Freedom 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 ...

Waldo County Waldo County is a county in the state of Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,607. Its county seat is Belfast. The county was founded on 7 February 1827 from a portion of Hancock County and named after ...

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. The population was 711 at the 2020 census. Freedom is a residential and recreational area.

History

The area was part of the Plymouth Patent. It was settled in 1794 by Stephen Smith, who was a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

in the Revolutionary War. First called Smithstown Plantation, it was later called Beaver Hill Plantation. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, the town was incorporated on June 11, 1813 as Freedom, a name which had political significance. Freedom Academy was founded in 1836. The town's population was 716 inhabitants in 1870, and 652 in 1880. Principal products of farms were

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

and

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es. Sandy Stream, which is supplied by Sandy and Duck ponds, provided

water power Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a ...

for early mills. Industries included a flour mill, corn mill,

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

for long

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

, shingle mill, a

shovel A shovel is a tool used for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Most shovels are hand tools consisting of a broad blade fixed to a medium-length handle. Shovel blades are usually made o ...

handle factory, a carding,

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

and

woolen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...

mill, and a

tannery Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

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, chiefly Sandy (Freedom) Pond (420 acres) . Freedom is drained by Sandy Stream.

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 719 people, 292 households, and 192 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 343 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.9%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.3% 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 ...

, 0.3% 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 1.0% 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 ...

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 292 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% 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 2.91. The median age in the town was 44.7 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 34.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 645 people, 259 households, and 182 families living in the town. The

was 30.0 people per square mile (11.6/km²). There were 321 housing units at an average density of 14.9 per square mile (5.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.59%

, 0.31%

, 0.16% Native American, and 2.95% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.17% of the population. There were 259 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 22.0% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,125, and the median income for a family was $35,750. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $24,688 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 $15,492. About 11.6% of families and 15.4% 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 17.5% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

George Willard Coy George Willard Coy (born November 13, 1836, in Freedom, Maine, died January 15 or 23, 1915 in Revere, Massachusetts) was an American mechanic, inventor and entrepreneur. He ran the first commercial telephone exchange in 1878 and was involved in t ...

, American mechanic, inventor and telephone pioneer *

Daniel F. Davis Daniel Franklin Davis (September 12, 1843 – January 9, 1897) was an American politician and the 37th Governor of Maine. Early life Davis was born in Freedom, Maine, on September 12, 1843. He entered the East Corinth Academy in 1863 but after ...

, 37th

governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is J ...

* Erin French, chef and owner of The Lost Kitchen

References

External links

Town of Freedom, Maine

Photograph of Freedom, Maine, , from the Maine Memory Network

Maine Genealogy: Freedom, Waldo County, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Waldo County, Maine Towns in Maine