Canton, Maine
Encyclopedia
Canton is a town
in Oxford County
, Maine, United States. The population was 1,121 at the 2000 census. Located beside Lake Anasagunticook, Canton is a summer recreational area.
) Abenaki Indians
. It is said the tribe had 500 acres (2 km²) cleared to raise corn, but in 1757 they were wiped out by smallpox
. The land became part of a grant the Massachusetts General Court
awarded to Captain Joseph Phipps and 63 other soldiers for their services during the French and Indian War
. Called Phipps-Canada, it would be incorporated in 1795 as Jay
in honor of John Jay
, the first chief justice
of the U. S. Supreme Court. On February 5, 1821, Canton was set off from Jay and incorporated, named after Canton, Massachusetts
.
Settlement began in the early 1790s when William Livermore, William French, Joseph Coolidge and Alexander Shepherd arrived. Others followed, principally from Massachusetts
. The surface of the town is uneven in the outskirts, but smooth and level at Canton Point, where the soil was considered unsurpassed in the state for agriculture. The outlet of Lake Anasagunticook provided water power for industry, and Gustavus Hayford settled here in 1814. In addition to a log cabin
, he built a sawmill
and gristmill
. First called Hayford Mills, it would be renamed Canton Mills, and now Canton. In the 19th-century, it had a machine shop to manufacture farm implements, a tinware factory and an iron foundry. It remains the business center. The Rumford Branch of the Maine Central Railroad
passed through the town in the late 1850s, carrying freight but also tourists. The community developed as a resort area for camping.
In December 2005 the town began a project to relocate the town center and about 60 homes on the floodplain
s surrounding the Androscoggin River
due to frequent spring flooding. Proposals have been floated to replace the vacated lots with parkland or nature trails.
, the town has a total area of 30.3 square miles (78.5 km²), of which, 28.9 square miles (74.9 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (4.36%) is water. Situated beside Lake Anasagunticook, Canton is drained by Whitney Brook and the Androscoggin River
.
The town is crossed by state routes 108 and 140. It borders the towns of Jay
to the northeast, Hartford
to the south, Peru
to the west, and Dixfield to the northwest.
was 38.7 people per square mile (15.0/km²). There were 476 housing units at an average density of 16.4 per square mile (6.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.11% White, 0.09% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.54% Asian, and 0.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.
There were 400 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,625, and the median income for a family was $40,469. Males had a median income of $31,607 versus $21,094 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,065. About 14.0% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 22.5% 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 Oxford County
Oxford County, Maine
Oxford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine with a population of 57,833 as of the 2010 U.S. census. Its county seat is Paris.Part of Oxford County is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, metropolitan New England City and Town Area while a different part of Oxford County is...
, Maine, United States. The population was 1,121 at the 2000 census. Located beside Lake Anasagunticook, Canton is a summer recreational area.
History
Canton Point was the site of Rockemeka, village of the Anasagunticook (or AndroscogginAndroscoggin (tribe)
The Androscoggin were a tribe of the Abenaki nation who lived in what now are Maine and New Hampshire. It is assumed that by the 18th century, they had been absorbed by neighboring tribes.- Name :...
) Abenaki Indians
Indigenous 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...
. It is said the tribe had 500 acres (2 km²) cleared to raise corn, but in 1757 they were wiped out by smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. The land became part of a grant the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
awarded to Captain Joseph Phipps and 63 other soldiers for their services during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Called Phipps-Canada, it would be incorporated in 1795 as Jay
Jay, Maine
Jay is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,985 at the 2000 census. Jay, which includes the village of Chisholm, is the regional commercial center.-History:...
in honor of John Jay
John Jay
John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....
, the first chief justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
of the U. S. Supreme Court. On February 5, 1821, Canton was set off from Jay and incorporated, named after Canton, Massachusetts
Canton, Massachusetts
Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,561 at the 2010 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about 15 miles southwest of downtown Boston.- History :...
.
Settlement began in the early 1790s when William Livermore, William French, Joseph Coolidge and Alexander Shepherd arrived. Others followed, principally from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The surface of the town is uneven in the outskirts, but smooth and level at Canton Point, where the soil was considered unsurpassed in the state for agriculture. The outlet of Lake Anasagunticook provided water power for industry, and Gustavus Hayford settled here in 1814. In addition to a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
, he built a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
and gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
. First called Hayford Mills, it would be renamed Canton Mills, and now Canton. In the 19th-century, it had a machine shop to manufacture farm implements, a tinware factory and an iron foundry. It remains the business center. The Rumford Branch of the Maine Central Railroad
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
passed through the town in the late 1850s, carrying freight but also tourists. The community developed as a resort area for camping.
In December 2005 the town began a project to relocate the town center and about 60 homes on the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s surrounding the Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...
due to frequent spring flooding. Proposals have been floated to replace the vacated lots with parkland or nature trails.
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 30.3 square miles (78.5 km²), of which, 28.9 square miles (74.9 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (4.36%) is water. Situated beside Lake Anasagunticook, Canton is drained by Whitney Brook and the Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...
.
The town is crossed by state routes 108 and 140. It borders the towns of Jay
Jay, Maine
Jay is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,985 at the 2000 census. Jay, which includes the village of Chisholm, is the regional commercial center.-History:...
to the northeast, Hartford
Hartford, Maine
Hartford is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Hartford is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area...
to the south, Peru
Peru, Maine
Peru is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,515 at the 2000 census. In 1970 the town had 1345 residents.-History:...
to the west, and Dixfield to the northwest.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,121 people, 400 households, and 273 families residing in the town. The population densityPopulation 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 38.7 people per square mile (15.0/km²). There were 476 housing units at an average density of 16.4 per square mile (6.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.11% White, 0.09% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.54% Asian, and 0.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.
There were 400 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,625, and the median income for a family was $40,469. Males had a median income of $31,607 versus $21,094 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 $14,065. About 14.0% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 22.5% of those age 65 or over.
People
- Cornelius HollandCornelius Holland (Maine)Cornelius Holland was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Sutton, Massachusetts on July 9, 1783. He attended the common schools, studied medicine and commenced practice in Livermore, Maine in 1814....
, congressman - Stephany StanleyMiss MaineThe Miss Maine competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Maine in the Miss America pageant. Maine has been represented in the pageant since 1937, although the state has never produced a winner.- Winners :...
, Miss Maine (1998) - John P. SwaseyJohn P. SwaseyJohn Philip Swasey was U.S. Representative from Maine from 1908-1911.- Biography :Swasey was born in Canton, Maine on September 4, 1839 and attended the Canton public schools, Dearborn Academy, Hebron Academy, Maine State Seminary , and Tufts College...
, congressman