Editing Georgetown, Maine

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Georgetown, Maine
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = View at Five Islands, ME.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Five Islands, Georgetown, ME; from a {{circa|1906}} postcard published by G. W. Morris
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|pushpin_map              = Maine#USA
|pushpin_label            = Georgetown
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<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Maine]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Maine|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Sagadahoc County, Maine|Sagadahoc]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = Incorporated
|established_date         = 1716

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name ="Gazetteer files"/>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 167.21
|area_land_km2            = 48.12
|area_water_km2           = 119.09
|area_total_sq_mi         = 64.56
|area_land_sq_mi          = 18.58
|area_water_sq_mi         = 45.98

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1058
|population_density_km2   = 22.0
|population_density_sq_mi =

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|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = −5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = −4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 10
|elevation_ft             = 33
|coordinates              = {{coord|43|48|38|N|69|44|36|W|region:US-ME|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
|postal_code              = 04548
|area_code                = [[Area code 207|207]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 23-27295
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0582489
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Georgetown''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Sagadahoc County, Maine]], United States. The population was 1,058 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2302327295|title=Census - Geography Profile: Georgetown town, Sagadahoc County, Maine|access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref> Home to [[Reid State Park]], the town is part of the [[Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area]]. Located on an island accessible by car from the mainland, Georgetown includes the villages of Five Islands, Georgetown, Bay Point, Marrtown, West Georgetown and Robinhood. It is a popular tourist destination.

==History==
[[File:Benjamin Riggs House.jpg|thumb|left|Front of the Benjamin Riggs House, located along Robinhood Road in Georgetown, a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. Built in 1790, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places]]

The [[Abenaki]] called the island Erascohegan, possibly meaning "good spear-fishing." Other interpretations of the word suggest that it meant "a watching place."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/indianplacenames00hude|title=Indian Place Names of New England|last=Huden|first=John Charles|date=1899}}</ref> John Parker, a [[fisherman]] from [[Bedfordshire, England|Bedfordshire]], England, purchased it in 1649 from Chief Mowhotiwormet, commonly known as Chief Robinhood, for a [[hogshead]] of [[rum]] and some [[pumpkin]]s. Parker built the first permanent homestead on what eventually became known as Parker's Island.<ref>[http://www.georgetownhistoricalsociety.org/Georgetown History 10-07.html Carolyn F. "Billie" Todd, "A Brief Historical Perspective"]{{dead link|date=April 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The [[Kennebec River]] valley was attacked and burned in 1676 during [[King Philip's War]], then again in 1689 at the outset of [[King William's War]], and was not resettled until after the 1713 [[Treaty of Portsmouth (1713)|Treaty of Portsmouth]]. The town of Newtown-on-Arrowsic was rebuilt in 1714 on the southern end of [[Arrowsic, Maine|Arrowsic Island]], which was incorporated in 1716 by the [[Massachusetts General Court]] as Georgetown-on-Arrowsic, named for Fort St. George. The town's boundaries were extended to encompass Parker's Island, [[Woolwich, Maine|Woolwich]], [[Phippsburg, Maine|Phippsburg]] and [[Bath, Maine|Bath]] (which included [[West Bath, Maine|West Bath]]). Abandoned during [[Dummer's War]] and beleaguered during the [[French and Indian Wars]], the region resettled slowly in the 1750s until peace was assured with the 1759 [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham|Fall of Quebec]].<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book  | last = Coolidge  | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield  | title = A History and Description of New England| year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| publisher=A.J. Coolidge| page = 140| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&q=coolidge%20mansfield%20history%20description%20new%20england%201859&pg=PA140}}</ref>

About half of Parker's Island provided [[Grazing|grazing land]], and some residents raised [[livestock]] and produced [[butter]] and [[cheese]]. In 1858, there were two [[sawmill]]s, two [[roof shingle|shingle]] mills, a [[Bucket|pail]]maker and a [[shipbuilder]]. But the [[merchant marine]] and [[fishing]] were the town's principal occupations. By 1841, all the other parts of Georgetown had been set off and incorporated as towns, leaving Parker's Island with sole claim to the ancient name. Situated between the mouths of the [[Sheepscot River|Sheepscot]] and Kennebec rivers on the [[Gulf of Maine]], Georgetown developed into a summer resort, attracting a number of prominent artists. The island is a noted site for [[bird watching]].<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Varney
  | first = George J.
  | title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Georgetown
  | place = Boston
  | publisher = Russell
  | year = 1886
  | url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/georgetown-me.htm }}
</ref>

==Geography==

[[Image:Sagadahoc Bay from Indian Point, Georgetown, ME.jpg|thumb|left|Sagadahoc Bay {{circa|1915}}]]
[[Image:Robinhood Cove, Georgetown, ME.jpg|thumb|left|Robinhood Cove {{circa|1915}}]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|64.56|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|18.58|sqmi|sqkm|2}} of it is land and {{convert|45.98|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2010.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-12-16}}</ref> Georgetown is located on an island near the mouth of the [[Kennebec River]] and [[Gulf of Maine]], part of the [[Atlantic Ocean]].

It is crossed by Maine State Route 127. The island is separated by water from [[Westport, Maine|Westport]] to the northeast, [[Southport, Maine|Southport]] to the east, [[Phippsburg, Maine|Phippsburg]] to the west, [[Arrowsic, Maine|Arrowsic]] to the northwest, and [[Woolwich, Maine|Woolwich]] to the north.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1790= 1333
|1800= 1534
|1810= 1998
|1820= 1165
|1830= 1258
|1840= 1356
|1850= 1121
|1860= 1254
|1870= 1135
|1880= 1080
|1890= 849
|1900= 799
|1910= 742
|1920= 429
|1930= 361
|1940= 420
|1950= 510
|1960= 490
|1970= 464
|1980= 735
|1990= 914
|2000= 1020
|2010= 1042
|2020= 1058
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=June 4, 2015 }}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-12-16}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,042 people, 469 households, and 298 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|56.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 1,044 housing units at an average density of {{convert|56.2|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.8% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.2% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.4% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 469 households, of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.5% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.77.

The median age in the town was 49.6 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.6% were from 25 to 44; 37% were from 45 to 64; and 20.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,020 people, 441 households, and 287 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|54.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 931 housing units at an average density of {{convert|49.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 98.92% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.10% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.49% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.10% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.39% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 441 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% 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 2.84.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,813, and the median income for a family was $58,438. Males had a median income of $39,028 versus $24,792 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $24,709.  About 3.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

== Notable people ==
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· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
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* [[James Morton Carpenter]], Ph.D., painter, art historian, founder of Colby College Art Museum, and founder of Colby's art history department
* [[Marsden Hartley]], artist
* [[Dahlov Ipcar]], artist and children's author, daughter of Marguerite and William Zorach
* [[Gaston Lachaise]], sculptor
* [[William Lithgow (judge)]], colonial military officer
* [[Arthur Noble]], colonial military officer
* [[Laura E. Richards]], children's author
* [[Marguerite Zorach]], artist
* [[William Zorach]], artist

==Education==
Georgetown Central School

==Sites of interest==
* Ledgemere Nature Preserve
* Georgetown Historical Society & Museum<ref>[http://www.georgetownhistoricalsociety.org/ Georgetown Historical Society & Museum]</ref>
* Josephine Newman Wildlife Sanctuary<ref>[http://www.georgetown.u47.k12.me.us/newman.html Josephine Newman Wildlife Sanctuary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080801230003/http://www.georgetown.u47.k12.me.us/newman.html |date=2008-08-01 }}</ref>
* Perkins Island Light<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20011218005508/http://lighthouse.cc/perkins/ Perkins Island Light]}}</ref>
* Reid State Park<ref>[http://maine.gov/cgi-bin/doc/parks/find_one_name.pl?park_id=13 Reid State Park]</ref>
* Seguin Island Light<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000831083857/http://lighthouse.cc/seguin/ Seguin Island Light]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mesagada/george.htm Brief Description and History of Georgetown, Maine]

==External links==
* [http://www.georgetownme.com/ Town of Georgetown, Maine]
* [http://www.patten.lib.me.us/ Patten Free Library]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030419175335/http://www.lkrlt.org/ Lower Kennebec Regional Land Trust]}}
* [http://www.lighthousefoundation.org/alf_lights/perkinsisland/perkinsisland_info.htm Friends of Perkins Island Light] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516235352/http://www.lighthousefoundation.org/alf_lights/perkinsisland/perkinsisland_info.htm |date=2008-05-16 }}
* [http://www.seguinisland.org/ Friends of Seguin Island Lighthouse]
* [http://www.mainememory.net/bin/Detail?ln=18728 Plan of Georgetown in 1839] from the [http://www.mainememory.net/ Maine Memory Network]
* [http://www.mainegenealogy.net/individual_place_record.asp?place=georgetown Maine Genealogy: Georgetown, Sagadahoc County, Maine]

{{Sagadahoc County, Maine}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Georgetown, Maine| ]]
[[Category:Portland metropolitan area, Maine]]
[[Category:Towns in Sagadahoc County, Maine]]