Hiram, Maine
Encyclopedia
Hiram is a town in Oxford County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 1,423 at the 2000 census
. It includes the villages of Hiram, East Hiram, South Hiram and Durgintown. Located among the rugged and unspoiled Western Maine Mountains
, Hiram is part of the Portland
-South Portland
-Biddeford
, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area
.
stop along the Pequawket Trail, the former wilderness
path of the Sokokis Abenakis which runs from Standish
to Fryeburg (site of Pequawket, their stockade
d village). First known as Great Ossipee after the Ossipee River
, the town was settled in the 1780s and organized as Hiram Plantation, named after Hiram I
, the biblical king of Tyre. Like King Hiram's domain, Hiram Plantation was set among forests. It was incorporated as a district on February 27, 1807, then as the town of Hiram on June 14, 1814. Peleg Wadsworth
bought a tract of land here in 1790, and in 1792 or 1794 began clearing a farm
for his eldest son.
Although uneven at the center, there was good and fertile farmland
in the intervales. The soil was sandy loam, yielding wheat
and hay
, the principal crop. Sheep grazed
the pastures, and their wool
became an important product. In 1830, the town's population was 1,148.
Various ponds and streams supplied water power for mills
, and manufacturing timber
became an important industry. In 1859, town industries included a number of cooper
shops, two blacksmith
s, several shoemaking
shops and a harness
making shop. By 1886, the town had five sawmill
s and planing mill
s, producing short and long lumber
, barrel staves
and shooks. It also had two gristmill
s and a carding
mill. Other products included men's clothing, harness
and slate
blackboard
s. Described as "a pretty village amid charming scenery," Hiram was a junction where the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad
met the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, which first opened service through the White Mountains
on August 16, 1875.
, the town has a total area of 38.8 square miles (100.5 km²), of which, 37.5 square miles (97.1 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (3.35%) is water. Hiram is drained by the Ossipee River
and Saco River
.
The town is crossed by state routes 5
, 113
, 117
, and 160. It is bordered by the towns of Brownfield
and Denmark
to the north, Porter
to the west, Sebago
and Baldwin
to the east, and Cornish
and Parsonsfield
to the south.
of 2000, there were 1,423 people, 534 households, and 388 families residing in the town. The population density
was 37.9 people per square mile (14.6/km²). There were 769 housing units at an average density of 20.5 per square mile (7.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.61% White, 0.07% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.07% from other races
, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 534 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples
living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,167, and the median income for a family was $36,964. Males had a median income of $27,784 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,293. About 12.0% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
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
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 1,423 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It includes the villages of Hiram, East Hiram, South Hiram and Durgintown. Located among the rugged and unspoiled Western Maine Mountains
Western Maine Mountains
The Western Maine Mountains region spans most of Maine's western border with New Hampshire. A small part of the scenic White Mountain National Forest is located in this area. This is essentially all of Oxford County and northern York County and Cumberland Counties. Notable towns include Bethel,...
, Hiram is part of the Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
-South Portland
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
-Biddeford
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area
New England City and Town Area
A New England City and Town Area or NECTA is a geographic and statistical entity defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, for use in describing aspects of the New England region of the United States...
.
History
It became a stageStagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
stop along the Pequawket Trail, the former wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
path of the Sokokis Abenakis which runs from Standish
Standish, Maine
Standish is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,874 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Standish Corner, Sebago Lake Village and Steep Falls, and the localities known as Richville, Standish Neck and Two Trails...
to Fryeburg (site of Pequawket, their stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
d village). First known as Great Ossipee after the Ossipee River
Ossipee River
The Ossipee River is an river in eastern New Hampshire and western Maine in the United States. It is a tributary of the Saco River, which flows southeast to the Atlantic Ocean at Saco, Maine....
, the town was settled in the 1780s and organized as Hiram Plantation, named after Hiram I
Hiram I
Hiram I , according to the Hebrew Bible, was the Phoenician king of Tyre. He reigned from 980 to 947 BC, succeeding his father, Abibaal. Hiram was succeeded as king of Tyre by his son Baal-Eser I...
, the biblical king of Tyre. Like King Hiram's domain, Hiram Plantation was set among forests. It was incorporated as a district on February 27, 1807, then as the town of Hiram on June 14, 1814. Peleg Wadsworth
Peleg Wadsworth
Peleg Wadsworth was an American officer during the American Revolutionary War and a Congressman from Massachusetts representing the District of Maine. He was also grandfather of noted American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.Wadsworth was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, to Peleg and Susanna ...
bought a tract of land here in 1790, and in 1792 or 1794 began clearing a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
for his eldest son.
Although uneven at the center, there was good and fertile farmland
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
in the intervales. The soil was sandy loam, yielding wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
, the principal crop. Sheep grazed
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
the pastures, and their wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
became an important product. In 1830, the town's population was 1,148.
Various ponds and streams supplied water power for mills
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, and manufacturing timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
became an important industry. In 1859, town industries included a number of cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
shops, two blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
s, several shoemaking
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
shops and a harness
Horse harness
A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to pull various horse-drawn vehicles such as a carriage, wagon or sleigh. Harnesses may also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as a plow or canal boat....
making shop. By 1886, the town had five 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....
s and planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
s, producing short and long lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, barrel staves
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
and shooks. It also had two 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 :...
s and a carding
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
mill. Other products included men's clothing, harness
Horse harness
A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to pull various horse-drawn vehicles such as a carriage, wagon or sleigh. Harnesses may also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as a plow or canal boat....
and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
blackboard
Chalkboard
A chalkboard or blackboard is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulfate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Chalkboards were originally made of smooth, thin sheets of black or dark grey slate stone...
s. Described as "a pretty village amid charming scenery," Hiram was a junction where the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad
Bridgton and Saco River Railroad
The Bridgton and Saco River Railroad was a gauge railroad that operated in the vicinity of Bridgton and Harrison, Maine. It connected with the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad from Portland, Maine, to St...
met the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, which first opened service through the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
on August 16, 1875.
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 38.8 square miles (100.5 km²), of which, 37.5 square miles (97.1 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (3.35%) is water. Hiram is drained by the Ossipee River
Ossipee River
The Ossipee River is an river in eastern New Hampshire and western Maine in the United States. It is a tributary of the Saco River, which flows southeast to the Atlantic Ocean at Saco, Maine....
and Saco River
Saco River
The Saco River is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay, from its source. It supplies drinking water to roughly 250,000...
.
The town is crossed by state routes 5
Maine State Route 5
State Route 5 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the an intersection with Route 9 in Old Orchard Beach, to an intersection with Route 120 in Andover. Route 5 is long....
, 113
Maine State Route 113
State Route 113 is a state highway in southwestern Maine . It runs from an intersection with Maine State Route 25 in Standish north to the town of Gilead, where it ends at U.S. Route 2 near the New Hampshire border...
, 117
Maine State Route 117
State Route 117 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from Route 112 in Saco to Route 219 in Turner.- Route description :...
, and 160. It is bordered by the towns of Brownfield
Brownfield, Maine
Brownfield is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,251 at the 2000 census. Brownfield is home to the Stone Mountain Arts Center.-History:...
and Denmark
Denmark, Maine
Denmark is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,004 at the 2000 census. A number of recreationally-used ponds and lakes are located within the town.-History:...
to the north, Porter
Porter, Maine
Porter is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. It is included in the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area. Porter includes Porter village and part of Kezar Falls. The population was 1,438 at the 2000 census.-History:The land was once...
to the west, Sebago
Sebago, Maine
Sebago is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,433 at the 2000 census, although it swells during summer months to approximately 5,000...
and Baldwin
Baldwin, Maine
Baldwin is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,290 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, metropolitan statistical area.-History:...
to the east, and Cornish
Cornish, Maine
Cornish is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,269 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
and Parsonsfield
Parsonsfield, Maine
Parsonsfield is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,584 at the 2000 census. Parsonsfield includes the villages of Kezar Falls, Parsonsfield, and North, East and South Parsonsfield...
to the south.
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 2000, there were 1,423 people, 534 households, and 388 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 37.9 people per square mile (14.6/km²). There were 769 housing units at an average density of 20.5 per square mile (7.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.61% White, 0.07% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.07% 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 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 534 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,167, and the median income for a family was $36,964. Males had a median income of $27,784 versus $22,500 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 $16,293. About 12.0% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Contessa BrewerContessa BrewerContessa Brewer is an American host for the MSNBC weekend program Caught on Camera.-Biography:Brewer was born in in Parsonsfield, Maine, and graduated from Sacopee Valley High School in Hiram, Maine in 1992. She graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public...
, MSNBC anchorwoman. - Charles Cleaves ColeCharles Cleaves ColeCharles Cleaves Cole was a United States federal judge.Born in Hiram, Maine, Cole read law to enter the bar in 1866, and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1867. He was in the United States Army Private, 17th Maine Infantry from 1862 to 1865. He was in private practice in Portland, Maine from...
, federal judge. - Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
, poet. - Peleg WadsworthPeleg WadsworthPeleg Wadsworth was an American officer during the American Revolutionary War and a Congressman from Massachusetts representing the District of Maine. He was also grandfather of noted American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.Wadsworth was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, to Peleg and Susanna ...
, general, founded Hiram.