Old Town is a city in

Penobscot County, Maine Penobscot County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot people in Wabanakik. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 152,199, making it the third-most-populous count ...

, United States. The population was 7,431 at the 2020 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on the relatively large Marsh Island, but its boundaries extend beyond it. The island is surrounded and defined by 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 ...

to the east and the Stillwater River to the west.

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 called it ''Pannawambskek,'' meaning "where the ledges spread out," referring to rapids and drops in the river bed. The

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

established a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Catholic

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

here in the 1680s. Nearly a century later after Great Britain took over French territory following its victory in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, the area was settled by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

pioneers in 1774. The name Old Town derives from "Indian Old Town", which was the English name for the largest

Penobscot The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic p ...

Indian village, now known as Indian Island. Located within the city limits but on its own island in the

, the reservation is the current and historical home of the Penobscot Nation. In 1820, when the present city was set off from neighboring Orono (named for a Penobscot

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...

), it was given the name Old Town because it contained the Penobscot village. Over time, the Penobscot village ceased to be called Old Town, and the name migrated to the much newer American settlement across the river. Old Town may be best known for

Old Town Canoe Co. Old Town Canoe Company is a historic maker of canoes in Old Town, Maine. The company had its beginnings in 1898, in buildings constructed in 1890 for a shoe business, and was incorporated in 1901. Old Town entered the canoe market as a builder of ...

, a major manufacturer of

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

s and

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

s, which has been based in the city for more than 100 years. The city's location along a series of rapids in the Penobscot River, near the

head of tide Head of tide, tidal limit or tidehead is the furthest point upstream where a river is affected by tidal fluctuations, or where the fluctuations are less than a certain amount. The river section influenced by tides and marine forces, but without ...

just downstream in Bangor, made it an ideal location in the 1800s to marshal the water power for mills to process

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). ...

from the millions of

board feet The board foot or board-foot is a unit of measurement for the volume of lumber in the United States and Canada. It equals the volume of a board that is in length, one foot in width, and in thickness, or exactly liters. Board foot can be abbrev ...

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

logs floated annually down the Penobscot. Today many residents work for the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

in Orono and the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, the two largest employers in the area. Old Town is home to the Nine Dragons Paper Holdings Limited-owned

Old Town paper mill Old Town paper mill is an American paper factory in Old Town, Maine. Originally a saw mill, the factory was founded in 1860 and converted into a paper mill in 1882. Operations ceased in 2015 and restarted in 2018 when the plant was purchased by ...

. The city of Old Town includes Treat-Webster Island (a.k.a. "French Island"), a predominantly residential neighborhood located on a small

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 ...

in the middle of the Penobscot River. French Island is the intermediate land mass between

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

and Old Town; it is connected on either side by a bridge. File:Old Toll Bridge, Old Town, ME.jpg, Old toll bridge in 1907 File:Carnegie Library, Old Town, ME.jpg, Public Library in 1909 File:City Hall, Old Town, ME.jpg, City Hall in 1914

Geography

Old Town is located at (44.943047, −68.676461). 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. With its business district located on an island, Old Town is drained by the Stillwater River and

. A small neighborhood north of Stillwater Avenue on the mainland side of the Stillwater River is recognized by the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

as "Stillwater," and has its own post office and ZIP code. The Census Bureau does not recognize Stillwater and counts that area as part of Old Town. The city is crossed by

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

, U. S. Route 2 and 2A, and state routes 16, 43 and 116. It borders the towns of Orono to the south, Glenburn to the west,

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

to the northwest,

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) * Alton (surname) Places Australia * Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zeala ...

and Argyle Township to the north, and (separated by water) is near

east, and

Bradley Bradley may refer to: People * Bradley (given name) * Bradley (surname) Places In the United Kingdom In England: * Bradley, Cheshire * Bradley, Derbyshire * Bradley (house), a manor in Kingsteignton, Devon * Bradley, Gloucestershire * ...

to the southeast.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorolog ...

region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Old Town has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

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 7,840 people, 3,382 households, and 1,884 families living in the city. 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 3,665 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.1%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 1.6% Native American, 1.8% 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 ...

, 0.3% from other races, and 2.2% 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 1.3% of the population. There were 3,382 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% 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, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.3% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the city was 33 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 20.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 8,130 people, 3,426 households, and 1,993 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,686 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.62%

, 0.65%

, 1.48% Native American, 1.83% Asian, 0.04%

, 0.28% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population. There were 3,426 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were

living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18; 18.3% from 18 to 24; 27.0% from 25 to 44; 20.8% from 45 to 64; and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,886, and the median income for a family was $40,589. Males had a median income of $32,961 versus $23,723 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 city was $16,100. About 11.8% of families and 18.6% 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 14.6% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Old Town is part of

Regional School Unit A regional school unit is a type of school district in Maine. They were created starting in 2008 pursuant to a change in Maine Law that attempted to save on administrative costs by consolidating Maine's many school districts into larger district ...

(RSU) #34, which includes the towns of

, and Old Town. The RSU is composed of five schools: Alton Elementary School, Viola Rand Elementary School, Old Town Elementary School, Leonard Middle School, and Old Town High School. In 2006–2007 the school changed its

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

from the Old Town Indians to the Old Town Coyotes. A new community project to renovate the high school track and bolster the school's athletic facilities broke ground in 2013. Old Town's school colors are green and white. * RSU #34: Alton, Bradley, and Old Town * Stillwater Montessori School

Government

Old Town uses a city council with seven elected councilors, including a Council President. As of March 2020, the current mayor of Old Town is David Mahan.

Historic buildings

Listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: * St. Anne's Church and Mission Site, located on Indian Island * St. James Episcopal Church, designed by Boston-based English architect

Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...

Edith Marion Patch House The Edith Marion Patch House is a historic house at 500 College Avenue in Old Town, Maine. Built about 1837, the house was from 1913 to 1954 it was the home of entomologist and writer Edith Marion Patch. She named the house Braeside for the Sc ...

(known as ''Braeside'')

Sites of interest

* Old Town Museum * Sewall Park on Perch Pond (formerly known as Mud Pond)

Notable people

Doris Twitchell Allen Doris Twitchell Allen ( Doris Frances Twitchell; October 8, 1901 – March 7, 2002) was a noted psychologist and the founder of Children's International Summer Villages (now CISV InternationalCISV. She specialized in development and psychodrama ...

, psychologist, founder of the Children's International Summer Villages *

Samuel Cony Samuel Cony (February 27, 1811 – October 5, 1870) was an American politician, who most notably served as the 31st governor of Maine from 1864 to 1867. Early years Cony was born in Augusta, Maine, Augusta (in modern-day Maine, then a part of ...

, 31st

governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is J ...

* James Dill, state legislator *

Matthew Dunlap Matthew Dunlap (born November 26, 1964) is an American politician from Maine who has served as the Maine state auditor since November, 2022, and previously from January to October, 2021. A Democrat, Dunlap served as Secretary of State of Mai ...

, Maine State Auditor and 47th

Secretary of State of Maine The secretary of state of Maine is a State constitutional officer, constitutional officer in the U.S. state of Maine and serves as the head of the Maine Department of State. The Secretary of State performs duties of both a legislative branch as w ...

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patricia She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ...

, singer-songwriter * Chad Hayes, University of Maine and NFL football player *

Charles Davis Jameson Charles Davis Jameson (February 24, 1827 – November 6, 1862) was an American Civil War general and Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Maine. He contracted "camp fever" (typhoid) at the Battle of Fair Oaks, returned to his native ...

, Civil War general * Molly Spotted Elk, actress and dancer *

Tabitha King Tabitha "Tabby" Jane King ( Spruce, born March 24, 1949) is an American author. Early life Born in Old Town, Maine, Tabitha King is the third eldest daughter of Sarah Jane Spruce (née White; December 7, 1923 – April 14, 2007) and Raymond ...

, author, wife of author

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

* Bud Leavitt Jr., longtime editor and columnist, ''The Bangor Daily News'', television host *

Dick MacPherson Richard F. MacPherson (November 4, 1930 – August 8, 2017) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1971 to 1977 and at Syracuse University from 1981 to 1990, compiling a ca ...

, head coach of the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

* William F. Milliken Jr., engineer and racing driver * Nick Noonan, founding member of

Karmin Karmin was an American pop duo consisting of Amy Renee Noonan and Nick Noonan. Starting as a novelty act that released covers on YouTube, they signed in 2011 with Epic Records. In May 2012, Karmin released their debut EP ''Hello'', which spa ...

David Richard Porter David Richard Porter (1882–1973) was a major figure in the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) during the height of the organization's popularity and influence on American high school and college campuses. Porter was Executive Secretary of ...

, YMCA youth leader and Maine's first

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...

* Charles W. Roberts, Civil War general * Aaron Y. Ross, 'Old West' character * Theresa Secord, founder of Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance * George P. Sewall, speaker of the Maine House of Representatives * Joseph Sewall, president of the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the st ...

* Andrew Sockalexis, Olympic athlete * Louis "Chief" Sockalexis, first Native American major league baseball player * Mary Ellen St. John, Miss Maine 1954 *

Gary Thorne Gary Francis Thorne (born June 9, 1948) is an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for Baltimore Orioles games on MASN from 2007 to 2020. He has also worked for ESPN and ABC, including National Hockey League, Major Le ...

, Broadcaster * Walter E. Webber, lawyer and Mason * George F. Wilson, catcher with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

References

External links

City of Old Town, Maine

Old Town Public Library
{{authority control Cities in Maine Populated places established in 1774 Cities in Penobscot County, Maine 1774 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies