Frankfort, Maine

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Frankfort, Maine
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Frankfort (in yellow) in Waldo County and the state of Maine


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Maine
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Waldo
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 67.1
area_land_km2 = 63.8
area_water_km2 = 3.3
area_total_sq_mi = 25.9
area_land_sq_mi = 24.6
area_water_sq_mi = 1.3

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 1041
population_density_km2 = 16.3
population_density_sq_mi = 42.3

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 64
elevation_ft = 210
latd = 44 |latm = 36 |lats = 44 |latNS = N
longd = 68 |longm = 54 |longs = 42 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 04438
area_code = 207
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 23-26280
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0582478
website =
footnotes =

Frankfort is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,041 at the 2000 census.

History

Frankfort is the oldest town on the Penobscot River, first settled in the 1760s by Massachusetts soldiers from nearby Fort Pownall. With the end of the French and Indian War, the Penobscot Valley became part of New England, and more specifically Massachusetts, leading to the first cautious encrochments by English-speaking settlers on the lands of the Penobscot Indians. This process, which would begin in Frankfort, would end with the founding of Bangor, Brewer, Orono, Old Town and other inland settlements, and the eventual restriction of the Penobscot people to their major village at "Indian Old Town", or the present Penobscot Indian Reservation.

Frankfort originally contained the present-day towns of Frankfort, Winterport, Stockton Springs, and Prospect. Ft. Pownall was thus in Frankfort, and the major village was in what is now Winterport. Frankfort was a logical place for settlement not only because Verona Island commanded the approach up the river, but because the river above the town froze during the winter, making this the last ice-free port as one ascended — hence the name Winterport.

One of the first settlers was Joshua Treat, the armorer at Ft. Pownall, whose brother became one of the first settlers of Bangor.

A British fleet anchored off Frankfort in 1814 on its way to sack Bangor and Hampden. The British confiscated provisions from the town and took one ship. The town suffered greatly during the War of 1812 as the British blockade destroyed the coasting trade on which it depended.

In the 19th century an important granite quarry was opened in Frankfort, and the ship-building industry also flourished. The village of Winterport eventually split off to form its own town, however.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.9 square miles (67.1 km²), of which, 24.6 square miles (63.8 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.3 km²) of it (4.94%) is water.

Frankfort's two highest points are Mt. Waldo and Mosquito Mountain. Mt. Waldo was so-named around 1815. Prior to that it had been called "Mt. Misery" because two young local men who had attempted to climb it had been overtaken by a blizzard and killed.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,041 people, 400 households, and 301 families residing in the town. The population density was 42.3 people per square mile (16.3/km²). There were 469 housing units at an average density of 19.0/sq mi (7.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.10% African American, 1.15% Native American, 0.29% Asian, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.29% of the population.

There were 400 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,333, and the median income for a family was $35,924. Males had a median income of $29,342 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,524. About 13.6% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

References