Historical U.S. Census Totals for Lincoln County, Maine

This article shows U.S. Census totals for Lincoln County, Maine, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.

There are two types of incorporated municipalities in Maine, towns and cities. The tables below differentiate between towns and cities.

Most areas of New England are entirely divided into incorporated municipalities, with no unincorporated territory. In the three northern New England states, however, some unincorporated territory does exist, generally in areas that are very sparsely populated. Maine contains significantly more unincorporated territory than the other states, with the bulk of it in interior and northern counties. Some southern and coastal counties, including Lincoln County, also contain smaller amounts of unincorporated territory, however.

Some unincorporated territory in Maine is organized into a third type of town-level municipality unique to Maine, called a plantation (considered to be “organized”, but not incorporated), while some is entirely unorganized. Lincoln County currently contains one plantation (Monhegan, which is located on offshore islands), as well as a small amount of territory that is entirely unorganized (Hibberts Gore). Separate sections with census totals for unincorporated areas follows the main tables below. For any census, adding up the totals for each town-level municipality, including any plantations or unorganized entities, should yield the county total. Except for Monhegan and Hibberts Gore, all of Lincoln County is incorporated; except for Hibberts Gore, all of the county is at least organized. For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.

Corporate changes since 1900

*1915 – New town of South Bristol formed from Bristol

*1937 – Somerville disincorporated; subsequently organized as a plantation

*1974 – Somerville re-incorporated as a town

1900

County Total: 19,669

*Waldoboro 3,145
*Bristol 2,572
*Boothbay Harbor 1,926
*Boothbay 1,766
*Wiscasset 1,273
*Whitefield 1,156
*Jefferson 1,155
*Newcastle 1,075
*Dresden 882
*Damariscotta 876
*Nobleboro 810
*Bremen 657
*Edgecomb 607
*Southport 527
*Alna 444
*Somerville 374
*Westport 330

Unincorporated territory reported 94 residents, all in Monhegan Plantation.

1910

County Total: 18,216

*Waldoboro 2,656
*Bristol 2,415
*Boothbay Harbor 2,021
*Boothbay 1,700
*Wiscasset 1,287
*Newcastle 1,066
*Whitefield 1,056
*Jefferson 1,030
*Dresden 815
*Nobleboro 775
*Damariscotta 771
*Bremen 550
*Edgecomb 513
*Alna 457
*Southport 409
*Somerville 291
*Westport 284

Unincorporated territory reported 120 residents, all in Monhegan Plantation.

1920

County Total: 15,976

*Waldoboro 2,426
*Boothbay Harbor 2,025
*Boothbay 1,432
*Bristol 1,419
*Wiscasset 1,192
*Newcastle 993
*Jefferson 914
*Whitefield 862
*Damariscotta 849
*Nobleboro 666
*Dresden 620
*South Bristol 581
*Edgecomb 428
*Bremen 423
*Alna 320
*Southport 272
*Somerville 256
*Westport 165

Unincorporated territory reported 133 residents, all in Monhegan Plantation.

1930

County Total: 15,498

*Waldoboro 2,311
*Boothbay Harbor 2,076
*Bristol 1,413
*Boothbay 1,345
*Wiscasset 1,186
*Newcastle 914
*Whitefield 908
*Jefferson 888
*Damariscotta 825
*Dresden 629
*Nobleboro 599
*South Bristol 563
*Southport 412
*Edgecomb 367
*Bremen 322
*Alna 294
*Somerville 229
*Westport 108

Unincorporated territory reported 109 residents, all in Monhegan Plantation.

1940

County Total: 16,294

*Waldoboro 2,497
*Boothbay Harbor 2,121
*Boothbay 1,370
*Bristol 1,355
*Wiscasset 1,231
*Newcastle 994
*Whitefield 962
*Jefferson 938
*Damariscotta 844
*Nobleboro 665
*Dresden 631
*South Bristol 582
*Edgecomb 411
*Southport 405
*Bremen 383
*Alna 339
*Westport 111

Unincorporated territory reported 455 residents. This consisted of 381 residents in organized plantations, and 74 residents in unorganized territory.

1950

County Total: 18,004

*Waldoboro 2,536
*Boothbay Harbor 2,290
*Wiscasset 1,584
*Boothbay 1,559
*Bristol 1,476
*Jefferson 1,215
*Damariscotta 1,113
*Whitefield 1,030
*Newcastle 1,021
*Dresden 729
*Nobleboro 654
*South Bristol 631
*Edgecomb 447
*Southport 435
*Bremen 409
*Alna 350
*Westport 146

Unincorporated territory reported 379 residents. This consisted of 302 residents in organized plantations, and 77 residents in unorganized territory.

1960

County Total: 18,497

*Waldoboro 2,882
*Boothbay Harbor 2,252
*Wiscasset 1,800
*Boothbay 1,617
*Bristol 1,441
*Newcastle 1,101
*Damariscotta 1,093
*Whitefield 1,068
*Jefferson 1,048
*Dresden 766
*Nobleboro 679
*South Bristol 610
*Edgecomb 453
*Bremen 438
*Southport 416
*Alna 347
*Westport 133

Unincorporated territory reported 353 residents. This consisted of 319 residents in organized plantations, and 34 residents in unorganized territory.

1970

County Total: 20,537

*Waldoboro 3,146
*Boothbay Harbor 2,320
*Wiscasset 2,244
*Boothbay 1,814
*Bristol 1,721
*Damariscotta 1,264
*Jefferson 1,242
*Whitefield 1,131
*Newcastle 1,076
*Nobleboro 850
*Dresden 787
*South Bristol 664
*Edgecomb 549
*Southport 473
*Bremen 454
*Alna 315
*Westport Island 228

Unincorporated territory reported 259 residents. All were in organized plantations; unorganized territory reported no population.

1980

County Total: 25,691

*Waldoboro 3,985
*Wiscasset 2,832
*Boothbay 2,308
*Boothbay Harbor 2,207
*Bristol 2,095
*Jefferson 1,616
*Whitefield 1,606
*Damariscotta 1,493
*Newcastle 1,227
*Nobleboro 1,154
*Dresden 998
*Edgecomb 841
*South Bristol 800
*Bremen 598
*Southport 598
*Alna 425
*Westport 420
*Somerville 377

Unincorporated territory reported 111 residents. This consisted of 109 residents in an organized plantation, and 2 residents in unorganized territory.

1990

County Total: 30,357

*Waldoboro 4,601
*Wiscasset 3,339
*Boothbay 2,648
*Boothbay Harbor 2,347
*Bristol 2,326
*Jefferson 2,111
*Whitefield 1,931
*Damariscotta 1,811
*Newcastle 1,538
*Nobleboro 1,455
*Dresden 1,332
*Edgecomb 993
*South Bristol 825
*Bremen 674
*Westport 663
*Southport 645
*Alna 571
*Somerville 458

Unincorporated territory reported 89 residents. This consisted of 88 residents in an organized plantation, and 1 resident in unorganized territory.

2000

County Total: 33,616

*Waldoboro 4,916
*Wiscasset 3,603
*Boothbay 2,960
*Bristol 2,644
*Jefferson 2,388
*Boothbay Harbor 2,334
*Whitefield 2,273
*Damariscotta 2,041
*Newcastle 1,748
*Nobleboro 1,626
*Dresden 1,625
*Edgecomb 1,090
*South Bristol 897
*Bremen 782
*Westport 745
*Southport 684
*Alna 675
*Somerville 509

Unincorporated territory reported 76 residents. This consisted of 75 residents in an organized plantation, and 1 resident in unorganized territory.

Plantations

As of 1900, there was one plantation in Lincoln County, Monhegan, which is located on offshore islands (all of mainland Lincoln County is incorporated, except for Hibberts Gore). While Monhegan is currently the only plantation in the county, a second plantation existed from 1937 to 1974, a period when Somerville also operated under a plantation form a government. Before 1937 and after 1974, Somerville has been an incorporated town.

1900

*Monhegan 94

1910

*Monhegan 120

1920

*Monhegan 133

1930

*Monhegan 109

1940

*Somerville 266
*Monhegan 115

1950

*Somerville 227
*Monhegan 75

1960

*Somerville 254
*Monhegan 65

1970

*Somerville 215
*Monhegan 44

1980

*Monhegan 109

1990

*Monhegan 88

2000

*Monhegan 75

Unorganized Territory

The unorganized territory in Lincoln County consists of a small tract in the northeastern corner of the county, covering less than one square mile, called Hibberts Gore. It is surrounded by the towns of Somerville, Palermo, Liberty and Washington (Somerville is the only one of these towns that is in Lincoln County; the others are all across the border in neighboring counties). Hibberts Gore has never recorded a population of more than a few residents in any census.

1900 through 1930

Unorganized territory reported no population. Hibberts Gore appears to have been the only unorganized territory in the county.

1940

Unorganized territory reported 74 residents. The only available breakdown is that 1 resident was in Hibberts Gore. See the Notes section below for more information.

1950

Unorganized territory reported 77 residents. The only available breakdown is that 1 resident was in Hibberts Gore. See the Notes section below for more information.

1960

Unorganized territory reported 34 residents. The only available breakdown is that none were in Hibberts Gore. See the Notes section below for more information.

1970

Unorganized territory reported no population. Hibberts Gore was the only unorganized territory in the county.

1980

Unorganized territory reported 2 residents, in Hibberts Gore, which was the only unorganized territory in the county.

1990

Unorganized territory reported 1 resident, in Hibberts Gore, which was the only unorganized territory in the county.

2000

Unorganized territory reported 1 resident, in Hibberts Gore, which was the only unorganized territory in the county.

Notes

Unorganized territory in 1900 through 1960 Censuses

The 1880, 1890, 1920 and 1930 Census reports do not indicate any unorganized territory in Lincoln County, although Hibberts Gore presumably existed during that period. (The author of this article did not have access to the 1900 or 1910 reports, but prior census data in the 1920 and 1930 reports, both of which cover the two preceding censuses, does not list Hibberts Gore either.)

In the 1940 Census, two listings appeared which seem to represent unorganized territory. One is for Hibberts Gore (pop. 1), the other for “Islands not belonging to any town” (pop. 73). There is a note indicating that Hibberts Gore was “not returned separately” for the two preceding censuses (1920 and 1930) for which prior census data appears in the reports. It is unclear if this means that Hibberts Gore had not previously been reported because it had no population, or if it did previously have population, but this population was included with that of a neighboring municipality. There is no indication of exactly what is included in “Islands not belonging to any town”, why it had not been listed in previous censuses, or where the population of these islands (if any) had been included in the past.

The 1950 Census provided the same two listings. Hibberts Gore again reported a population of 1, and “Islands not belonging to any town” reported a population of 76.

The 1960 Census provided listings for Hibberts Gore (pop. 0) and “Unorganized Territory” (pop. 34). The latter seems to represent the same area previously shown as “Islands not belonging to any town”, since prior census data for 1940 and 1950 match the population figures for “Islands not belonging to any town” as reported in those censuses. In the 1960 Census, the Census Bureau generally provided a single catch-all “Unorganized Territory” listing for each Maine County, with no further breakdown. This would explain why “Islands not belonging to any town” changed to “Unorganized Territory”, but it is odd that Hibberts Gore retained its own listing.

The 1970 Census provides a listing for Hibberts Gore. “Islands not belonging to any town” or “Unorganized Territory” is not listed, and there is no explanation of what happened to it. The prior census data for 1960 (the only prior census that was included in the 1970 reports), however, appears to include its 1960 population with Bremen; Bremen’s 1960 population is shown as 472. Presumably the islands in question had been annexed by Bremen, or a decision had been made to treat them as part of Bremen for Census purposes, but this is not specified.

All censuses since 1970 have continued to list Hibberts Gore as the only unorganized territory in Lincoln County.

1970 Census

The 1970 Census reported Westport as Westport Island. It was changed back to Westport for the 1980, 1990 and 2000 censuses. Sources are conflicting on whether the town’s name was officially changed. The town appears to have long been at least informally known as “Westport Island”.

ee also

*United States Census
*Lincoln County, Maine