some small light industry still exists, and new businesses continue to move into the town. Despite this, the service sector remains limited. Today, Winslow is a bedroom community for some middle- and upper-middle-class families who work in nearby Waterville and Augusta.^[6]

Scenes from the 2005 miniseries Empire Falls, starring Paul Newman, Ed Harris, and Helen Hunt, and based on the 2001 book Empire Falls by Richard Russo, were shot in Winslow. The town is home to the state's largest 4 July fireworks display.

Geography

Winslow is located at 44°32′33″N 69°36′18″W / 44.542428°N 69.605101°W / 44.542428; -69.605101 (44.542428, -69.605101).^[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.67 square miles (100.15 km²), of which, 36.82 square miles (95.36 km²) of it is land and 1.85 square miles (4.79 km²) is water.^[1] Winslow is located at the confluence of the Sebasticook River with the Kennebec River.

The town is crossed by U.S. Route 201 and State Routes 11, 32, 100 and 137. It borders the towns of Benton to the north, Albion to the east, China to the southeast, Vassalboro to the south, and (across the Kennebec River) Waterville to the west.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	797		—
1800	1,250		56.8%
1810	658		−47.4%
1820	935		42.1%
1830	1,263		35.1%
1840	1,722		36.3%
1850	1,796		4.3%
1860	1,739		−3.2%
1870	1,437		−17.4%
1880	1,467		2.1%
1890	1,814		23.7%
1900	2,277		25.5%
1910	2,709		19.0%
1920	3,280		21.1%
1930	3,917		19.4%
1940	4,153		6.0%
1950	4,413		6.3%
1960	5,891		33.5%
1970	7,299		23.9%
1980	8,057		10.4%
1990	7,997		−0.7%
2000	7,743		−3.2%
2010	7,794		0.7%
Est. 2014	7,637	^[8]	−2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9]

Scott Paper mill (originally Hollingsworth & Whitney) 10 years after the Kimberly Clark closing

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 7,794 people, 3,328 households, and 2,183 families residing in the town. The population density was 211.7 inhabitants per square mile (81.7/km²). There were 3,692 housing units at an average density of 100.3 per square mile (38.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.0% White, 0.4% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 3,328 households of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.4% were non-families. 28.1% 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 2.84.

The median age in the town was 43.6 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 30% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 7,743 people, 3,268 households, and 2,212 families residing in the town. The population density was 210.1 people per square mile (81.1/km²). There were 3,591 housing units at an average density of 97.4 per square mile (37.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.05% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 4,268 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 26.8% 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 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83.

Fort Halifax c. 1905

In the town the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,580, and the median income for a family was $46,725. Males had a median income of $37,116 versus $25,429 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,501. About 3.7% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Winslow has a town council government. A town manager handles day-to-day affairs.

Education

Winslow is now part of AOS 92. Winslow has four school in the town which are the three public schools, as well as a Catholic grammar school. Winslow's school system is run by the superintendent of schools for AOS 92 which resides in the adjacent city of Waterville. Winslow High School completed in 2008 a 9,000,000 dollar renovation project. Winslow Elementary School houses grade ls PK-5. The middle school houses grades 6-8. The high school houses houses 9-12. There is no college

Sites of interest

Notable people

Sharon H. Abrams, executive director, Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers
Mike Cowan, golf caddy
Joshua Cushman, minister, US congressman
Charles Fletcher Johnson, US senator
Sharon Lee, science fiction author
Steve Miller, science fiction author
Frank Pooler, Wisconsin state legislator and businessman was in Winslow.^[11]
Thomas Rice, US congressman
Samuel Francis Smith, minister, author

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.
↑ The history of the great Indian war of 1675 and 1676, commonly called Philip ... By Benjamin Church, Thomas Church, Samuel Gardner Drake, p.212-214
1 2 Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. pp. 361–363.
↑ Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Winslow, Boston: Russell
↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
↑ "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.
↑ 'Wisconsin Blue Book 1882,' Biographical Sketch of Frank Pooler, pg. 550

External links

Municipalities and communities of Kennebec County, Maine, United States

County seat: Augusta

Cities	Augusta Gardiner Hallowell Waterville

Towns	Albion Belgrade Benton Chelsea China Clinton Farmingdale Fayette Litchfield Manchester Monmouth Mount Vernon Oakland Pittston Randolph Readfield Rome Sidney Vassalboro Vienna Wayne West Gardiner Windsor Winslow Winthrop

Unorganized territory	Unity

CDPs	Clinton Farmingdale Oakland Winthrop

Other villages	China Village East Vassalboro East Winthrop Libby Hill North Vassalboro South China

Kennebec River Watershed

Tributaries	Abagadasset River Carrabassett River Dead River East Branch Eastern River East Branch Moose River East Branch Sebasticook River Eastern River Lemon Stream Little River Moose River Moxie Falls North Branch Dead River Roach River Sandy River Sebasticook River South Branch Dead River South Branch Moose River South Branch Sandy River West Branch Carrabassett River West Branch Eastern River West Branch Moose River

Lakes	Annabessacook Lake Attean Pond Brassua Lake China Lake Cobbosseecontee Lake East Pond Embden Pond Enchanted Pond First Roach Pond Flagstaff Lake Great Moose Lake Great Pond Indian Pond Long Pond (Belgrade Lakes) Long Pond (Moose River) Maranacook Lake Messalonskee Lake Moosehead Lake Moxie Pond Narrows Pond North Pond Sebasticook Lake Staples Pond Unity Pond Wood Pond Wyman Dam

Towns	Albion Anson Athens Augusta Bath Belgrade Benton Bingham Burnham Chesterville China Clinton Corinna Detroit Dexter Embden Fairfield Farmingdale Farmington Gardiner Greenville Hallowell Harmony Hartland Jackman Kingfield Madison Manchester Monmouth Moscow New Portland New Sharon New Vineyard Newport Norridgewock Oakland Phillips Pittsfield Readfield Richmond Rockwood Rome Saint Albans Sidney Skowhegan Solon Smithfield Stratton Strong Unity Vassalboro Vienna Waterville Wilton Winslow Winthrop Woolwich

Landmarks	Mount Abraham Arnold Trail Augusta Memorial Bridge Bath Iron Works Bigelow Preserve Mount Bigelow Carlton Bridge Crocker Mountain Fort Halifax Harris Station Dam International Railway of Maine Kennebec Central Railroad Maine Kennebec Bridge Major Reuben Colburn House Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge Mount Redington Sagadahoc Bridge Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad Somerset and Kennebec Railroad Somerset Railroad Spaulding Mountain Sugarloaf Mountain Togus

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