Brooklin is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Hancock County,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, United States. The population was 827 at the 2020 census.

History

Brooklin was originally part the larger town of Sedgwick. Brooklin broke off and formed its own town in 1849. A few weeks later, the name was changed to Brooklin, after the brook line which separated it from Sedgwick. Using pogie

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

as a fertilizer, the difficult soil was made productive, and hay became the principal crop. With excellent harbors, however, the main occupations were fishing and seafaring. By 1859, when the population was 1,002, it also had five boot and shoemaking factories, as well as two barrel manufacturers. By 1886, the town was noted for producing smoked herring in considerable quantities. Canning lobster had also become an important business. Image:Street View, Brooklin, ME.jpg, Street view in 1909 Image:Old High School, Brooklin, ME.jpg, Old High School Image:Redman Cottage, North Brooklin, ME.jpg, Redman Cottage in 1909

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Brooklin is situated on the Eggemoggin Reach, Blue Hill Bay and the Benjamin River, which are part of Penobscot Bay. The town is crossed by Maine State Route 175.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 824 people, 397 households, and 238 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 874 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.0% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population. There were 397 households, of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.63. The median age in the town was 52.9 years. 17.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.4% were from 25 to 44; 35.4% were from 45 to 64; and 26.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 841 people, 371 households, and 244 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 697 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.45%

, 0.12%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.12% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population. There were 371 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were

living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.79. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 33.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,786, and the median income for a family was $46,591. Males had a median income of $30,250 versus $23,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $21,704. About 6.9% of families and 12.7% 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 21.3% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Archaeology

An 11th-century Norse coin was (allegedlyNorse Penny
- Carpenter, Edmund.) found in Brooklin at the site of an excavation of a Native American trading center. If true this would be the only physical evidence of Nordic settlers having entered the area of what is now the United States. If not an outright hoax, it is also possible that the coin was brought to the site not directly by Vikings, but rather through trading.

National Historic Sites

* Beth Eden Chapel, added August 2, 2001 * Brooklin IOOF Hall, added January 26, 1990 * Flye Point 2, added April 15, 1985 * Goddard Site, added May 7, 1979 * E. B. White House, added September 22, 1986

Notable people

John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...

, geologist and explorer *

Oswald Veblen Oswald Veblen (June 24, 1880 – August 10, 1960) was an American mathematician, geometer and topologist, whose work found application in atomic physics and the theory of relativity. He proved the Jordan curve theorem in 1905; while this was lo ...

, mathematician, geometer,

topologist Topology (from the Greek words , and ) is the branch of mathematics concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without ...

E. B. White Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985) was an American writer. He was the author of several highly popular books for children, including ''Stuart Little'' (1945), ''Charlotte's Web'' (1952), and '' The Trumpet of the Swan'' ...

, author of ''

Charlotte's Web ''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. It tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his frie ...

'', '' The Trumpet of the Swan'', and ''

Stuart Little ''Stuart Little'' is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and became recognized as a classic in children's literature. ''Stuart Little'' was illustrated by the artist Garth Williams, also his f ...

'' * James Russell Wiggins, managing editor of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', United Nations ambassador

References

External links

Town of Brooklin, Maine

Friend Memorial Library

Sedgwick-Brooklin Historical Society Museum

Photograph of Center Harbor, Brooklin, , from the Maine Memory Network
{{Coord, 44, 15, 58, N, 68, 34, 09, W, type:city_region:US-ME, display=title Towns in Hancock County, Maine Towns in Maine Populated coastal places in Maine