Temple 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 Franklin 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 town was named after Temple, New Hampshire. It is located at the end of Maine State Route 43 (Temple Road), and is said to be one of only two towns in Maine to be situated at the end of a public highway. The population was 527 at the 2020 census.

History

Hill-farmers from Temple,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, Old

North Yarmouth, Maine North Yarmouth, officially the Town of North Yarmouth, is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County, Maine, United States. North Yarmouth is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and tow ...

, and nearby Farmington settled the town beginning in 1796. It was incorporated in 1803. Commercial

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 operated on Temple Stream in the village for many years in the 1800s and 1900s, providing the town a robust local economy. Logging is still vibrant in Temple, but its timber is now trucked to mills in nearby towns. The town contains a town hall (formerly an elementary school), a post office in the former general store (no longer has a post office), a theater (formerly the Congregational Church. The bell tower now sits in a semi-restored state at the town hall), a fire station, and a youth baseball field, established in 1957, commemorating the life of Larry Boyce, the former Temple Townies player and manager for whom the field is named. What is now Maple Street was once called Cowturd Lane, due to "the smell of

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nut ...

, fresh from

cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

walking in the road on their way to (pasture) and back, hanging in the air like swamp gas."Hodgkins, John E., ''A Soldier's Son: An American Boyhood During World War II'', Down East Books, 2006. Temple is a sanctuary for writers, poets, artists, and crafters, and the setting for several novels, biographies, and memoirs: ''Shawno'' (

George Dennison George Dennison (1925–1987) was an American novelist and short-story author best known for ''The Lives of Children'', his account of the First Street School. He also wrote fiction, plays, and critical essays, most notably his novel ''Luisa Domic ...

), ''Temple'' (Dennison), ''Temple Stream: A Rural Odyssey'' ( Bill Roorbach), ''Upcountry: Reflections from a Rural Life'' (Robert Kimber), ''A Soldier's Son: An American Boyhood During World War II'' (John E. Hodgkins), and ''The Town that Ends the Road'' ( Theodore Enslin). Besides the above, a number of well-known writers either lived or summered in Temple, including Denise Levertov, Mitchell Goodman, and C. J. Stevens.

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 528 people, 226 households, and 141 families residing 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 327 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7%

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 ...

, 1.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.4% 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 0.8% of the population. There were 226 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% 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, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the town was 45.6 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 36% were from 45 to 64; and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 572 people, 228 households, and 165 families residing in the town. The

was 16.1 people per square mile (6.2/km). There were 316 housing units at an average density of 8.9 per square mile (3.4/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.60%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.52% Asian, and 0.70% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population. There were 228 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were

living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.79. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $34,931. Males had a median income of $29,844 versus $24,688 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 $16,905. About 7.6% of families and 10.1% 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 10.1% of those under age 18 and 22.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* John Fairfield Dryden, founder Prudential Life Insurance Company and senator *

Helen Jewett Helen Jewett (born Dorcas Doyen;The trial of Richard P. Robinson for the murder of Helen Jewett. New York City, 1836 In American state trials / John D.Lawson, editor pp 426-487 Wilmington, Del. : Scholarly Resources, 1972 October 18, 1813 – Ap ...

, also known as Dorcas Doyen, noted New York City murder victim, and subject of numerous novels and biographies * Harvey Parker, Boston hotelier and originator of Parker House rolls * Jacob Wirth, Boston restaurateur

Gallery

Image:Hodgkin's Store, Temple.jpg, U.S. Post Office and former Hodgkins General Store, on Temple Road Image:Boyce Park, Temple.jpg, Boyce Park, home of the Temple Tigers youth baseball team Image:Boyce Park, Temple2.jpg, Boyce Park's scoreboard Image:Intervale, Temple.jpg, Looking south along Intervale Road from its intersection with Day Mountain Road Image:Fire station, Temple.jpg, Temple Fire Station Image:Fire truck.jpg, An early Temple fire truck

References

External links

Town of Temple
{{authority control Towns in Franklin County, Maine Towns in Maine