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Dresden is a
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...
in Lincoln County,
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
, United States, that was incorporated in 1794. The population was 1,725 at the 2020 census.


History

The town was originally settled in 1752 under the name Frankfort by French and German
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
s, who were part of the first wave of French-speaking immigrants to arrive in Maine, but were distinguished from later arrivals by their Protestant faith.
William Shirley William Shirley (2 December 1694 – 24 March 1771) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the British American colonies of Massachusetts Bay and the Bahamas. He is best known for his role in organi ...
built
Fort Shirley Fort Shirley was a fort erected by the Province of Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War. History Before the construction of Fort Shirley, a small trading post built by George Croghan was located at the site.Waddell and Bomberger, p. 88 ...
in the community at the same time
Fort Halifax (Maine) Fort Halifax is a former British colonial outpost on the banks of the Sebasticook River, just above its mouth at the Kennebec River, in Winslow, Maine. Originally built as a wooden palisaded fort in 1754, during the French and Indian War, only ...
was built. First called Frankfort, so that the new French immigrants could pretend to be German, the town was incorporated as Pownalborough in 1760, when Lincoln County was created in the Maine District of Massachusetts. Pownalborough included the Town of Wiscasset, which was soon set off on its own as the
shire town A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of the county. When the present territory was incorporated in 1794, Lincoln County Probate Judge Jonathan Bowman chose Dresden as the new name of the town because he liked the sound of it. Dresden is located on the eastern side of the Kennebec River. Historic sites include an old, brick school building and the Pownalborough Courthouse, which is now used as a museum and is open to the public. The Pownalborough Courthouse was built in 1760 and was the first seat of government east of the Kennebec River. The families who settled Dresden and those who were soon afterward sent there by the government of Massachusetts played a crucial role in the battle for American independence in Maine.
Robert Treat Paine Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814) was an American lawyer, politician and Founding Father of the United States who signed the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence as a representative of Massachusetts. ...
,
John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...
, and
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...
appeared at the Court House in the Revolutionary Era. Well known local families included the Goodwins, Houdlettes, Mayerses, Bridges, Bowmans, Percys, Johnsons, and Trussells, who variously left their marks on the history of the town, the state, and the country.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the town has a total area of , of which of it is land and is water. Dresden is drained by the Kennebec River and the
Eastern River The Eastern River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 tributary of the Kennebec River in Maine. It rises in East Pittston at the confluence of its west an ...
, which merges into the former at the southern tip of Green Point and the southeastern side of Swan Island. The Eastern River has long been a favored spot to fish for smelt in shacks centered above holes made in the winter ice. Dresden's other notable geographical features are Blinn Hill and The Great Bog. At 440 feet (134 m) above sea level, Blinn Hill affords a view of the White Mountains, more than away. The Great Bog is primeval and lies not far from the natural foot of Blinn Hill.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 1,672 people, 700 households, and 482 families residing in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was . There were 819 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.6%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.2%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.1% Native American, 0.3%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.2% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 700 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the town was 45 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 36.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 1,625 people, 642 households, and 455 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 739 housing units at an average density of 24.1 per square mile (9.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.42%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.25%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.25% Native American, 0.49%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 1.60% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.12% of the population. There were 642 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,719, and the median income for a family was $44,762. Males had a median income of $31,488 versus $20,750 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the town was $18,886. About 9.5% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.


Site of interest


Brick Schoolhouse Museum, Dresden Historical Society


Education

Dresden is part of the Kennebec Intra-District Schools Regional School Unit. For the 2011 to 2012 school year, there were approximately 104 students in Dresden Elementary School.


Notable people

*
David Kidder David Kidder (December 8, 1787 – November 1, 1860) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Maine. Kidder was born on December 8, 1787, in Pownalborough, Massachusetts (now known as Dresden, M ...
, US congressman *
Jeffrey Pierce Jeffrey Pierce (born Jeffrey Douglas Plitt; December 13, 1971) is an American actor, voice actor, director, producer, and novelist. He is best known for providing the voice and motion capture for Tommy in the video game series ''The Last of Us' ...
, state legislator *
Lewis Turco Lewis Putnam Turco (born May 2, 1934) is an American poet, teacher, and writer of fiction and non-fiction. Turco is an advocate for Formalist poetry (or New Formalism) in the United States. Life and work Turco took a keen interest in poetry as ...
, poet, teacher and writer


References


External links


Town of Dresden, Maine

Bridge Academy Public Library

Epodunk profile
{{Coord, 44, 04, 37, N, 69, 45, 0, W, region:US-ME_type:city(1660), display=title French-American culture in Maine German-American culture in Maine Huguenot history in the United States Populated places established in 1794 Towns in Lincoln County, Maine Towns in Maine 1794 establishments in Massachusetts