Orrington, Maine
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Orrington is a town on the
Penobscot River The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's We ...
estuary in
Penobscot County Penobscot County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot Nation on Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199. Its county seat is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of ...
, Maine, United States. The population was 3,812 at the 2020 census.


History

Orrington was originally part of Condustiegg or Kenduskeag Plantation, which also included the present-day cities of Bangor and Brewer. Orrington was incorporated as a town in 1788 with its major village at Brewer, then called "New Worcester". Bangor incorporated three years later in 1791. Brewer broke away from Orrington in 1812 to form a separate town. The name "Orrington" reportedly resulted from a spelling mistake. The settlers intended to name it "Orangetown" after Orangetown, Maryland, but it was written on the record-books in distant Massachusetts, of which Maine was then a territory, as "Orrington". "Orring" was a reasonable phonetic rendering of "orange" before the standardization of English spelling. For much of its town history Orrington was a shipping and ship building community. The Boston & Penobscot Shipbuilding Company yard was on Mill Creek, South Orrington. ice cut from the Penobscot River was shipped as far away as the British West Indies.


Geography

Orrington lies on the estuary of the
Penobscot River The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's We ...
. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.


Transport

While the Bangor area is served by two commercial bus carriers, it does not include service to Orrington.
Freight rail Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers. A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) hauled ...
service is provided by the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad Company and by the
Maine Central Railroad Company The Maine Central Railroad Company was a U. S. Class I railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expanded to w ...
(operated by the Springfield Terminal Railway (Vermont)). Rail connecting Bucksport to Brewer runs through Orrington along the shore of the Penobscot River with a spur line to the former HoltraChem site. There are intermodal rail facilities in Bangor and in Hermon, Maine both with ready access to
Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
and to Bangor International Airport.


Economy

Orrington was home to the HoltraChem plant, which occupied 235 acres alongside the Penobscot River. It produced chlorine and other chemicals for the Maine´s paper and pulp industry. In September 2000, HoltraChem closed its plant in Orrington, terminating 72 employees, at the time the town’s second largest employer, and the town’s largest taxable property. As of 2002, the Penobscot Energy Recovery Corporation (PERC) waste-to-energy incinerator remained the only industrial employer (82 people).


Environmental contamination

The HoltraChem site itself was heavily contaminated, and cleanup was ordered by and as of 2022 is overseen by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Starting in 1967, HoltraChem had disposed of up to 13 tons of mercury into the river and mercury concentrations in lobsters and crabs have been so high that the Department of Marine Resources ordered a fishery closure. In 2000, the Maine People’s Alliance and NRDC filed a lawsuit against Mallinckrodt US LLC, the successor to the plant’s first corporate owner. In March 2021, a settlement submitted to a federal district court started the process of a river cleanup plan, long-term monitoring, and funding for projects to benefit communities affected by the pollution.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,733 people, 1,478 households, and 1,068 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,612 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.2% White, 0.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.2% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 0.9% of the population. There were 1,478 households, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.7% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the town was 43.5 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 34.1% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,526 people, 1,396 households, and 1,042 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,489 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.09% White, 0.20% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.23%
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 ...
, 0.03% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 0.14% of the population. There were 1,396 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% 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, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,327, and the median income for a family was $47,803. Males had a median income of $35,250 versus $27,381 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,290. About 2.4% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.


1790 census

At the first US census in 1790, Orrington had 477 inhabitants: 86 families, 114 free white males of 16 years and upward, including heads of families, 128 Free white males under 16 years, 234 free white females, including heads of families, and one other free person, no slaves.


Education

Orrington is home to a Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade school for its residents. Center Drive School, named after the road it is located on, has about 400 students. The mascot of Center Drive School is the Eagles.


Notable people

* Ebenezer M. Chamberlain (1805–1861), US congressman from Indiana * Molly Kool (1916–2009), first female master mariner in North America * Benjamin Franklin Mudge (1817–1879), geologist, paleontologist *
Enoch Mudge Enoch Mudge (1776–1850) was the first native New Englander to be ordained as a Methodism, Methodist minister. Biography Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Lynn, Mass., he was converted under Jesse Lee (Methodist), Jesse Lee, the pioneer of Histor ...
(1776–1850), first American-born Methodist minister, state congressman *
Thomas H. Mudge Thomas Hicks Mudge (1815–1862) was an American Methodist Episcopal clergyman, born at Orrington, Me., the nephew of Enoch Mudge. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1840 and from Union Theological Seminary in 1843. He then entered ...
, Methodist minister, professor of theology *
Zachariah A. Mudge Zachariah Atwell Mudge (1813–1888) was an American Methodist Episcopal clergyman and author, nephew of Enoch Mudge. Mudge was born at Orrington, Maine, and was educated at Wesleyan University. He entered the ministry in 1840 and held vario ...
, Methodist clergyman, author * Edward A. Pierce, Wall St. banker, one of founders of Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, and Smith, Inc., now
Merrill Lynch Merrill (officially Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated), previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investment bank ...
*
J. Sumner Rogers Joseph Sumner Rogers (July 5, 1844 – September 14, 1901) was an American educator and United States Army officer. A native of Orrington, Maine, he was a veteran of the American Civil War and was most notable as the founder and longtime superint ...
, founder of Michigan Military Academy


References


External links


Town of Orrington official website
{{authority control Towns in Penobscot County, Maine Towns in Maine