Newry (;
) is a
resort town
A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...
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. The population was 411 at the
2020 census. Newry was the site of one of Maine's worst
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
aircraft crashes. The town is the home of
Sunday River Ski Resort and has a proportionately large seasonal (winter) population.
History
First called Sunday River Plantation, it was settled in 1781 by Benjamin Barker and his two brothers from
Methuen,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, together with Ithiel Smith of
Cape Elizabeth
Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, Cape Elizabeth had a population of 9,535. ...
.
But the settlement was plundered in 1782 by
Indians and abandoned. Then John J. Holmes of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
purchased the land in 1794 with his sister's surname on the deed: Bostwick. On June 15, 1805, Bostwick Plantation was renamed by settlers that had come from
Newry
Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, although ...
in what is now
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
.
The name Newry is an anglicization of ''An Iúraigh'', an oblique form of ''An Iúrach'', which means "the grove of
yew trees".
The trade route (now
Route 26) from
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
to
Errol,
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 n ...
, completed in 1802, passed through Newry. Farms were established on the intervales, which had excellent soil.
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 domesticated ...
was the principal crop. Slopes of the mountains provided
pasturage for grazing animals. A
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 ...
and
gristmill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...
were built on the Bear River, and by 1870 the population was 416. Today, Newry is noted as the home of
Sunday River Ski Resort.
1960 KC-97 tanker crash
At 20:15, 27 June 1960, a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
tanker of the
380th Air Refueling Squadron
The 380th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 380th Bombardment Wing at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York where it was inactivated on 30 September 1995.
The squadron was first act ...
departed
Plattsburgh AFB
Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km²) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burlingto ...
to refuel a
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile c ...
bomber. The
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter
The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.
Design and develo ...
rendezvoused with the
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-Range (aeronautics), range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic flight, subsonic speed and at high altitude ...
bomber at an altitude of 15,500 feet in the ''Fighting Fox''
aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft ...
area over Newry. As the bomber maneuvered into refueling position, a lubrication failure caused the tanker's outboard port engine
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced ind ...
impeller to disintegrate. Impeller fragments leaving the engine nacelle caused fuel leakage. The bomber observed ignition of the leaking fuel and broke away from formation. The tanker entered a gradual left turn which became a spiraling spin as the fire rapidly caused structural damage to the port wing. Seven miles away, three hundred people at a
Rumford Point drive-in theater
A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view mov ...
observed the tanker spin down with burning pieces flying off. The fuselage impacted a forested slope of granite boulders and caused a fireball seen fifty miles away in
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, the state's capital, and Portland, the state's most populous c ...
. The port wing tip was found in Howard Pond three miles from the crash site. There were no survivors from the tanker's five-man crew. Wet vegetation limited spread of the fire, but fuel covered trees were completely consumed and the five acre hillside wreckage field was discernible for years amid the surrounding forest.
Newry murders
The February 23, 2012, episode of ''
Sins and Secrets'' (season 2, episode 7, "Newry") told the story of a series of murders that happened at a local B&B in 2006. The convicted killer, charged in 2006
and now serving four consecutive life sentences, was a citizen of Newry.
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 th ...
, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.
Newry is drained by the
Bear River and
Sunday River, which both flow into the
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River (Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...
.
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 inc ...
of 2010, there were 329 people, 157 households, and 93 families living in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberP ...
was . There were 1,334 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.3%
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 ...
, 1.2%
Native American, and 1.5% 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 form ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.
There were 157 households, of which 17.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. Of all households 30.6% were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.62.
The median age in the town was 49.9 years. 14.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.1% were from 25 to 44; 41.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 53.2% male and 46.8% 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 inc ...
of 2000, there were 344 people, 142 households, and 90 families living in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberP ...
was 5.6 people per square mile (2.2/km). There were 1,075 housing units at an average density of 17.5 per square mile (6.8/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.26%
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 ...
, 0.87%
Native American, 0.29%
Asian, and 0.58% from two or more races.
There were 142 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. Of all households 23.9% were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,321, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $19,625 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 $21,982. About 3.8% of families and 5.0% 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 ...
, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
Artists' Covered Bridge (1872)*
Sunday River Ski Resort
*
Grafton Notch State Park, just north of town
See also
*
Persis Foster Eames Albee, the very first "Avon Lady", was born here
References
External links
Town of Newry, MaineMaine Genealogy: Newry, Oxford County, MaineSunday River Ski Resort
{{authority control
Towns in Oxford County, Maine
Towns in Maine
Resort towns