Tremont is a town in
Hancock 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. It is located on the southwestern side of
Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island (MDI; french: Île des Monts Déserts) in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 52nd-largest island in the United States, the sixth-largest island in the contiguous ...
, known to locals as "the quiet side."
Tremont includes the villages of
Bass Harbor (or McKinley), Bernard, Gotts Island, Seal Cove and West Tremont. Part of
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park is an American national park located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor. The park preserves about half of Mount Desert Island, part of the Isle au Haut, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, an ...
lies within the town. Bass Harbor is the terminus for the
Swan's Island ferry and the
Frenchboro ferry. The population was 1,544 at the
2020 census.
History
Settled in 1762, it was incorporated on June 3, 1848 as Mansel, the name given the island by
John Winthrop
John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...
's company of emigrants to the
Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. Two months later, on August 8 it was renamed Tremont, which means "three mountains" in
French.
By 1880, when the population was 2,011, the town had 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 ...
,
shipyard,
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 separat ...
,
shingle mill
Shingle may refer to:
Construction
*Roof shingles or wall shingles, including:
**Wood shingle
***Shake (shingle), a wooden shingle that is split from a bolt, with a more rustic appearance than a sawed shingle
*** Quercus imbricaria, or shingle oa ...
and
brickyard
A brickyard or brickfield is a place or yard where bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed near natural sources of clay or on o ...
.
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
and
fish curing were the principal industries. Today, tourism is important to the economy.
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 is land and is water.
Located on southwestern
Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island (MDI; french: Île des Monts Déserts) in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 52nd-largest island in the United States, the sixth-largest island in the contiguous ...
, Tremont is beside Blue Hill Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.
The town is crossed by state routes
102 and
102A. It borders the towns of
Mount Desert
Mount Desert is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,146 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1789, the town currently encompasses the villages of Otter Creek, Seal Harbor, Northeast Harb ...
to the north and
Southwest Harbor
Southwest Harbor is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. Located on Mount Desert Island, the population was 1,756 at the 2020 census. The municipality contains within it the villages of Southwest Harbor, Manset, Seawall, Wonderland, ...
to the east.
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 1,563 people, 723 households, and 440 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 1,260 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 ...
, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 0.4%
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 ...
, 0.1% 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 1.4% 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 ...
or
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 1.0% of the population.
There were 723 households, of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were
married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. Of all households, 28.5% were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.63.
The median age in the town was 48.5 years. 17.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.3% were from 25 to 44; 38.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.9% male and 52.1% 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 in ...
of 2000, there were 1,529 people, 662 households, and 436 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,075 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.04%
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 ...
, 0.33%
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 ...
, 0.65%
Native American, 0.26%
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 ...
, 0.07% 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 0.65% 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 ...
or
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 0.33% of the population.
There were 662 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were
married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. Of all households, 25.4% were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,750, and the median income for a family was $43,472. Males had a median income of $28,026 versus $21,835 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 $19,420. About 5.0% of families and 7.4% 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 8.7% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The villages in Tremont are served by various
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
post offices. They include Bass Harbor, Bernard, and Seal Cove.
Education
Tremont has one school,
Tremont Consolidated School, located in Bass Harbor. The school educates students in kindergarten through eighth grade. High school students attend
Mount Desert Island High School
Mount Desert Island High School (MDIHS) is a public high school in Bar Harbor, Maine, United States. It was established in 1968 and is part of the Mount Desert Island Regional School District.
History
Mount Desert Island High School opened in ...
in the town of
Mount Desert
Mount Desert is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,146 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1789, the town currently encompasses the villages of Otter Creek, Seal Harbor, Northeast Harb ...
.
Sites of interest
*
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park is an American national park located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor. The park preserves about half of Mount Desert Island, part of the Isle au Haut, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, an ...
*
Bass Harbor Head Light
Bass Harbor Head Light is a lighthouse located within Acadia National Park in the southwest portion of Mount Desert Island, Maine, marking the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay.
History
The history of Bass Harbor Head Light dates to 1855 ...
*
Bass Harbor Memorial Library
* Ketterlinus Nature Preserve
* Seal Cove Auto Museum
* Ship Island Group Preserve
* Tremont Historical Society & Museum
[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mectremo/]
Notable people
*
John F. Bickford, Civil War–era Medal of Honor recipient
*
Muriel Davisson
Muriel Davisson is an American geneticist who developed the Down syndrome mouse model Ts65Dn.
In 1959 she graduated from Pemetic High School in Southwest Harbor, Maine. She holds Ph. D. from Penn State University (1969). She was director of Geneti ...
, geneticist
*
Elaine Guthrie Lorillard, musician
*
Eleanor Mayo, writer, politician
*
Ruth Moore
Ruth Moore (1903–1989) was an important Maine writer of the twentieth century. She is best known for her honest portrayals of Maine people and evocative descriptions of the state. Now primarily thought of as a regional writer, Moore was a sign ...
, author
Gallery
File:BernardMEPostOffice0.JPG, Bernard Post Office
File:Bass Harbor, McKinley, ME.jpg, Bass Harbor (1908)
File:Bass Harbor.JPG, Bass Harbor (2008)
File:Boats at Tremont, ME IMG 2219.JPG, Boats docked at Tremont (2014)
File:TremontMEFire.JPG, Tremont Volunteer Fire Department
File:TremontMECommunityCenter.JPG, Tremont Community Center
File:Sea Memorial, Tremont, ME IMG 2215.JPG, Sea Memorial in Tremont honors the memory of all who perished at sea.
File:Thurston's Lobster Pond, Tremont, ME IMG 2218.JPG, Thurston's Lobster Pound
Thurston's Lobster Pound is a seafood restaurant in Bernard, Maine, United States. Situated on Thurston Road, a cul-de-sac off Steamboat Wharf Road, overlooking Bass Harbor, Maine, Bass Harbor from the west, it has been in business since 1993. Its ...
File:Buoys at thurston.jpg, Colorful buoys at Thurston's
References
External links
Town of Tremont, MaineTremont SchoolSouthwest Harbor / Tremont Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Mount Desert Island
Towns in Hancock County, Maine
Towns in Maine
Populated coastal places in Maine