Bristol, Maine
Encyclopedia
Bristol is a town
in Lincoln County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 2,644 at the 2000 census. A fishing
and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor
, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site
, a U.S. National Historic Landmark
. During much of the seventeenth century, Bristol was the most northern settlement of New England
. (Castine, Maine
was the southern most Acadian
settlement.)
, early Bristol was one of the most important and embattled frontier
settlements in the province. Beginning with seasonal fishing, as early as 1625 the English
established at Pemaquid Point a year-round trading post
for fur trading. In 1631, the area was granted as the Pemaquid Patent by the Plymouth Council
to Robert Aldsworth and Gyles Elbridge, merchants from Bristol, England
.
fort were constructed.
In 1632, Pemaquid was raided and plundered by the pirate, Dixie Bull
.
The Great Colonial Hurricane
on August 15, 1635 sank the galleon
Angel Gabriel
while anchored off the settlement, drowning some crew and passengers.
In 1664, the Duke of York
(the future King James II
) claimed Pemaquid was within his patent, which also included Sagadahoc
and recently acquired New Amsterdam
. To help anglicize the latter into New York City
, Governor Sir Edmund Andros
had some of its Dutch
inhabitants transported to Pemaquid, now called Jamestown for its royal owner. By 1665, the village had approximately 30 houses.
, in 1676 Indians attacked and burned English
settlements up the coast, including Pemaquid.
The following year, a new wooden defense called Fort Charles
was built.
- the first of four French and Indian Wars
- Fort Charles and the village were attacked and destroyed in 1689 by the French from Castine, Maine
. The inhabitants of Pemaquid were either killed or taken prisoner.
ordered construction of Fort William Henry
, named after King William III of England
. This time built of stone.
On August 14–15, 1696, the famous Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
captured and destroyed the fort along with a combined force of French
and Indians from present-day Castine
. Commander of the fort, Captain Pascoe Chubb surrendered the fort. Iberville killed three of the soldiers and sent the other ninety-two back to Boston. In response to this raid Benjamin Church was sent from Boston to attack Acadia
.
(formerly owned by a Colonel Stephen Minot) in Pemaquid. The pirate sloop had come from Monhegan
to the south, where on April 29, the Snow (a type of two masted vessel)
Anne arrived. The "Anne" had originally been captured off the Virginia Capes
in April by the pirate Samuel Bellamy
in the Whydah
, which wrecked in a storm on the night of April 26, 1717 off of Cape Cod. The Anne made it through the storm with another captured vessel, the Fisher (which was soon abandoned and the pirates aboard her transferred to the Anne). The pirates arrived at Monhegan on April 29, and waited for the Whydah, for the pirates had not see or hear about the Whydah wrecking in the storm of the night of April 26. The pirates eventually realized the Whydah was lost, and proceeded to attack vessels in the area, including Matinicus Island
(which is where the sloop the pirates used at Pemaquid was captured from). The attack at Pemaquid was described in a deposition as follows:
"...[the pirates] went after Capt. Carr's sloop, lying at Pemaquid, which they alsoe took a little distance from said Pemaquid, but finding the Mast and Bowspreat not serviceable [to repair the snow] they left her there, and brought the Master thereof aboard the Snow then at Menhagen [Monhegan]..."
The pirates soon left the area, abandoning all the other vessels (including the Anne) they had captured and most of their prisoners at Matinicus on or about May 9, 1717 on Minot's sloop.
, the location was a rendezvous for returned inhabitants of Pemaquid and vicinity.
Colonel David Dunbar, Surveyor-General of the King's Woods, rebuilt the fort in 1729-1730, renaming it Fort Frederick
. He renamed the town Harrington after the Earl of Harrington
, who had helped arrange the 1729 Treaty of Seville.
.
. The state acquired the site in 1902, and in 1908 rebuilt the tower of Fort William Henry under guidance of historian John Henry Cartland, using many original stones. In 1993, the site was designated a National Historic Landmark
.
During the War of 1812
, the waters off Pemaquid Point saw the capture of HMS Boxer
by the USS Enterprise
on September 5, 1813. The town would set off land to create Nobleboro
in 1788, Bremen
in 1828, Damariscotta
in 1848 and South Bristol
in 1915. Today, Bristol is a popular tourist destination.
, the town has a total area of 62.5 square miles (161.9 km²), of which, 35.5 square miles (91.9 km²) of it is land and 27 square miles (69.9 km²) of it (43.23%) is water. Bristol is situated on the Pemaquid Peninsula, which extends into the Gulf of Maine
and Atlantic Ocean
.
of 2010, there were 2,755 people. As of 2000, 1,203 households, and 801 families residing in the town. The population density
was 74.6 people per square mile (28.8/km²). There were 2,290 housing units at an average density of 64.6 per square mile (24.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.05% White, 0.11% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.04% from other races
, and 0.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.23% of the population.
There were 1,203 households out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples
living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.64.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,400, and the median income for a family was $45,184. Males had a median income of $31,627 versus $19,800 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $21,821. About 3.3% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Maine
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 34,457. Its county seat is Wiscasset. It was founded in 1760 and named after the English city Lincoln. At its founding, it accounted for three-fifths of the State's land, and stretched east to Nova...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,644 at the 2000 census. A fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor
New Harbor, Maine
New Harbor is a small coastal village in the town of Bristol, in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. It is the home of Pemaquid Lighthouse and Fort William Henry....
, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site
Pemaquid Archeological Site
Pemaquid Archeological Site, also known as Pemaquid Restoration and Museum or ME 058-1, is an archeological site and park near or at Pemaquid Beach in Bristol, Maine....
, a U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. During much of the seventeenth century, Bristol was the most northern settlement of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. (Castine, Maine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
was the southern most Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
settlement.)
History
Once territory of the Wawenock (or Walinakiak, meaning "People of the Bay") Abenaki IndiansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, early Bristol was one of the most important and embattled frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
settlements in the province. Beginning with seasonal fishing, as early as 1625 the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
established at Pemaquid Point a year-round trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
for fur trading. In 1631, the area was granted as the Pemaquid Patent by the Plymouth Council
Plymouth Council for New England
The Plymouth Council for New England was the name of a 17th century English joint stock company that was granted a royal charter to found colonial settlements along the coast of North America....
to Robert Aldsworth and Gyles Elbridge, merchants from Bristol, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Raid on Pemaquid (1632)
A village and palisadePalisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
fort were constructed.
In 1632, Pemaquid was raided and plundered by the pirate, Dixie Bull
Dixie Bull
Dixie Bull [or Dixey Bull] was an English sea captain, and the first pirate known to prey on shipping off the New England coast, especially Maine. A native of London, he came to Boston in 1631 and started sailing the Maine coast with a small vessel, trading with the Indians...
.
The Great Colonial Hurricane
Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635
The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 was a severe hurricane that hit the Virginia Colony at Jamestown and the Massachusetts Bay Colony during August 1635.-Meteorological history:...
on August 15, 1635 sank the galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
Angel Gabriel
Angel Gabriel (ship)
The Angel Gabriel was a 240 ton English passenger galleon. She was commissioned for Sir Walter Raleigh's last expedition to America in 1617. She sank in a storm off Pemaquid Point, near the newly established town of Bristol, Maine, on August 15, 1635...
while anchored off the settlement, drowning some crew and passengers.
In 1664, the Duke of York
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
(the future King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
) claimed Pemaquid was within his patent, which also included Sagadahoc
Sagadahoc County, Maine
Sagadahoc County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 35,293. Its county seat is Bath. In total area, it is the smallest county in Maine....
and recently acquired New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
. To help anglicize the latter into New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Governor Sir Edmund Andros
Edmund Andros
Sir Edmund Andros was an English colonial administrator in North America. Andros was known most notably for his governorship of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. He also governed at various times the provinces of New York, East and West Jersey, Virginia, and...
had some of its Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
inhabitants transported to Pemaquid, now called Jamestown for its royal owner. By 1665, the village had approximately 30 houses.
Raid on Pemaquid (1676)
During King Philip's WarKing Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
, in 1676 Indians attacked and burned English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
settlements up the coast, including Pemaquid.
The following year, a new wooden defense called Fort Charles
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
was built.
Raid on Pemaquid (1689)
During King William's WarKing William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
- the first of four French and Indian Wars
French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...
- Fort Charles and the village were attacked and destroyed in 1689 by the French from Castine, Maine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
. The inhabitants of Pemaquid were either killed or taken prisoner.
Siege of Pemaquid (1696)
By 1692, the English regained control of the region, and Sir William PhippsWilliam Phipps
William Edward "Bill" Phipps is a retired American actor and producer, perhaps best known for his roles in dozens of classic sci-fi and westerns, both film and television, from the late 1940s through the mid 1960s. From then, until his retirement in 2000, his work was mainly in...
ordered construction of Fort William Henry
Fort William Henry (Pemaquid Beach, Maine)
The Fort William Henry is located in the village of New Harbor in the town of Bristol, Maine. The fort was the largest in New England. The fort was originally built in 1692 but destroyed four years later by New France in the Siege of Pemaquid . The fort was rebuilt in 1908. The fort was added to...
, named after King William III of England
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
. This time built of stone.
On August 14–15, 1696, the famous Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1702 (probable)was a soldier, ship captain, explorer, colonial administrator, knight of...
captured and destroyed the fort along with a combined force of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and Indians from present-day Castine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
. Commander of the fort, Captain Pascoe Chubb surrendered the fort. Iberville killed three of the soldiers and sent the other ninety-two back to Boston. In response to this raid Benjamin Church was sent from Boston to attack Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
.
Raid on Pemaquid (1717)
In early May of 1717, a sloop under the command of a Captain Carr was captured by ten pirate on a 25-ton sloopSloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
(formerly owned by a Colonel Stephen Minot) in Pemaquid. The pirate sloop had come from Monhegan
Monhegan, Maine
Monhegan is a plantation on an island of the same name in Lincoln County, Maine, United States, about off the coast. The population was 75 at the 2000 census. As a plantation, Monhegan's governmental status falls between township and town...
to the south, where on April 29, the Snow (a type of two masted vessel)
Snow (ship)
A snow or snaw is a sailing vessel. A type of brig , snows were primarily used as merchant ships, but saw war service as well...
Anne arrived. The "Anne" had originally been captured off the Virginia Capes
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America....
in April by the pirate Samuel Bellamy
Samuel Bellamy
Samuel Bellamy , aka "Black Sam" Bellamy, was an English pirate who operated in the early 18th century....
in the Whydah
Whydah Gally
The Whydah Gally was the flagship of the pirate "Black Sam" Bellamy. The ship sank in a storm off Cape Cod on April 26, 1717, taking Bellamy and the majority of his crew with it.-History:...
, which wrecked in a storm on the night of April 26, 1717 off of Cape Cod. The Anne made it through the storm with another captured vessel, the Fisher (which was soon abandoned and the pirates aboard her transferred to the Anne). The pirates arrived at Monhegan on April 29, and waited for the Whydah, for the pirates had not see or hear about the Whydah wrecking in the storm of the night of April 26. The pirates eventually realized the Whydah was lost, and proceeded to attack vessels in the area, including Matinicus Island
Matinicus Isle, Maine
Matinicus Isle is a plantation in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 51 at the 2000 census, although during the summer that number can triple or quadruple. Remote Matinicus Island is accessible by ferry from Rockland, located away, or by air taxi from Knox County Regional Airport...
(which is where the sloop the pirates used at Pemaquid was captured from). The attack at Pemaquid was described in a deposition as follows:
"...[the pirates] went after Capt. Carr's sloop, lying at Pemaquid, which they alsoe took a little distance from said Pemaquid, but finding the Mast and Bowspreat not serviceable [to repair the snow] they left her there, and brought the Master thereof aboard the Snow then at Menhagen [Monhegan]..."
The pirates soon left the area, abandoning all the other vessels (including the Anne) they had captured and most of their prisoners at Matinicus on or about May 9, 1717 on Minot's sloop.
Dummer's War
During Dummer's WarDummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...
, the location was a rendezvous for returned inhabitants of Pemaquid and vicinity.
Colonel David Dunbar, Surveyor-General of the King's Woods, rebuilt the fort in 1729-1730, renaming it Fort Frederick
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
. He renamed the town Harrington after the Earl of Harrington
William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington
William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, PC was a British statesman and diplomat.He was a younger son of John Stanhope of Elvaston, Derbyshire, and a brother of Charles Stanhope , an active politician during the reign of George I. His ancestor, Sir John Stanhope , was a half-brother of Philip...
, who had helped arrange the 1729 Treaty of Seville.
Raid on Pemaquid (1747)
During King Georges War, Fort Frederick withstood two attacks in 1747, but in 1759 was decommissioned at the end of the French and Indian WarsFrench and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...
.
American Revolution
In 1775, the town dismantled the fort to prevent it from becoming a British stronghold during the Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. The state acquired the site in 1902, and in 1908 rebuilt the tower of Fort William Henry under guidance of historian John Henry Cartland, using many original stones. In 1993, the site was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
Bristol established
On June 21, 1765, the town was incorporated as Bristol, named after the home port of the Pemaquid Patent proprietors.During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the waters off Pemaquid Point saw the capture of HMS Boxer
Capture of HMS Boxer
The capture of HMS Boxer in 1813 was a naval battle of the War of 1812, in which the United States Navy brig USS Enterprise defeated the Royal Navy brig HMS Boxer. The ship was sold at auction and continued for at least a decade as a merchantman...
by the USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (1799)
The third USS Enterprise, a schooner, was built by Henry Spencer at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1799, and placed under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw...
on September 5, 1813. The town would set off land to create Nobleboro
Nobleboro, Maine
Nobleboro, founded in 1788, is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,626 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
in 1788, Bremen
Bremen, Maine
Bremen is a small town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 782 at the 2000 census. Located on Muscongus Bay and the Gulf of Maine, it includes the villages of Broad Cove, Turners Corner, Bremen, Medomak and Muscongus...
in 1828, Damariscotta
Damariscotta, Maine
Damariscotta is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census. A popular tourist resort area, the towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle are linked by the Main Street bridge over the Damariscotta River, forming the "Twin Villages." The name Damariscotta is...
in 1848 and South Bristol
South Bristol, Maine
South Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 897 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, South Bristol includes the villages of Walpole and Christmas Cove, the latter at Rutherford Island...
in 1915. Today, Bristol is a popular tourist destination.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 62.5 square miles (161.9 km²), of which, 35.5 square miles (91.9 km²) of it is land and 27 square miles (69.9 km²) of it (43.23%) is water. Bristol is situated on the Pemaquid Peninsula, which extends into the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
and Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 2,755 people. As of 2000, 1,203 households, and 801 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 74.6 people per square mile (28.8/km²). There were 2,290 housing units at an average density of 64.6 per square mile (24.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.05% White, 0.11% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.04% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.23% of the population.
There were 1,203 households out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.64.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,400, and the median income for a family was $45,184. Males had a median income of $31,627 versus $19,800 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $21,821. About 3.3% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
- Fishermen's Museum
- Fort William HenryFort William Henry (Pemaquid Beach, Maine)The Fort William Henry is located in the village of New Harbor in the town of Bristol, Maine. The fort was the largest in New England. The fort was originally built in 1692 but destroyed four years later by New France in the Siege of Pemaquid . The fort was rebuilt in 1908. The fort was added to...
- Granite Hall Store
- Harrington Meeting HouseHarrington Meeting HouseHarrington Meeting House is a historic meeting house in Bristol, Maine. It contains a small museum of old photographs, clothing, and books. The adjoining cemetery has gravestones of historical interest....
- Loudville ChurchLoudville ChurchLoudville Church is a historic church in Loudville, Maine.It was built in 1913 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995....
on Louds IslandLouds IslandLouds Island is an island in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Round Pond, Maine. It is approximately five miles in length and three miles wide. The island is an "unincorporated territory" that did not have a flush toilet until 2009... - Pemaquid Archeological SitePemaquid Archeological SitePemaquid Archeological Site, also known as Pemaquid Restoration and Museum or ME 058-1, is an archeological site and park near or at Pemaquid Beach in Bristol, Maine....
- Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
Notable people
- Thomas DrummondThomas Drummond (judge)Thomas Drummond , was a United States federal judge.Born in Bristol Mills, Maine, Drummond graduated from Bowdoin College in 1830, and read law to enter the Bar in Philadelphia in 1833. He had a private practice in Galena, Illinois, from 1835 to 1850...
, judge - Marcus HannaMarcus Hanna (lighthouse keeper)Marcus Aurelius Hanna was an American lighthouse keeper famous for his heroism.-Biography:Hanna was born in Bristol, Maine, the son of the keeper of the Franklin Island Light. He spent his early years at the station before going off to sea at the age of ten. By 18 he had risen to the position of...
, noted lighthouse keeper - Robert Livingston Ireland, Jr.Robert Livingston Ireland, Jr.Robert Livingston Ireland, Jr. was a businessman from Cleveland, Ohio, United States.- Education :...
, businessman (summer resident) - William NorthWilliam North-Life:He was the son of John North, who commanded Fort Frederick in 1751, and Fort St. George in Thomaston, Maine, in 1758. He moved with his mother, Elizabeth North, to Boston, Massachusetts....
, senator from New York