Eddington 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 ...
located on the eastern side of the
Penobscot River in
Penobscot 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. As of the
2020 census, the town had a population of 2,194.
History
The town was founded by and named after
Jonathan Eddy
Jonathan Eddy (–1804) was a British-American soldier, who fought for the British in the French and Indian War and for the Americans in the American Revolution. After the French and Indian War, he settled in Nova Scotia as a New England Planter, ...
, a militia captain in the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, a colonel in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, and the first
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...
in the area.
Eddy and most of the town's other original settlers migrated to the town from
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, where they had supported the rebel cause against the majority
British Loyalist population. Eddy tried to make Nova Scotia—the 14th American colony—join the revolution by leading the
Siege of Fort Cumberland. After the siege failed, Eddy and others emigrated to the
District of Maine
The District of Maine was the governmental designation for what is now the U.S. state of Maine from October 25, 1780 to March 15, 1820, when it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state. The district was a part of the Commonwealth of Massachu ...
and were given land grants in present-day Eddington. Later in the war, Eddy successfully defended Maine from a British attack in the
Battle of Machias (1777)
The Battle of Machias (August 13–14, 1777) was an amphibious assault on the Massachusetts town of Machias, Maine, Machias (in present-day eastern Maine) by Kingdom of Great Britain, British forces during the American Revolutionary War. Local ...
.
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.
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 2,225 people, 930 households, and 643 families living 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 1,037 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.8%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.5%
Native American, 0.5%
Asian, 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 0.3% of the population.
There were 930 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were
married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.9% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.76.
The median age in the town was 44.1 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 33.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.7% male and 50.3% 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 2,052 people, 825 households, and 595 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 920 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.95%
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 ...
, 0.15%
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 ...
, 0.49%
Native American, 0.29%
Asian, 0.00%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.29% 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 0.83% from two or more races. 0.39% of the population were
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.
There were 825 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were
married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,250, and the median income for a family was $45,966. Males had a median income of $31,105 versus $22,445 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 $19,113. 6.7% of the population and 3.2% of families 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 ...
. Out of the total population, 5.5% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Notable people
*
Jonathan Eddy
Jonathan Eddy (–1804) was a British-American soldier, who fought for the British in the French and Indian War and for the Americans in the American Revolution. After the French and Indian War, he settled in Nova Scotia as a New England Planter, ...
, American Revolutionary War colonel; town namesake; buried in Eddington
*
Norman Kelley, operatic tenor; born and raised in Eddington
References
External links
Town of Eddington official websiteEddington – Clifton Civic Center (Comins Hall)
{{authority control
Towns in Penobscot County, Maine
Towns in Maine