Newcastle 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. The population was 1,848 at the 2020 census. The village of Newcastle is located in the eastern part of the town, on the Damariscotta River. Together with the village of Damariscotta linked by the Main Street bridge, they form the Twin Villages (see Damariscotta-Newcastle CDP).

History

Originally called Sheepscot Plantation, Newcastle was first settled in the 1630s by

fishermen A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreati ...

and around 50 families. Around 1649–1650, John Mason purchased a tract of land from the

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...

s Chief Robinhood and Chief Jack Pudding. The territory was claimed in 1665 by the Duke of York. Renamed New Dartmouth, the plantation was attacked and destroyed in 1676 during

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

. When the war was over, some of the inhabitants returned. But it was destroyed again in 1689 during

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...

, and the village was not reoccupied for about 40 years. In 1730, Colonel David Dunbar, the superintendent and governor of the Province of Sagadahoc, resettled it as Newcastle, named in honor of the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle ...

. In 1978, the village of Sheepscot on the Sheepscot River in western Newcastle was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

as the Sheepscot Historic District. It includes 51 buildings in the

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

, and Federal styles, on . (The

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

recognizes Sheepscott, Shepscooke, Shippscutt, and Shipscot as variants of the name Sheepscot.)

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. Newcastle is situated beside the Damariscotta River. The town is crossed by U. S. Route 1 and state routes 194 and 215. It borders the towns of Jefferson to the north, Edgecomb to the south, and

Alna Alna is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. It is named after the River Alna, which flows through it. The borough consists of the following neighborhoods: * Alnabru * Ellingsrud * Furuset * Haugerud * Hellerud * Lindeberg * Trosterud * Tve ...

to the northwest. Separated by water, it is near the towns of Wiscasset to the southwest, and Nobleboro, Damariscotta,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and South Bristol to the east.

Climate

Demographics

2000 census

Newcastle Publick House, Newcastle, Maine - 20130919-02

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,748 people, 724 households, and 493 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 60.3 people per square mile (23.3/km). There were 880 housing units at an average density of 30.4 per square mile (11.7/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.74%

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 ...

, 0.11%

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 ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.06% 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 0.69% 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 0.69% of the population. There were 724 households, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% 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 2.86. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,000, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $28,466 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 $24,289. About 4.2% of families and 7.0% 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 6.1% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,752 people, 787 households, and 505 families living in the town. The

was . There were 992 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.8%

, 0.1%

, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from

, and 1.2% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.7% of the population. There were 787 households, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.8% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age in the town was 49.6 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.8% were from 25 to 44; 33.4% were from 45 to 64; and 23.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

Sites of interest

Second Congregational Church, Newcastle, Maine - 20130919-03

Dodge Point Public Reserved Land

Frances Perkins Center

Newcastle Historical Society & Museum
* Lincoln Academy (Newcastle, Maine) * Second Congregational Church (Newcastle, Maine) *

St. Andrew's Church (Newcastle, Maine) St. Andrew's Church is a historic Episcopal church at 11 Glidden Street in Newcastle, Maine. Built in 1883, it was the first example of cottage Gothic Revival church in the country, and the first US design of English architect Henry Vaughan, ...

* St. Patrick's Catholic Church (Newcastle, Maine)

Notable people

* Edwin Flye, US congressman * William T. Glidden, clipper ship line co-owner and railroad investor * Frances Perkins, US Secretary of Labor under President Franklin Roosevelt *

Peter Throckmorton Edgerton Alvord Throckmorton (July 30, 1928 – June 5, 1990), known as Peter Throckmorton, was an American photojournalist and a pioneer underwater archaeologist. Throckmorton was a founding member of the Sea Research Society and served on its Bo ...

, American pioneer underwater archaeologist

References

External links

Town of Newcastle, MaineNewcastle, MaineMaine Genealogy: Newcastle, Lincoln County, MaineSheepscot Valley Conservation Association
{{authority control Towns in Lincoln County, Maine Towns in Maine