Editing Weld, Maine

{{Short description| Town in the state of Maine, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Weld, Maine
| settlement_type    = [[New England town|Town]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              =

<!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Mount Blue Maine.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = [[Webb Lake (Maine)|Webb Lake]] and [[Mount Blue (Maine)|Mount Blue]]
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         =

<!-- Maps -->|
| pushpin_map        = Maine
| pushpin_label      = Weld
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Maine
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map          = 
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = 
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       =

<!-- 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  = [[Franklin County, Maine|Franklin]]
| parts_type         = Communities
| parts              = {{ubl|Weld|Weld Corner}}
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = [[Incorporation (municipal government)|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = 1816

<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name ="Gazetteer files"/>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 162.83
| area_land_km2      = 154.10
| area_water_km2     = 8.73
| area_total_sq_mi   = 62.87
| area_land_sq_mi    = 59.50
| area_water_sq_mi   = 3.37

<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 376
| population_density_km2 = 2.4
| population_density_sq_mi = <!-- General information -->
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 206
| elevation_ft       = 676
| coordinates        = {{coord|44|42|27|N|70|26|13|W|region:US-ME|display=inline}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 04285
| area_code          = [[Area code 207|207]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 23-81300
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0582798
| website            = {{URL|www.weld-maine.org}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Weld''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Franklin County, Maine|Franklin County]], [[Maine]], United States. The population was 376 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2300781300|title=Census - Geography Profile: Weld town, Franklin County, Maine|access-date=February 27, 2022}}</ref> Set beside [[Webb Lake (Maine)|Webb Lake]] and almost surrounded by mountains, Weld is noted for its scenery.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} It is home to [[Mount Blue State Park]],  Camp Kawanhee for Boys, and Camp Lawroweld.

==History==

Originally called No. 5 (or Webb's Pond Plantation), it was first settled in 1800 by Nathaniel Kittredge and his family from [[Chester, New Hampshire]]. The town was part of an extensive tract purchased about 1790 from the state of [[Massachusetts]] by Jonathan Phillips of [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]. Phillips was an investor whose agent, Jacob Abbott of [[Wilton, New Hampshire]], resold parcels of the land to settlers. Together with Benjamin Weld of Boston, Abbott and his brother-in-law Thomas Russell Jr. in 1815 bought what remained of the Phillips tract.<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book  | last = Coolidge  | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield   | title = A History and Description of New England| publisher = A.J. Coolidge  | year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n385 347]–348| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = A History and Description of New England Coolidge Mansfield.  }}</ref>

Incorporated on February 8, 1816, the town was named for its proprietor, Benjamin Weld, a member of the [[Weld family]].<ref>[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mecweld/EarlySettlersofWeld.htm E. J. Foster, ''Early Settlers of Weld'', Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder]</ref> Inauspiciously, 1816 was the [[Year Without a Summer]], when unusually cold weather threatened [[Atlantic Northeast|northeastern]] communities with [[famine]].

A longtime resident of Weld was Pomp Russell, an [[African-American]] man adopted as a very young child by Thomas and Bethia Holt Russell in Andover, Massachusetts in the early 1760s. The only extant record is a church baptism for Pompey, “servant to Thomas Russel” in Andover, MA. on November 18, 1764. Thomas Russell, son of Joseph, was born in Andover, MA June 5, 1732. He and Bethia Holt married May 15, 1760, in Andover, MA.<ref>Early Records of the Holt family of Andover, MA.</ref> In 1769, Thomas and Bethia and four children (Bethia, Thomas, Jr., Pomp and Hannah) moved to Wilton, N.H. In September 1769, Thomas purchased for £106, 13 shillings and 4 pence, lot 8, and two and a half acres of Lot 7, both in the seventh range, Wilton, New Hampshire. Another son, Daniel, was born a few months after their move to Wilton, N.H.

Pomp Russell served at the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]] in June 1775 and was later caught spying behind British lines. Russell was lined up to be shot when he managed to escape. About 1781 at age 21, Pomp was awarded his freedom by Thomas, his father and adoptive parent. On June 26, 1788, 
Pomp Russell married Margaret Cutt.<ref>[History of the Town of Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.  By Daniel Franklin Secomb, p.852]</ref> In handwritten town records of Packersfield, N.H. the birth on December 5, 1789, of their first child, Peter, is recorded.<ref>Town of Nelson, NH records</ref> (Nelson is present day name of Packersfield). In the 1790 U.S. census of Packersfield, N.H., the entry for Pompey Russell shows three free colored people: Pomp, Peggy, and their first-born, Peter. Zadok was born February 1, 1794. Pomp was a farmer, owning one or two cows between 1789 and 1804 and also fencing was mentioned in the handwritten tax records. Come 1804, he was taxed for 1 ton of hay and 3 acres of pasture land. Around this time, Pomp's brothers, Abel and Joseph, invited him and his family to leave Packersfield and join them in Weld, Maine where their father Thomas had moved prior to his move to Temple.  The brothers had built Pomp's family a home on Center Hill in Weld.

Weld is located on a fairly level area of gravelly [[loam]] almost surrounded by mountains, some of which are beyond the town's limits. Farmers cultivated [[Maize|corn]], [[potato]]es, [[wheat]] and [[oat]]s. Weld was noted for numerous and prolific [[apple]] [[orchard]]s. Streams provided [[water power]] for [[water mill|mills]], which included five [[sawmill]]s, three box mills, a [[gristmill]] and a [[carding]] machine. It also produced fork and shovel handles, butter tubs, [[horse harness|harness]] and tinware. Other industries were a [[starch]] factory, [[blacksmith]] and [[Tanning (leather)|tannery]].<ref name="Coolidge"/> By 1870, the population was 1,130.<ref>[http://history.rays-place.com/me/franklin3.htm George J. Varney, ''History of Temple, Weld & Wilton, Maine;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1886]</ref>

<gallery>
Image:View from Center Hill, Weld, ME.jpg|Bird's-eye view {{circa|1915}}
Image:The Square, Weld Village, ME.jpg|The Square {{circa|1906}}
Image:Point of Pines, Weld, ME.jpg|Webb Lake {{circa|1908}}
Image:WeldME MtBlueTradingPost.jpg|Mount Blue Trading Post
</gallery>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|62.87|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|59.50|sqmi|sqkm|2}}  is land and {{convert|3.37|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=December 16, 2012}}</ref> Weld is situated beside Webb Lake, which is drained by the [[Webb River]], a tributary of the [[Androscoggin River]].

The town is crossed by state routes [[Maine State Route 142|142]] and [[Maine State Route 156|156]]. It borders the town of [[Phillips, Maine|Phillips]] and Unincorporated Township No. 6 to the north, [[Avon, Maine|Avon]] and [[Temple, Maine|Temple]] to the east, and [[Carthage, Maine|Carthage]] and Perkins Plantation to the south.

Weld is home to Spruce Mountain and Hurricane Mountain, and considered home to several summits outside the town's boundaries, including [[Tumbledown Mountain]] and [[Mount Blue (Maine)|Mount Blue]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 489
|1830= 765
|1840= 1045
|1850= 995
|1860= 1035
|1870= 1130
|1880= 1040
|1890= 885
|1900= 738
|1910= 574
|1920= 521
|1930= 493
|1940= 422
|1950= 361
|1960= 348
|1970= 360
|1980= 435
|1990= 430
|2000= 402
|2010= 419
|2020= 376
|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=December 16, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 419 people, 194 households, and 138 families living in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|7.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 632 housing units at an average density of {{convert|10.6|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.9% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.2% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.2% of the population.

There were 194 households, of which 15.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 2.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.9% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.46.

The median age in the town was 54 years. 11% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14% were from 25 to 44; 45.1% were from 45 to 64; and 23.9% 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 [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 402 people, 176 households, and 132 families living in the town.  The [[population density]] was 6.7 people per square mile (2.6/km{{sup|2}}).  There were 691 housing units at an average density of 11.6 per square mile (4.5/km{{sup|2}}).  The racial makeup of the town was 98.01% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], and 1.99% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.50% of the population.

There were 176 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.60.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 2.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,250, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $27,708 versus $21,875 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $17,796.  About 14.1% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

== Notable people ==
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· The article must mention how they are associated with Weld, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
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* [[Henry Braun]], poet
* [[C. J. Stevens]], author
* [[John B. Taft]], Minnesota state legislator

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

{{commons category}}
* [http://weld-maine.org/ Town of Weld, Maine]
* [http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1158699 Weld Historical Society & Museum]
* [http://www.rangeleymaine.com/accommodations_imhbb.shtml Rangley Lakes Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.state.me.us/cgi-bin/doc/parks/find_one_name.pl?park_id=18 Mount Blue State Park]
* [http://www.maine.gov/local/franklin/weld/ Maine.gov – Weld, Maine]

{{Franklin County, Maine}}
{{Androscoggin River}}

{{coord|44|41|55|N|70|25|17|W|type:city_region:US-ME|display=title}}

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[[Category:Towns in Franklin County, Maine]]
[[Category:Towns in Maine]]