Southport 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 ...

and

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

Lincoln County, Maine Lincoln County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 35,237. Its county seat, seat is Wiscasset, Maine, Wiscasset. The county was founded in ...

, United States. The population was 622 at the 2020 census. It includes the neighborhoods of Cozy Harbor, Newagen, Pine Cliff, West Southport, and the Capitol Island and Squirrel Island

summer colonies The term summer colony is often used, particularly in the United States, to describe well-known resorts and upper-class enclaves, typically located near the ocean, lakes, or mountains of New England, the Northeast United States, or the Great La ...

. The majority of the town's residents live on its main island, Southport Island.

History

The

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

people who originally inhabited the island called it Capanewagen. Cape Newagen, an English corruption of the Abenaki name, was the name of an early English fishing outpost at the southern tip of the island. The island would later be known as Newagen Island by Europeans. While the first European settlement was established in 1623, the island was abandoned by the English when they were driven from the region by the Abenaki during King Phillip's War in 1676. After the war, colonists returned to the island, only to be driven out again during

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand Allian ...

in 1689. After 40 years, colonists again returned to the region in 1730, and established a settlement called Townsend, named after Lord Charles Townshend. In 1764, the settlement was officially incorporated as the town of Boothbay. On February 12, 1842, the island split from Boothbay, becoming incorporated as Townsend. On June 12, 1850, Townsend changed its name to Southport, after

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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. Southport is on Southport Island, in the mouth of the Sheepscot River. The islands of Southport include the Ark, Boston Island, Burnt Island, Cape Island, Capitol Island, Cedarbush Island, the Cuckolds, David Island, the Green Islands, Hunting Island, Lower Mark Island, Mouse Island, Pratts Island, Southport Island, and Squirrel Island. The main island is crossed by state routes 27 and

238 __NOTOC__ Year 238 ( CCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pius and Pontianus (or, less frequently, year 991 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 238 ...

. Southport Island is connected by a green

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

to the adjacent town of Boothbay Harbor.

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 606 people, 316 households, and 195 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 1,051 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.5%

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 ...

, 1.7% from two or more races, 1.3% Asian, 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 ...

and 0.2% Native American. Hispanic and/or Latino of any race were 0.2% of the population. There were 316 households, of which 14.2% 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, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.38. The median age in the town was 60.1 years. 12% of residents were under the age of 18; 2.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 13% were from 25 to 44; 35.6% were from 45 to 64; and 37% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 684 people, 331 households, and 218 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 912 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.83%

, 0.58% Asian, and 0.58% from two or more races. There were 331 households, out of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were

living together, 3.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.52. In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.6% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 15.4% from 25 to 44, 35.7% from 45 to 64, and 30.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,125, and the median income for a family was $52,750. Males had a median income of $35,500 versus $24,583 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 $33,481. About 4.2% of families and 6.8% 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 11.2% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

* Burnt Island Light * The Cuckolds Light * Hendricks Head Light * Squirrel Island

Notable people

* Ralph H. Cameron, U.S. senator from Arizona *

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservation movement, conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) are credited with advancing mari ...

, marine biologist and conservationist * Margaret Hamilton, film actress * Wilder Hobson, journalist * Hart Day Leavitt, educator and editor *

Gustaf Tenggren Gustaf Adolf Tenggren (November 3, 1896 – April 9, 1970) was a Swedes, Swedish illustrator and animator. He is known for his Arthur Rackham-influenced fairy-tale style and use of silhouetted figures with caricatured faces. Tenggren was a chief i ...

, illustrator * Claggett Wilson, painter

References

External links

Town of Southport, Maine

Southport Memorial Library

Boothbay Register newspaper

Boothbay Region Historical Society

Epodunk profileMaine Genealogy: Southport, Lincoln County, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Lincoln County, Maine Towns in Maine Populated coastal places in Maine