Waldoboro 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 Lincoln 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 5,154 at the 2020 census. Waldoboro was incorporated in 1773 and developed a reputation as a ship building and port facility from the banks of the Medomak River. The town's strong agricultural and fishing legacy continues today, with recently renewed enthusiasm for traditional

natural fiber Natural fibers or natural fibres (see Spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences) are fibers that are produced by geology, geological processes, or from the bodies of plants or animals. They can be used as a component of Composite mate ...

production,

cheesemaking Cheesemaking (or caseiculture) is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrate ...

, farm

brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...

fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...

, soapmaking, and other lost agrarian arts. Waldoboro is becoming a popular destination, with miles of scenic river frontage, a thriving arts community, and historical interest in its past as a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

settlement.

History

In 1629 the area that would become Waldoboro was granted to John Beauchamp of London and Thomas Leverett of Boston, England, and was known as the Muscongus Patent. The patent lay dormant until 1719 when Leverett's great-grandson, John Leverett, President of Harvard College, revived the ancient claim and formed the Lincolnshire Proprietors, also known as the Ten Proprietors, so named for the ten shares distributed, one to each member. General

Samuel Waldo Samuel Waldo (August 7, 1696 – May 23, 1759) was an American merchant, land speculator, army officer and politician in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Biography He was born in Boston, the son of Jonathan Waldo and Hannah Mason. In 1722, ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

acquired a controlling interest in the patent in 1729 and it henceforward become known as the

Waldo Patent The Waldo Patent, a letters patent also known as the Muscongus Patent or the Lincolnshire Patent, was a document granting title to of land in what is now the U.S. state of Maine. It is named variously for businessman Samuel Waldo, who eventually ...

. Following

Dummer's War Dummer's War (1722–1725) (also known as Father Rale's War, Lovewell's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the Wabanaki-New England War, or the Fourth Anglo-Abenaki War) was a series of battles between the New England Colonies and the Wab ...

, the area represented the easternmost extension of the

Province of Massachusetts The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Engla ...

and was protected by Fort St. George. First called Broad Bay, the village was settled between 1733 and 1740, but suffered a devastating attack as part of the Northeast Coast Campaign (1746) by Native Americans allied with

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

during

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in ...

. Houses were burned and inhabitants killed or carried away as captives. Survivors fled to the nearby settlements of

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

or Pemaquid. Peace returned with the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. New Englanders aware of these wartime losses were reluctant to resettle this vulnerable frontier, so from 1741 to 1753, Samuel Waldo, son of the general Jonathan Waldo, visited Germany and recruited about 1,500 immigrants to Waldoboro. Some were followers of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

and

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...

but they did not immigrate for religious reasons like the Pilgrims but for "...increasing their worldly goods.", most from the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

. Waldo hired Sebastian Zouberbuhler as an agent. Many settled on the western side of Broad Bay, although in 1763–1764 the land was claimed under the Pemaquid Patent. About 300 residents moved to the Moravian settlements in what is now Forsyth County, North Carolina, but the remainder bought their properties. On June 29, 1773, the township was incorporated as Waldoborough, named for the original proprietor. Waldoboro became

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Lincoln County in 1786, but the designation would shift to Wiscasset in 1880. Farms produced

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

and potatoes. The Knox and Lincoln Railroad arrived and spurred the town's development. Industries would include an iron

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

, an

oakum Oakum is a preparation of tarred fibers used to seal gaps. Its traditional application was in shipbuilding for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships. Oakum was also used in p ...

mill, a

carding In Textile manufacturing, textile production, carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver (textiles), sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passi ...

and cloth-dressing mill, a grain mill,

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

planing mill A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and Wood drying, seasoned Wood, wooden boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the Thickness planer, planer and matcher, the Moulding plan ...

s, furniture and molding mills, a

door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide securit ...

sash A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the human body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else encircling the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, ...

and blind factory, and a

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

factory. There were also

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

and

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 ...

yards and a

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

. But

ship building Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other 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 that traces i ...

was the principal business, with eight large vessels built in 1880. During the 19th century Maine became famous for its great shipbuilding center. Waldoboro was the launching port for the '' Governor Ames'' in 1888, the first five masted

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

. The ''Governor Ames'' was built in Waldoboro's Leavitt Storer Shipyard. A

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border control, border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not impo ...

, the town features an 1857

custom house A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

designed by Ammi B. Young. Waldoboro is also known for the Waldoboro style of hooked rugs, the Waldoboro green neck turnip, Moody's Diner and Morse's Sauerkraut, and Fawcetts Toy Museum.

Places listed on the National Register of Historic Places

* German Church and Cemetery * Hutchins House (Hall Funeral Home) * Ludwig, Godfrey, House * U.S. Customhouse and Post Office *

Waldo Theatre The Waldo Theatre is a historic movie theater and performance venue at 916 Main Street in Waldoboro, Maine. Built in 1936 as a movie theater to a design by New York City architect Benjamin Schlanger, it was hailed at the time as one of the bes ...

built by Carroll Cooney * Waldoborough Town Pound * Wetherill Site

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. Waldoboro is located at the

head of navigation The head of navigation is the farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships. Determining the head of navigation can be subjective on many streams, as the point may vary greatly with the size or the draft of the ship b ...

on the Medomak River.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,075 people, 2,171 households, and 1,364 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,651 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.4%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.1% 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 1.0% of the population. There were 2,171 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% 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 2.85. The median age in the town was 43.5 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 30.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,916 people, 1,983 households, and 1,348 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,360 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.62%

, 0.22%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.14% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.08%

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 ...

, 0.04% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.26% of the population. There were 1,983 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.91. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,830, and the median income for a family was $41,042. Males had a median income of $30,788 versus $22,462 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,117. About 9.7% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The town is served by U.S. Route 1 and state routes 32, 220 and 235.

Education

Regional School Unit 40 operates public schools. Schools in Waldoboro: * Medomak Valley High School — Grades 9–12 *Medomak Valley Middle School — Grades 7–8 *Miller Elementary School — Grades K–6 * Coastal Christian School - Grade K-12, private, Baptist Waldoboro Public Library serves the community.

Notable people

* Benjamin Brown, member of the 14th

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

; practiced medicine in Waldoboro * Carroll Trowbridge Cooney, college football player and theatre owner * Robert Creeley, poet * Tristan Dyer, filmmaker and Iraq War veteran; born in Waldoboro *

Ezra B. French Ezra Bartlett French (September 23, 1810 – April 24, 1880) was a United States representative from Maine. He was born in Landaff, New Hampshire where he attended the common schools and pursued an academic course. Later, he studied law in ...

, U.S. House of Representatives 1859–1861, Maine House of Representatives 1838–1840, Maine Senate 1842–1845, Secretary of State of Maine 1845–1850, bank commissioner and worked as a newspaper editor in 1856, assisted in organizing the Republican Party in 1856 * Harriet Newell Haskell (1835–1907), educator and administrator * Conrad Heyer, Revolutionary War veteran and one of the earliest-born people known to have been photographed * John Harvey Lovell, naturalist and author; born and lived in Waldoboro * Sebastian Streeter Marble, 41st governor of Maine *

John William McCormack John William McCormack (December 21, 1891 – November 22, 1980) was an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts. McCormack served in the United States Army during World War I, and afterwards in the Massachusetts State Senate before winnin ...

, U.S House of Representatives, Speaker of the House. In 1929 John's father Joseph was buried in a pauper's grave in Waldoboro *

Frederick G. Payne Frederick George Payne (July 24, 1904 – June 15, 1978) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a United States Senate, U.S. senator from Maine from 1953 to ...

, US senator, 60th

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 ...

* Isaac Reed, US congressman; born in Waldoboro * Frederick Robie, 39th governor of Maine; practiced medicine in Waldoboro for a time * Aaron Robinson, musician and composer *

Augusta Emma Stetson Augusta Emma Stetson (''née'' Simmons) (October 12, 1842 – October 12, 1928) was an American religious leader. Known for her impressive oratory skills and magnetic personality, she attracted a large following in New York City. However, her incr ...

, religious leader; born in Waldoboro * Clyde Sukeforth,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player and agent, scouted and signed

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...

Clyde Sukeforth, 98, Is Dead; Steered Robinson to Majors
/ref> * David Trahan, politician, logger, lobbyist, executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine *

, merchant, soldier, political figure and proprietor of Waldo County and the towns of Waldo and Waldoboro

References

External links

Town of Waldoboro official websiteWaldoboro Public LibraryMedomak Valley Land TrustMaine Genealogy: Waldoboro, Lincoln County, MaineWaldoboro Historical Society & MuseumOld Broad Bay Family History Association
{{authority control Towns in Lincoln County, Maine Populated places established in the 1730s German-American culture in Maine Towns in Maine Populated coastal places in Maine