Cape Elizabeth is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Cumberland County,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, United States. The town is part of the Portland– South Portland– Biddeford, Maine,

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. As of the 2020 census, Cape Elizabeth had a population of 9,535. Cape Elizabeth is the location of the

Beach to Beacon 10K The Toronto-Dominion Bank Beach to Beacon 10K is a road running event that takes place along the coastline of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It begins at Crescent Beach State Park and ends at the Portland Head Light in Fort Williams Park. Starting out ...

road race that starts at Crescent Beach State Park (the "beach") and ends at Portland Head Light (the "beacon"). The race draws runners from all parts of the U.S. and elite athletes from around the world. Cape Elizabeth has a single community school department. The Cape Elizabeth High School's team name is the "Capers".

History

English explorer

Bartholomew Gosnold Bartholomew Gosnold (1571 – 22 August 1607) was an English barrister, explorer and privateer who was instrumental in founding the Virginia Company in London and Jamestown in colonial America. He led the first recorded European expeditio ...

arrived at Cape Elizabeth in May 1602, during his explorations of what would later be called

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

. At the southern tip of the promontory,

Richmond Island Richmond Island, or Richmond's Island, is an island off the coast of Cape Elizabeth in Cumberland County, Maine, in the United States. The island is named for Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond. Privately owned and uno ...

was visited around 1605 by Samuel de Champlain and was the site of a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

in 1628. John Smith explored and mapped New England in 1615, and gave names to places mainly based on the names used by Native Americans. When Smith presented his map to King Charles I, he suggested that the king should feel free to change any of the Indian names to English ones. The king made many such changes, but only four survive today, one of which is Cape Elizabeth, which Charles named in honor of his sister, Elizabeth of Bohemia. The first habitation by Europeans was on Richmond Island. Without title, Walter Bagnall (called "Great Walt") in 1628 established a trading post, dealing in

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

and beaver skins. "His principal purpose appears to have been to drive a profitable trade with the Indians," writes historian George J. Varney, "without scruple about his methods." His cheating caught up with him in October 1631, when he was killed by the Indians, who also burned down his trading post. Two months later, the

Plymouth Company The Plymouth Company, officially known as the Virginia Company of Plymouth, was a Division (business), division of the Virginia Company with responsibility for British colonization of the Americas, colonizing the east coast of America between 38 ...

granted Richmond Island to Robert Trelawney and Moses Goodyear, merchants of Plymouth, England, who made it a center for fisheries and

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

. By 1638, Trelawney employed 60 men in the fisheries. The first settlers on the mainland were George Cleeve and Richard Tucker, who settled in 1630 on the shore opposite the island, near the Spurwink River. They worked at planting, fishing and trading. Two years later they were driven off by John Winter, Trelawny's agent. In 1636,

Sir Ferdinando Gorges Sir Ferdinando Gorges ( – 24 May 1647) was a naval and military commander and governor of the important port of Plymouth in England. He was involved in Essex's Rebellion against the Queen, but escaped punishment by testifying against the ma ...

, lord proprietor of Maine, gave Cleeve and Tucker a grant of including the neck of land called Machegonne—now Portland. In 1643 English Parliamentarian

Alexander Rigby Alexander Rigby (1594 – 18 August 1650) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1650. He was a colonel in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War. Life Rigby was the son of Alexander Rigby ...

bought the large existing Plough of Lygonia patent, which included Cape Elizabeth. Union Brass Band Cape Elizabeth

The Cape Elizabeth settlement on the Fore River was known as Purpoodock. It was attacked during

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

in 1675. During

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...

, in Major Benjamin Church's second expedition a year later on 11 September 1690, he arrived with 300 men at

Casco Bay Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its s ...

. He went up the

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River ( Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...

to Fort Pejepscot (present-day

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin Intern ...

). From there he went upriver and attacked a native village. Three or four native men were shot while retreating; Church discovered five captive New Englanders in the wigwams; six or seven prisoners were summarily killed as an example; and nine prisoners were taken. A few days later, in retaliation, the natives attacked Church at Cape Elizabeth on Purpooduc Point, killing seven of his men and wounding 24 others. On September 26, Church returned to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In 1703, during

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...

, the town was destroyed. It was resettled about 1719 or 1720. Cape Elizabeth became Maine's 23rd town on November 1, 1765, when it separated from Falmouth, as Portland was then known. Its first town meeting was held on December 2, 1765. South Portland separated in 1895 from Cape Elizabeth, which contains a number of houses designed by John Calvin Stevens. In 1872, construction of a US Army coast artillery fort began around Portland Head Light, which in 1899 was named Fort Williams, after Major General Seth Williams of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The fort was to guard the southern entrance to Portland Harbor. Active between 1899 and 1962, the fort was then purchased by the town for about $200,000. Today,

Fort Williams Park Fort Williams Park is a 90-acre park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, encompassing numerous historical sites. Perhaps most famous for having Portland Head Light on its grounds, the park also encompasses the decommissioned and largely demolished Unite ...

includes Portland Head Light and museum, some remains of the military fort, the ruins of Goddard Mansion, tennis courts, a baseball diamond and grandstand, and other recreation facilities. The park is maintained by the town and has a pay display parking system to assist with park repairs. File:Cape Cottage Casino, Cape Elizabeth, ME.jpg, Cape Cottage Casino in 1908 File:Cape Cottage Theatre, Cape Elizabeth, ME.jpg, Cape Cottage Theatre in 1908 File:Entrance to Fort Williams, Cape Elizabeth, ME.jpg, Entrance to Fort Williams in 1907 File:Making Lobster Traps, Cape Elizabeth, ME.jpg, Making

lobster trap A lobster trap or lobster pot is a portable trap that traps lobsters or crayfish and is used in lobster fishing. In Scotland (chiefly in the north), the word creel is used to refer to a device used to catch lobsters and other crustaceans. A lo ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The nearest city is South Portland. Cape Elizabeth shares a border with South Portland to the north and

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

to the west. The town includes two islands. Ram Island is a small and unoccupied island southwest of Richmond Island. This should not be confused with Ram Island Ledge which contains Ram Island Ledge Light and is within Portland, Maine. The Richmond Island, originally inhabited by Native Americans, then English settlers, is now uninhabited except by a small herd of sheep. It is privately owned by the Sprague family, the most prominent property owners in Cape Elizabeth, whose substantial estate also includes Ram Island Farm on the mainland. Cape Elizabeth is the home of three coastal parks:

, Two Lights State Park, and Crescent Beach State Park. Additionally, the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, a private nonprofit corporation, protects of land on 22 different parcels for public use, maintaining a large system of connecting non-motorized trails on most. The town itself has 923 acres of land owned or under easement protection for conservation purposes.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 9,015 people, 3,616 households, and 2,620 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 3,963 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 3,616 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.5% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% 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 2.95. The median age in the town was 46.8 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.3% were from 25 to 44; 37.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 9,068 people, 3,488 households, and 2,605 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 3,724 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98%

, 0.3%

, 0.06% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.12% from

, and 0.49% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population. There were 3,488 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $72,359 (2007 est. 92,604 aol.realestate.com), and the median income for a family was $106,126 in 2000. Males had a median income of $61,128 versus $32,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $47,983. About 1.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

The Cape Elizabeth School Department consists of Elementary School, Cape Elizabeth Middle School, and Cape Elizabeth High School, all situated in one campus in the town center. The Cape Elizabeth School Department offices are across the street in the Cape Elizabeth Town Hall. Cape Elizabeth has no private educational institutions except preschools and day care centers. The high school had its first graduating class in 1877. Cape Elizabeth is home to one of the oldest continually operating preschools in the greater Portland area, Ledgemere Country Day School. The school opened in 1935 and has been operating in the same location ever since, under a number of different owners.

Government and politics

Cape Elizabeth has a town council-town manager form of government. The seven-member town council is elected at large on a nonpartisan basis to staggered three-year terms. The school board is also a seven-member body elected at large on a nonpartisan basis to staggered three-year terms. Town council incumbents (term expires): * James M. "Jamie" Garvin (12/2021) ''Chair'' * Nicole Boucher (12/2023) * Valerie J. Deveraux (12/2021) * Jeremy A. Gabrielson (12/2021) * Gretchen Noonan (12/2023) * Caitlin R. Jordan (12/2022) * Penelope A. Jordan (12/2022) The school board incumbents (term expires): * Heather Altenburg (12/2021) ''Chair'' * Kimberly Carr (12/2022) ''Vice Chair'' * Laura DeNino (12/2021) * Cynthia McVeigh (12/2023 * Philip Saucier (12/2022) * Elizabeth Scifres (12/2021) * Cynthia R. Voltz (12/2023) The Town Manager since January 30, 2017 is Matthew E. Sturgis. The Superintendent of Schools is Donna Wolfrom.

Media

Cape Elizabeth is served by a community newspaper, the
Cape Courier
'. The nonprofit, biweekly paper is largely supported by volunteers, and was started by Ellen Van Fleet and Jan Soland in 1988. ''The Current'', a weekly that began publishing in 2001, also serves the town, as well as the neighboring communities of

and South Portland. The earliest newspaper in town was the ''Casket'', published in 1868 by George Libby, a realtor. ''The Coast Watch'' was a weekly newspaper started in 1895, lasting 20 years. In 1881, the ''Cape Elizabeth Sentinel'' was published in Ferry Village, now a part of South Portland. This weekly lasted nearly 30 years.

Sites of interest

* Cape Elizabeth Lights * Crescent Beach State Park *

* Portland Head Light * Ram Island Ledge Light * Spurwink Congregational Church * Spurwink River * Two Lights State Park

Notable people

Joan Benoit Samuelson Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest time for an American woma ...

, gold medalist in 1984 Olympic Marathon *

Alexander Chee Alexander Chee (born August 21, 1967) is an American fiction writer, poet, journalist and reviewer. Born in Rhode Island, he spent his childhood in South Korea, Kauai, Truk, Guam and Maine. He attended Wesleyan University and the Iowa Writers' ...

, fiction writer *

George Cleeve George Cleeve (–after November 1666) was an early settler and founder of today's Portland, Maine. He was Deputy President of the Province of Lygonia from 1643 until the final submission of its Maine towns to Massachusetts authority in 1658. ...

, early settler *

Eliot Cutler Eliot Cutler (born July 29, 1946) is a former American lawyer who was an Independent candidate in Maine's 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial races. In 2010, he placed second in a multi-way race, receiving 208,270 votes, equaling 35.9%, narrowly losing ...

, lawyer, entrepreneur, politician and candidate for Governor in 2010 *

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

, actress * Cynthia Dill, lawyer and 2012 Democratic candidate for United States Senate * Clara L. Brown Dyer (1849–1931), artist * Clare Egan, Winter biathlete * Eleanor Espling, politician *

Nathaniel Fick Nathaniel C. Fick (born June 23, 1977) is an American diplomat, technology executive, author, and former United States Marine Corps officer. He was the CEO of cybersecurity software company Endgame, Inc., then worked for Elastic NV after it acq ...

, diplomat, entrepreneur, author *

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

, film director *

Doug Friedman Doug Friedman (born September 1, 1971) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the American Hockey League (AHL) with two brief stints in the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as an enforcer, Friedman racked up over 1 ...

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player *

Guy Gannett Guy Gannett Communications was a family-owned business consisting of newspapers in Maine and a handful of television stations in the eastern United States. The company was founded by its namesake, Guy P. Gannett, in 1921, and was managed by a fa ...

, newspaper publisher * Richard D. Hewes, lawyer, Speaker of the House of the Maine Legislature, state senator, Cumberland County Commissioner * William J. Kayatta, Jr., federal Court of Appeals judge *

Dorothy Bush Koch Dorothy Walker Bush Koch (born August 18, 1959) is an American author and philanthropist. She is the sixth and youngest child of the late 41st president of the United States, George H. W. Bush, and former First Lady Barbara Bush. Early life D ...

, sister of former president George W. Bush * Henry Kramer, classical pianist * Samuel Longfellow, clergyman and hymn writer * Jean Ginn Marvin, state legislator * Nancy Masterton, state representative *

Vincent L. McKusick Vincent Lee McKusick (October 21, 1921 – December 3, 2014) was an American attorney and Chief Justice of Maine. At the time of his death McKusick worked at the firm Pierce Atwood in Portland, Maine, as of Counsel. His most prominent rulings ...

, former Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court *

Gary Merrill Gary Fred Merrill (August 2, 1915 – March 5, 1990) was an American film and television actor whose credits included more than 50 feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances. He starr ...

, actor * Dodge Morgan, sailor, businessman, and publisher *

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer ...

, actor of film, television, and the stage * James C. Oliver, US congressman *

Elizabeth Oakes Smith Elizabeth Oakes Smith ( Prince; August 12, 1806 – November 16, 1893) was a poet, fiction writer, editor, lecturer, and women's rights activist whose career spanned six decades, from the 1830s to the 1880s. Most well-known at the start of her ...

, poet, writer, and women's rights activist *

Sidney Toler Sidney Toler (born Hooper G. Toler Jr., April 28, 1874 – February 12, 1947) was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. The second European-American actor to play the role of Charlie Chan on screen, he is best remembered for his ...

, actor best known for portraying

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

References

External links

Town of Cape Elizabeth official website

Thomas Memorial Library
{{authority control Towns in Cumberland County, Maine Populated coastal places in Maine Portland metropolitan area, Maine Populated places established in 1628 1628 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Casco Bay Towns in Maine