Prospect 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 698 at the 2020 census. The most prominent landmark in Prospect is

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...

, a large 19th-century fort. It is now a major tourist attraction, as is the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory.

History

Originally part of Frankfort, it was settled in 1759 when

Fort Pownall Fort Pownall was a British fortification built during the French and Indian War, whose remains are located at Fort Point State Park in Stockton Springs, Maine. The fort was named for Governor Thomas Pownall, who oversaw its construction. It ne ...

was completed at Fort Point on Cape Jellison. Prospect was set off and incorporated in 1794. Land was then set off from Prospect in 1845 to form part of Searsport. Stockton (later Stockton Springs) was set off and incorporated in 1857.

Shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

was an early industry. By 1859, the town had one

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

, three

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, 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 ...

s and a shingle mill. Construction on

began in 1844, using

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

from Mount Waldo in Frankfort. It was built to defend 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 ...

and the

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

port of Bangor during the

Aroostook War The Aroostook War (sometimes called the Pork and Beans WarLe Duc, Thomas (1947). The Maine Frontier and the Northeastern Boundary Controversy. ''The American Historical Review'' Vol. 53, No. 1 (Oct., 1947), pp. 30–41), or the Madawaska War, w ...

. Although never fully completed, work on the huge defense stopped in 1869.

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. Drained by the south branch of the Marsh River, Prospect is situated along the west bank of the

. The town is crossed by U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 1A, Maine State Route 3 and Maine State Route 174.

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 709 people, 291 households, and 197 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 337 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.4%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% 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 291 households, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% 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, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the town was 44.3 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 36% were from 45 to 64; and 12.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 642 people, 253 households, and 190 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 286 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.60%

, 0.16% Native American, and 1.25% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.16% of the population. There were 253 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.86. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,607, and the median income for a family was $41,406. Males had a median income of $32,292 versus $24,750 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 $20,243. About 7.6% of families and 10.4% 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 ...

, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Joseph Plumb Martin, Revolutionary War era soldier, noted for publishing accounts of his military service * Freeman McGilvery, Civil War era artillery officer * Ephraim K. Smart, US congressman

Sites of interest

* Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory

References

External links

Town of Prospect, Maine

Dorcas Library

Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory

Maine Genealogy: Prospect, Waldo County, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Waldo County, Maine Towns in Maine