Lincolnville 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 Waldo 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 2,312 at the 2020 census. Lincolnville is the mainland terminal for Maine State Ferry Service transport to Islesboro.

History

Approximately 10,000 years ago, a

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

covered the area to a depth of several thousand feet, carving irregular landforms that survive today. The earliest artifact of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an origin was fragments of a 1650–1660 clay pipe, probably a

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

good with the

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

population. First settled in 1770 by Nathan Knight, the town was incorporated in 1802 from Canaan and Ducktrap plantations. It was named for General Benjamin Lincoln, a Revolutionary War General—second-in-command to

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

at Yorktown—and friend of

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806) was an American military officer, politician, bookseller, and a Founding Father of the United States. Knox, born in Boston, became a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionar ...

. In an 1807 vote to separate from Massachusetts, it was one of three coastal communities to push for separation (with

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and Brunswick). On October 22, 1844, local members of the Millerite sect climbed Megunticook Mountain to await the end of the world and the

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christianity, Christian and Islam, Islamic belief that Jesus, Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his Ascension of Jesus, ascension to Heaven (Christianity), Heav ...

. The event was dubbed the

Great Disappointment The Great Disappointment in the Millerite movement was the reaction that followed Baptist preacher William Miller's proclamation that Jesus Christ would return to the Earth by 1844, which he called the Second Advent. His study of the Daniel 8 ...

. They hadn't prepared for the winter, so other Lincolnville residents housed them to help them survive the winter months. The first school in Lincolnville was a three-sided log cabin behind Nathan Knight's home with a perpendicular ledge for a fourth wall; the ledge served to support a blackboard. Lamb School was one of the other earlier schools in Lincolnville owned by the Lamb family. It closed in 1912. A sign put up by the Lincolnville Historical Society is now in its place. Over the years, the population continued to grow until it was incorporated in 1802. A bicentennial celebration was celebrated by the town in 2002.

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. Located along the western side of

Penobscot Bay Penobscot Bay () is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean in south central Maine, a stretch known as Midcoast Maine, in a broader Atlantic region known as Down East. The bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River, ...

, Lincolnville is drained by the

Ducktrap River The Ducktrap River is a river in Waldo County, Maine, Waldo County, Maine. From the outflow in Tilden Pond () in Belmont, Maine, Belmont, the river runs U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nationa ...

. Principal bodies of water include Megunticook Lake, Norton Pond (123 acres), Coleman Pond (225 acres), Moody Pond (61 acres), and Levenseller Pond (34 acres). The town is served by U.S. Route 1, and Maine State Routes 173, 52, and 235. It is bordered by Belmont on the north, Northport on the northeast,

on the east, Camden on the south,

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

on the west and Searsmont on the northwest.

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 2,164 people, 959 households, and 635 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 1,465 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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, and 0.9% 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 people of any race were 0.8% of the population. There were 959 households, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% 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, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age in the town was 47.5 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 35.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,042 people, 846 households, and 605 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,272 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.78%

, 0.05%

, 0.15% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.05%

, 0.39% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.83% of the population. There were 846 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were

living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.82. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,273, and the median income for a family was $48,500. Males had a median income of $32,006 versus $28,077 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 $21,621. About 7.0% of families and 9.1% 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 9.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Lincolnville is part of School Union 69 (with the Towns of Hope and Appleton), which operates the Lincolnville Central School (LCS), for grades preK–8 and is part of the Five Town Consolidated School District (with the towns of Hope, Appleton, Rockport and Camden), which operates Camden Hills Regional High School. Kate Clark is the Superintendent of School Union 69 and Maria Libby is the Superintendent of the Five Town CSD. The principal of LCS is Justin Bennett as of the 2023-2024 school year.lcs.fivetowns.net/staff_directory

Notable people

* Tim Boetsch, mixed martial artist * John Burstein, actor, creator and performer of Slim Goodbody * Jon Fishman, drummer,

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

* Elizabeth Hand, author *

Alex Katz Alex Katz (born July 24, 1927) is an American figurative artist known for his paintings, sculptures, and printmaking, prints. Since 1951, Katz's work has been the subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions and nearly 500 group exhibitions through ...

, artist *

Eli Pariser Eli Pariser (born December 17, 1980) is an author, activist, and entrepreneur. He has stated that his focus is "how to make technology and media serve democracy". He became executive director of MoveOn, MoveOn.org in 2004, where he helped pioneer ...

, political activist * Levi Rackliffe, California state treasurer *

Bidu Sayão Balduína "Bidú" de Oliveira Sayão (11 May 1902 – 12 March 1999) was a Brazilian opera soprano. One of Brazil's celebrated musicians, Sayão was a leading artist of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1937 to 1952. Life and career ...

, opera soprano *

Neil Welliver Neil Gavin Welliver (July 22, 1929 – April 5, 2005) was an American modern artist, best known for his large-scale landscape paintings inspired by the deep woods near his home in Maine. One of his sons, Titus Welliver became a successful actor ...

, artist

References

External links

Town of Lincolnville, Maine

Lincolnville Historical Society

Lincolnville Business Group

NOCASOBE North of Camden, South of Belfast

Maine Genealogy: Lincolnville, Waldo County, Maine

Maine.gov – Lincolnville, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Waldo County, Maine Towns in Maine Populated coastal places in Maine