Parkman 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 ...

Piscataquis County Piscataquis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,800, making it Maine's least-populous county. Its county seat is Dover-Foxcroft. The county was incorporated on March 23, 1838, ta ...

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 north ...

, United States. The population was 747 at the 2020 census.

History

First known as Plantation Number Five, Sixth Range, it was purchased by Samuel Parkman, a Boston Brahmin. In 1822, it was incorporated as a town and named for its proprietor. It was inherited by the proprietor's son,

George Parkman George Parkman (February 19, 1790November 23, 1849), a Boston Brahmin and a member of one of Boston's richest families, was a prominent physician, businessman, and philanthropist, as well the victim in the sensationally gruesome Parkman–Webste ...

, who visited it annually. Much of the town has excellent soil for

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. In 1837, the

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

crop was 6,018 bushels. In 1859, it was noted for making butter and cheese. By 1886, Parkman had several

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 ...

s and a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

.George J. Varney, History of Parkman, Maine; Boston, 1886
/ref>

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 the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Parkman is drained by a branch of the

Piscataquis River The Piscataquis River is a major tributary of the Penobscot River, found in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. It starts from the confluence of its East Branch and West Branch () in Blanchard. The river flows in a mostly eastern direction ...

. The principal bodies of water are Bennett and Harlow ponds.

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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 843 people, 353 households, and 241 families residing 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 RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 538 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7%

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 on ...

, 0.1%

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, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 2.6% of the population. There were 353 households, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% 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, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.7% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the town was 45.2 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 35.2% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.2% male and 47.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 811 people, 311 households, and 222 families residing in the town. The

was 17.8 people per square mile (6.9/km). There were 498 housing units at an average density of 10.9 per square mile (4.2/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.03%

, 0.86%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.12%

, and 0.86% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.49% of the population. There were 311 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were

living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,355, and the median income for a family was $32,000. Males had a median income of $26,207 versus $20,313 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 $11,965. About 8.5% 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 11.8% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

William E. Brewster William Edmund Brewster (September 1, 1858December 7, 1945) was an American banker, merchant, and politician from Maine. A bank president and longtime owner of a grocery store, Brewster also served three terms in the Maine House of Representatives. ...

, banker, merchant, and politician *

Chet Chadbourne Chester James (Pop) Chadbourne (October 28, 1884 – June 21, 1943) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball, playing mainly as a center fielder for three teams between and . Chadbourne spent portions of five seasons in the major leagues, but ...

, baseball player *

Charles Alton Ellis Charles Alton Ellis (18761949) was a professor, structural engineer and mathematician who was chiefly responsible for the structural design of the Golden Gate Bridge. Because of a dispute with Joseph Strauss, he was not recognized for his work wh ...

, professor, mathematician, and structural engineer of the

Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...

* Victor A. McKusick, geneticist, original author of Mendelian Inheritance in Man database * Vincent L. McKusick, chief justice of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

Burt Shavitz Ingram Berg Shavitz (May 15, 1935 – July 5, 2015) professionally known as Burt Shavitz, was an American beekeeper and businessman notable for founding the Burt's Bees personal care products company with businesswoman Roxanne Quimby. Shav ...

, beekeeper and photographer, co-founder of

Burt's Bees Burt's Bees is an American multinational, personal care product company. The company is a subsidiary of Clorox that describes itself as an " Earth-friendly, Natural Personal Care Company" making products for personal care, health, beauty and per ...

References

External links

Town of Parkman, Maine

Harvey Memorial Library
{{authority control Towns in Piscataquis County, Maine Towns in Maine