Shapleigh, Maine
Shapleigh, Maine | ||
---|---|---|
Town | ||
FIPS code 23-67475 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0582722 | |
Website | http://www.shapleigh.net/ |
Shapleigh, pronounced "SHAP-lee", is a town in
History
In 1668, Chief Captain Sunday (or Wesumbe) of the Newichawannock Abenaki tribe deeded Francis Small the Ossipee Tract, which included Cornish, Parsonsfield, Newfield, Limerick, Limington and Shapleigh. Small, a trader from Kittery, then sold a half interest to Major Nicholas Shapleigh of Eliot.[3] In 1770, heirs discovered the unrecorded deed and made claim. Shapleigh's heirs took Parsonsfield, Shapleigh and one half of Limerick.[4]
First called Hubbardstown, it was settled in 1772 when Simeon Emery erected a sawmill at the foot of Mousam Pond.[5] On March 5, 1785, the town was incorporated as Shapleigh, named for its early proprietor.[6] In 1830, Shapleigh's west half was set off and incorporated as Acton. In 1846, a portion of Shapleigh was annexed by Newfield. Shapleigh annexed an eastern portion of land from Waterboro in 1854.[7]
There were sawmills in Emery Mills, Shapleigh Corner and North Shapleigh, which also had a woolen textile factory (known as Hargraves Woolen Mill) and leather board factory.[8] For a few years beginning in 1837, iron was produced at a blast furnace in North Shapleigh from bog iron retrieved from Little Ossipee Pond. Foundations, walls, and slag remained at the site at the time of a 2003 Maine Geological Survey publication on the site.[9][10] Shapleigh was one of the Maine towns devastated by the Great Fires of 1947.[11]
In 2009, Shapleigh residents (along with those of Newfield) successfully opposed the industrial-scale drawing of water from its aquifer by Nestlé, operating under the Poland Spring brand.[12]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 41.19 square miles (106.68 km2), of which 38.75 square miles (100.36 km2) is land and 2.44 square miles (6.32 km2) is water.[1] Shapleigh is drained by the Little Ossipee River and Mousam River. All of Shapleigh's woodlands are protected by The Nature Conservancy.
The town has three mountains over 1,000 feet (300 m): Fort Ridge, Abbott Mountain and an unnamed mountain (1,017 feet; 310 m) located a half mile northwest of Abbott Mountain. Fort Ridge, with its highest summit at 1,114 feet (340 m)
The town is served by state routes 11 and 109. It borders Acton to the west, Waterboro to the east, Alfred to the southeast, Newfield to the north, and Sanford to the south.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 1,320 | — | |
1800 | 1,778 | 34.7% | |
1810 | 2,362 | 32.8% | |
1820 | 2,815 | 19.2% | |
1830 | 1,479 | −47.5% | |
1840 | 1,510 | 2.1% | |
1850 | 1,348 | −10.7% | |
1860 | 1,273 | −5.6% | |
1870 | 1,087 | −14.6% | |
1880 | 1,128 | 3.8% | |
1890 | 968 | −14.2% | |
1900 | 847 | −12.5% | |
1910 | 691 | −18.4% | |
1920 | 457 | −33.9% | |
1930 | 530 | 16.0% | |
1940 | 290 | −45.3% | |
1950 | 531 | 83.1% | |
1960 | 515 | −3.0% | |
1970 | 559 | 8.5% | |
1980 | 1,370 | 145.1% | |
1990 | 1,911 | 39.5% | |
2000 | 2,326 | 21.7% | |
2010 | 2,668 | 14.7% | |
2020 | 2,921 | 9.5% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[15] |
2010 census
As of the
There were 1,072 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.5% were non-families. 19.9% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.85.
The median age in the town was 43.6 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 35.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.
2000 census
As of the
There were 912 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,026, and the median income for a family was $45,591. Males had a median income of $34,519 versus $26,739 for females. The
Education
Shapleigh students attend Shapleigh Memorial School which is a part of
General information
- One zip code04076
- Telephone exchanges: 793 and 636
- Two fire stations:
- Shapleigh Fire Department. shapleighfiredepartment.com
- Ross Corner Fire Company (privately owned)
Sites of interest
Notable people
- Frank Abbott, dentist, author, president of the American Dental Association (1888)
- Levi J. Ham, politician and surgeon
- Bruce McMillan, children's book author, photo-illustrator, and watercolor artist
- Joshua Maria Young, bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania
References
- ^ a b "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Shapleigh town, York County, Maine". Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "A Brief History of Acton & Shapleigh (archived)". Acton-Shapleigh Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ "History of Shapleigh". shapleigh.net. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts: A.J. Coolidge. pp. 303–304.
coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
- ^ "History of Shapleigh, Maine". Rays Place. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ "Shapleigh, York County, Maine". Maine Genealogy. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ "Villages". Acton-Shapleigh Historical Society. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ Loring, Rev. Amasa. A History of Shapleigh, Portland, ME: Brown and Thurston, 1854.
- ^ Weddle, Thomas K. The Iron Age of Maine, Part II: The Shapleigh Iron Company: A Foray into Industrial (geo)Archaeology in Maine Geologic Facts and Localities. Augusta, Maine: Maine Geological Survey, November 2003. https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_publications/370/, Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ "Town of Shapleigh". Seacoast Watershed Information Manager. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ "Save Our Water in Shapleigh/Newfield, Maine". Water Campaign. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "Fort Ridge, Maine". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ "Abbott Mountain, Maine". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
External links