Freeport, Maine

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Coordinates: 43°50′38″N 70°6′6″W / 43.84389, -70.10167
Freeport, Maine

Freeport, Maine Location within the state of Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Cumberland
Incorporated	1789
Area
- Total	46.5 sq mi (120.4 km²)
- Land	34.7 sq mi (89.9 km²)
- Water	11.8 sq mi (30.5 km²)
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	7,800
- Density	224.8/sq mi (86.8/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	04032-04034
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-26525
GNIS feature ID	0582481

Freeport is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,800 at the 2000 census. Known for its numerous outlet stores, Freeport is home to L.L. Bean, Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, and is near the Desert of Maine.

Freeport is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

1 History
2 Notable residents
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 Education
6 Sites of interest
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

Main Street in c. 1912

The town was once a part of North Yarmouth called Harraseeket, after the Harraseeket River. First settled about 1700, it was set off and incorporated on February 14, 1789 as Freeport. It is believed to be named after Sir Andrew Freeport, the fictional London merchant in Joseph Addison's The Spectator.^[1] Freeport developed as four villages -- Mast Landing, Porter's Landing, South Freeport and Freeport Corner -- all of which are now part of the National Register Harraseeket Historic District.

At the head of tide on the Harraseeket River is Mast Landing, from which timber was shipped, particularly for use as masts. The estuary was dammed to provide water power for a gristmill, sawmill and fulling mill, with modest manufacturing and woodworking. Porter's Landing was involved in shipbuilding, important in Freeport following the Revolutionary War. The industry reached its peak in the decade between 1850 and 1860, but declined with the Civil War. South Freeport, the largest of the waterfront villages, once had four shipyards. Other businesses included fishing, canning and farming. In 1903, the Casco Castle and Amusement Park was built here by Amos Gerald to encourage travel by trolley cars, although the hotel would burn in 1914. Freeport Corner was an inland village for farming and trade, but the 1849 entrance of the railroad helped it develop into the town's commercial center, which it remains. In the 1800s, fabric was sent from New York and Boston to be made into clothing by local piece workers. Businessman E. B. Mallet established here a sawmill, brickyard, granite quarry and large shoe factory.

Casco Castle in 1906

In 1912, Leon Leonwood Bean opened a store in the basement of his brother's apparel shop at Freeport Corner, selling the "Bean boot" (or Maine Hunting Shoe). This store, L. L. Bean, became so popular that in 1951 it started remaining open 24 hours a day. Its retail and mail order catalog facilities expanded into Freeport's principal business, and a worldwide company with annual sales of over a billion dollars.^[2]

In 1982, McDonald's made plans to tear down an 1850s Greek Revival house to build one of its standard stores. Outcry from residents caused the town to adopt new ordinances concerning what businesses could and couldn't do with their buildings, and McDonald's built the restaurant inside the house, maintaining the exterior appearance. This was one of the first times that McDonald's had been forced to change its restaurant design to fit local requirements.^[3]

[edit] Notable residents

John S. C. Abbott, pastor & historian
Aaron Lufkin Dennison, watchmaker
Beth Edmonds, politician
John Gould, humorist & columnist
Donald B. MacMillan, admiral & Arctic explorer
Christopher McCormick, businessman
Joan Benoit Samuelson, marathon runner & Olympic medallist

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.5 square miles (120.4 km²), of which, 34.7 square miles (89.9 km²) of it is land and 11.8 square miles (30.5 km²) of it (25.34%) is water. Situated at the northeastern extremity of Casco Bay, Freeport is drained by the Harraseeket River.

Freeport borders Brunswick and Durham to the North, Pownal to the west, and Yarmouth to the southwest. Freeport also shares small borders with Cumberland and Harpswell in Casco Bay. Cumberland and Harpswell are not connected to Freeport by roads, but since Freeport's town border ranges out into Casco Bay, the other town's borders meet Freeport's. Both U.S. Route 1 and Interstate-295 run directly through Freeport, the latter with three and a half exits.

[edit] Demographics

See also: Freeport (CDP), Maine

Jameson Tavern in c. 1915

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 7,800 people, 3,065 households, and 2,151 families residing in the town. The population density was 224.8 people per square mile (86.8/km²). There were 3,276 housing units at an average density of 94.4/sq mi (36.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.22% White, 0.42% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.

There were 3,065 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% 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 2.93.

Main Street in c. 1910

In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,023, and the median income for a family was $58,134. Males had a median income of $41,703 versus $27,490 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,724. About 4.0% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

The Old Ledge Schoolhouse in c. 1905

Public schools

Morse Street School, grades K-2
Mast Landing School, grades 3-5
Freeport Middle School, grades 6-8
Freeport High School, grades 9-12

Private schools

[edit] Sites of interest

[edit] References

^ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). in Doris A. Isaacson: Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Maine: Courier-Gazette, Inc., 246.
^ Company Information:Background. L.L. Bean. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
^ Thinking Outside the Big Box. Preservation Online. National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved on 2008-08-09.
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.