Eddington 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 ...

located on the eastern side 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 W ...

in Penobscot 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. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 2,194.

History

The town was founded by and named after Jonathan Eddy, a militia captain in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, a colonel in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, and the first

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

in the area. Eddy and most of the town's other original settlers migrated to the town from

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, where they had supported the rebel cause against the majority British Loyalist population. Eddy tried to make Nova Scotia—the 14th American colony—join the revolution by leading the Siege of Fort Cumberland. After the siege failed, Eddy and others emigrated to the

District of Maine The District of Maine was the governmental designation for what is now the U.S. state of Maine from October 25, 1780, to March 15, 1820, when it was Admission to the Union, admitted to the Union as the List of U.S. states by date of admission to ...

and were given land grants in present-day Eddington. Later in the war, Eddy successfully defended Maine from a British attack in the Battle of Machias (1777).

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.

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 2,225 people, 930 households, and 643 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 1,037 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.8%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 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 0.3% of the population. There were 930 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% 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, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.9% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the town was 44.1 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 33.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,052 people, 825 households, and 595 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 920 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.95%

, 0.15%

, 0.49% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.29% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.39% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 825 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,250, and the median income for a family was $45,966. Males had a median income of $31,105 versus $22,445 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 $19,113. 6.7% of the population and 3.2% of families 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 5.5% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Notable people

* Jonathan Eddy, American Revolutionary War colonel; town namesake; buried in Eddington * Norman Kelley, operatic tenor; born and raised in Eddington *

Peter Lyford Peter A. Lyford is an American politician. He is a Republican representing District 10 in the Maine Senate. Political career In 2014, Lyford ran for election to represent District 129 in the Maine House of Representatives, and defeated Demo ...

, state legislator

References

External links

Town of Eddington official website

Eddington – Clifton Civic Center (Comins Hall)
{{authority control Towns in Penobscot County, Maine Towns in Maine