- South Bristol, Maine
Infobox Settlement
official_name = South Bristol, Maine
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =
imagesize =
image_caption = Christmas Cove
image_|pushpin_
pushpin_label_position =left
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of Maine
pushpin_mapsize =
|mapsize =
map_caption =
mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =Maine
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Lincoln
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1915unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 61.2
area_land_km2 = 34.2
area_water_km2 = 27.1
area_total_sq_mi = 23.6
area_land_sq_mi = 13.2
area_water_sq_mi = 10.5population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 897
population_density_km2 = 26.3
population_density_sq_mi = 68.0timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 13
elevation_ft = 43
latd = 43 |latm = 53 |lats = 50 |latNS = N
longd = 69 |longm = 33 |longs = 53 |longEW = Wpostal_code_type =
ZIP code
postal_code = 04568
area_code = 207
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 23-70240
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0582733
website =
footnotes =South Bristol is a town in Lincoln County,
Maine ,United States . The population was 897 at the 2000 census. Afishing andresort area , South Bristol includes the villages of Walpole and Christmas Cove, the latter located on Rutherford Island.History
This was once territory of the Wawenock (or more precisely Walinakiak, meaning "People of the Bays")
Abenaki Indians, who traveled incanoe s to hunt forfish ,shellfish , seals and seafowl. In 1614, Captain John Smith explored the coast, and is said to have named Christmas Cove when he visited it onChristmas Day . The land was subsequently part of the Pemaquid Patent, granted by thePlymouth Council for New England in 1631 to Robert Aldsworth and Gyles Elbridge, merchants from Bristol,England , from which the town derives its name.A
palisade fort and settlement were built on the adjacent Pemaquid Peninsula. Between 1630 and 1650, the area was the center forfur trading in Maine. It was attacked and rebuilt repeatedly during theFrench and Indian Wars , with the final 2 attacks occurring in 1747 at Fort Frederick. In 1765, Bristol was incorporated as a town, with South Bristol its western portion. OnMarch 26 ,1915 , South Bristol was set off and incorporated as a separate town.In the 1800s, the village of Walpole was noted for
brickmaking andice harvesting. Brickyards along the Damariscotta River supplied many of the bricks used to build Boston'sBack Bay neighborhood. The ice business faded with the advent ofrefrigeration , but the Thompson Ice House, established in 1826, is now preserved as the Thompson Ice Harvesting Museum.Shipbuilding has remained important, withschooner s,fishing trawler s, lobster boats andyacht s constructed at the town. The Hudson River Sloop "Clearwater" was built here in 1968. Other industries in South Bristol are fishing, lobstering,clamming ,aquaculture andtourism . Thepeninsula and Rutherford Island are connected by aswing bridge , 1 of only 2 in Maine, which spans "The Gut." For well over a century, Rutherford Island in particular has been a vacation destination for families fromMassachusetts ,Connecticut ,New York andNew Jersey . Many homes on the island are owned by these families. South Bristol has 3nature preserves .Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 23.6square mile s (61.2km² ), of which, 13.2 square miles (34.2 km²) of it is land and 10.4 square miles (27.1 km²) of it (44.20%) is water. Half of South Bristol is located on a peninsula, the other half on Rutherford Island. It is bordered on the west by theDamariscotta River , on the east by John's Bay, and on the south by theGulf of Maine andAtlantic Ocean .Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 897 people, 410 households, and 277 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 68.0 people per square mile (26.3/km²). There were 932 housing units at an average density of 70.7/sq mi (27.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.00% White, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.45% of the population.There were 410 households out of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 25.4% 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 2.19 and the average family size was 2.58.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.7% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 18.8% from 25 to 44, 34.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,636, and the median income for a family was $46,765. Males had a median income of $31,696 versus $21,563 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $28,233. About 3.5% of families and 7.5% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.ites of interest
* Thompson Ice House (1826), Thompson Ice Harvesting Museum
* Walpole Meeting House (1772)The "gut" is a well known tourist attraction.
References
External links
* [http://history.rays-place.com/me/bristol-me.htm History of Bristol (including South Bristol), Maine]
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