Prospect, Maine
Encyclopedia
Prospect is a town
in Waldo County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 642 at the 2000 census
.
The most prominent landmark in Prospect is Fort Knox, a large 19th-century fort. It is now a major tourist attraction, as is the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory.
, it was settled in 1759 when Fort Pownall
was completed at Fort Point on Cape Jellison
. Prospect was set off and incorporated in 1794. Land was then set off from Prospect in 1845 to form part of Searsport
. Stockton (later Stockton Springs
) was set off and incorporated in 1857. Shipbuilding
was an early industry. By 1859, the town had one gristmill
, three sawmill
s and a shingle mill. Construction on Fort Knox began in 1844, using granite
from Mount Waldo
in Frankfort. It was built to defend the Penobscot River
and the lumber
port of Bangor
during the Aroostook War
. Although never fully completed, work on the huge defense stopped in 1869.
, the town has a total area of 20.2 square miles (52.3 km²), of which, 18.1 square miles (46.9 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it (10.62%) is water. Drained by the south branch of the Marsh River
, Prospect is situated along the west bank of the Penobscot River
.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 1
, U.S. Route 1A, Maine State Route 3
and Maine State Route 174.
of 2000, there were 642 people, 253 households, and 190 families residing in the town. The population density
was 35.5 people per square mile (13.7/km²). There were 286 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.60% White, 0.16% Native American, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.16% of the population.
There were 253 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% 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 2.86.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 114.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,607, and the median income for a family was $41,406. Males had a median income of $32,292 versus $24,750 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,243. About 7.6% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% 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 Waldo County
Waldo County, Maine
Waldo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 38,786. Its county seat is Belfast.Waldo County was founded on 7 February 1827 from a portion of Hancock County...
, 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 642 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...
.
The most prominent landmark in Prospect is Fort Knox, a large 19th-century fort. It is now a major tourist attraction, as is the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory.
History
Originally part of FrankfortFrankfort, Maine
Frankfort is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,041 at the 2000 census.-History:Frankfort is the oldest town on the Penobscot River, first settled in the 1760s by Massachusetts soldiers from nearby Fort Pownall...
, it was settled in 1759 when Fort Pownall
Fort Pownall Memorial
The Fort Pownall Memorial is located in Maine's Fort Point State Park. The park is located on Fort Point, a small peninsula running eastward from Cape Jellison....
was completed at Fort Point on Cape Jellison
Cape Jellison
Cape Jellison is a peninsula that juts into Penobscot Bay on the coast of Maine. In colonial times it was known as Wasaumkeag Point. It is part of the town of Stockton Springs, between Searsport and Bucksport, in the upper mid-coast region of the state...
. Prospect was set off and incorporated in 1794. Land was then set off from Prospect in 1845 to form part of Searsport
Searsport, Maine
Searsport is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,641 at the 2000 census. Searsport includes the village of North Searsport. The town is known as "the home of the famous sea captains" and the "Antique Capital of Maine." -History:...
. Stockton (later Stockton Springs
Stockton Springs, Maine
Stockton Springs is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,481 at the 2000 census. Stockton Springs is home to Fort Point State Park and Fort Point Light, both located on Fort Point, a peninsula on Cape Jellison.-History:...
) was set off and incorporated in 1857. Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
was an early industry. By 1859, the town had one 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 :...
, three 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 a shingle mill. Construction on Fort Knox began in 1844, using granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
from Mount Waldo
Mount Waldo
Mount Waldo is a small mountain about high in Waldo County, Maine located near the town of Frankfort.Mt. Waldo granite was once the stock in trade of a thriving industry. The Mount Waldo Granite has a coarse-grained texture which gives it a more patchy, mottled look than the finer-grained granites...
in Frankfort. It was built to defend the Penobscot River
Penobscot River
The Penobscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to , making it the second longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains .It arises from four branches...
and the 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....
port of Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
during the Aroostook War
Aroostook War
The Aroostook War was an undeclared nonviolent confrontation in 1838/1839 between the United States and Great Britain over the international boundary between British North America and Maine. The compromise resolution win a mutually accepted border between the state of Maine and the provinces of...
. Although never fully completed, work on the huge defense stopped in 1869.
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 20.2 square miles (52.3 km²), of which, 18.1 square miles (46.9 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it (10.62%) is water. Drained by the south branch of the Marsh River
Marsh River (Maine)
The Marsh River is a tidal river in Newcastle, Maine, in the United States. It is a tributary of the Sheepscot River.The Marsh River is formed at the confluence of Deer Meadow Brook and the outlet of Sherman Lake in the western corner of Newcastle and flows west, north, and west again to join the...
, Prospect is situated along the west bank of the Penobscot River
Penobscot River
The Penobscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to , making it the second longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains .It arises from four branches...
.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maine
In the U.S. state of Maine, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway serving the eastern part of the state. It parallels the Atlantic Ocean from New Hampshire north through Portland, Brunswick, and Belfast to Calais, and then the St. Croix River and the rest of the Canadian border...
, U.S. Route 1A, Maine State Route 3
Maine State Route 3
State Route 3 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from Interstate 95 exit 113 in Augusta to an intersection with Route 102 in the village of Somesville in the town of Mount Desert, on Mount Desert Island...
and Maine State Route 174.
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 642 people, 253 households, and 190 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 35.5 people per square mile (13.7/km²). There were 286 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.60% White, 0.16% Native American, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.16% of the population.
There were 253 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% 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 2.86.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 114.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,607, and the median income for a family was $41,406. Males had a median income of $32,292 versus $24,750 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 $20,243. About 7.6% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Joseph Plumb MartinJoseph Plumb MartinJoseph Plumb Martin was an American Revolutionary War soldier who published an account of his experiences as a soldier in the 8th Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Army in 1830.-Life:...
, Revolutionary War ere soldier, noted for publishing accounts of his military service - Freeman McGilveryFreeman McGilveryFreeman McGilvery was a United States Army artillery officer during the American Civil War. He gained fame at the Battle of Gettysburg for taking the initiative to piece together a line of guns that greatly contributed to the Union victory.-Biography:McGilvery was born in Prospect, Maine...
, Civil War era artillery officer - Ephraim K. SmartEphraim K. SmartEphriam Knight Smart was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Prospect on September 3, 1813. He attended the common schools, completed preparatory studies under private tutors and attended Maine Wesleyan Seminary...
, congressman
Sites of interest
- Fort Knox
- Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory