Augusta is the capital of the U.S.
state of Maine, county
seat of Kennebec County, and center
of population for Maine [1]. The city's population is 18,560 (July 2006 est.). Located on the Kennebec River at the head of tide, it is home to the
University of Maine at Augusta.
History
State House in 1905, showing the original Charles Bulfinch design
The area was first explored by members of the ill-fated Popham Colony in September
1607. It was first inhabited by English settlers from the
Plymouth Colony in 1629 as a trading post on the Kennebec River. The settlement was known by its
Indian name -- Cushnoc (or Coussinoc or Koussinoc), meaning "head of
tide." Fur trading was at first profitable, but with Indian uprisings and declining revenues,
the Plymouth Colony sold the Kennebec Patent in 1661. Cushnoc would remain empty for the next 75 years into the French and Indian Wars.
A hotbed of Abenaki hostility toward British settlements was located further up the Kennebec
at Norridgewock. In 1722, the tribe and its allies attacked Fort Richmond (now
Richmond) and destroyed Brunswick. In
response, Norridgewock was sacked in 1724 during Dummer's War, when English forces gained
tentative control of the Kennebec. In 1754, a blockhouse named Fort Western (now the oldest wooden fort in America), was built at Cushnoc on the eastern bank. It was
intended as a supply depot for Fort Halifax upriver, as well as to protect its own
region.[1] In 1775, Benedict Arnold and his 1100 troops would use Fort Western as a staging area before continuing their
journey up the Kennebec to the Battle of Quebec.
Cushnoc was incorporated as part of Hallowell in 1771. Known as "the Fort," it was
set off and incorporated by the Massachusetts General Court in February 1797
as Harrington. In August, however, the name changed to Augusta after Augusta Dearborn, daughter of Henry Dearborn. In 1799, it became county seat for newly created Kennebec County.[1] Maine became a state in 1820, and Augusta was
designated its capital in 1827. The Maine State Legislature continued meeting in
Portland, however, until completion in 1832 of the new Maine State House designed by Charles Bulfinch. Augusta was
chartered as a city in 1849.
Excellent soil provided for agriculture, and water
power from streams provided for industry. In 1837, a dam
was built across the Kennebec where the falls drop 15 feet at the head of tide, and by 1838 10
sawmills were contracted. With the arrival of the Kennebec & Portland Railroad in 1851,
Augusta became a mill town. In 1883, the property of A. & W. Spague Company was purchased
by the Edwards Manufacturing Company, which erected extensive brick mills for manufacturing cotton textiles. Other Augusta firms produced lumber, sash, doors, shutters, broom handles, stone cutters' tools, shoes, cemetery monuments, ice and
furniture. The city developed as a publishing and
shipping center. Today, government and post-secondary education are important businesses.
Notable residents
- James G. Blaine, secretary of state & presidential nominee
- Horatio Bridge, naval officer
- Richard Dysart, actor
- Melville Fuller, chief justice
- John F. Hill, governor
- George Huntington Hartford, businessman
- Eastman Johnson, artist
- George W. Ladd, congressman
- Dorianne Laux, poet
- Rachel Nichols, actress
- Frederick G. Payne, mayor & governor
- David Peoples, golfer
- John F. Potter, congressman & judge
- Luther Severance, publisher, congressman & senator
- Olympia Snow, senator
- Manch Wheeler, football player
- Reuel Williams, senator
- Willard G. Wyman, general
Geography
Augusta is located at 44°19′25″N, 69°45′55″W (44.323535° N 69.765261°
W)1, making it the
easternmost state capital in the United States. According to the United States
Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 150.9 km² (58.3 mi²). 143.4 km² (55.4 mi²) of it is land and 7.5 km² (2.9 mi²) of it (4.98%) is water. Augusta is drained by
Bond's Brook, Woromontogus Stream and the Kennebec River.
Demographics
Governor John Fremont Hill residence in c. 1910
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 24,260 people, 8,565 households, and 4,607 families residing
in the city. The population density was 129.4/km² (335.1/mi²). There were 9,480
housing units at an average density of 66.1/km² (171.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.21% White, 0.50% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 3.0 from two or more races.
There were 8,565 households out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% were
non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from
45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,921, and the median income for a family was $42,230. Males had a median
income of $31,209 versus $22,548 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$14,145. About 14.4% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
References
External links
Coordinates:
44.323535° N 69.765261°
W
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