Gilead 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 Oxford 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. Upon incorporation in 1804, it was named for the large quantity of

Balm of Gilead Balm of Gilead was a rare perfume used medicinally, that was mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, and named for the region of Gilead, where it was produced. The expression stems from William Tyndale's language in the King James Bible of 1611, and has c ...

trees in the town center. The population was 195 at the 2020 census.

History

In the late 1700s,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

sold land in what is now

to encourage the settlement of the area. In 1772, Oliver and John Peabody, of

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

, and John and Samuel Bodwell of

Methuen, Massachusetts Methuen () is a 23 square mile (60 km2) city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Middlesex County and just south of ...

, bought 6000 acres above Sudbury Canada. Gilead was first granted as Peabody's Patent. In 1804, there were 20 families and the need for schools, churches, roads and other community necessities had become evident. It was time to raise money to bring this about. The petition was granted on June 23, 1804 and Peabody's Patent became Gilead.

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. Gilead is the first town encountered when crossing into Maine from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern ...

, which is the major road in the town.

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 209 people, 98 households, and 59 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 151 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 100.0%

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 ...

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 1.9% of the population. There were 98 households, of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 2.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.8% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.64. The median age in the town was 46.5 years. 16.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.8% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 22% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 55.5% male and 44.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 156 people, 70 households, and 45 families living in the town. The

was 8.2 people per square mile (3.2/km²). There were 125 housing units at an average density of 6.6 per square mile (2.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.72%

and 1.28% Native American. There were 70 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.61. In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $34,250. Males had a median income of $17,188 versus $15,208 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 $13,489. About 9.4% of families and 11.4% 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 13.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.5% of those 65 or over.

In popular culture

Gilead is the setting for the movie ''

The Spitfire Grill ''The Spitfire Grill'' (also known as ''Care of the Spitfire Grill'') is a 1996 American film written and directed by Lee David Zlotoff and starring Alison Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, Marcia Gay Harden, Will Patton, Kieran Mulroney and Gailard Sa ...

'', though it was actually filmed in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. Gilead is the town native Mainer Stephen King based the homeland of

Roland Deschain Roland Deschain of Gilead is a fictional character and the protagonist of Stephen King's '' The Dark Tower'' series. He is the son of Steven and Gabrielle Deschain and is descended from a long line of "gunslingers", peacekeepers and diplomats of ...

on, protagonist of ''The Dark Tower'' series.

References

External links

Maine Genealogy: Gilead, Oxford County, Maine
{{Coord, 44, 23, 39, N, 70, 58, 22, W, type:city_region:US-ME, display=title Towns in Oxford County, Maine Populated places established in 1804 Towns in Maine