Washington, officially the Town of Washington, 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 Knox 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 ...

. The population was 1,590 at the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

History

Washington, Maine was first settled in 1797, by the Nelson family. At that time it was known as Putnam, named after General Israel Putnam, a war hero. It was officially renamed Washington in 1825. One early item of interest in Washington's history was the "paint mine". There was a large deposit of red and yellow ocher in a nearby cave, which may have been used by people who lived here three to five thousand years ago and who used large quantities of ocher, normally red, to cover both the bodies of the dead and the burial artifacts. Archaeologists refer to these people as "

Red Paint People The Red Paint People are a Pre-Columbian culture indigenous to the New England and Atlantic Canada regions of North America. They were named after their burials, which used large quantities of ochre, normally red, to cover both the bodies of the d ...

". The red panel at the hoist of the Official Town Flag refers to these people.

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.

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 1,527 people, 614 households, and 427 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 797 housing units at an average density of . The ethnic makeup of the town was 96.9%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1% 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 1.9% 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 ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.4% of the population. There were 614 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.5% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the town was 43.9 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,345 people, 518 households, and 361 families living in the town. The

was 35.4 people per square mile (13.7/km). There were 694 housing units at an average density of 18.3 per square mile (7.1/km). The ethnic makeup of the town was 98.81%

, 0.07% Native American, 0.07% from

, and 1.04% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.37% of the population. There were 518 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% 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 2.96. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,492, and the median income for a family was $40,486. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $21,136 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 $15,488. About 8.8% of families and 13.4% 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 16.2% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Regional School Unit 40 Regional School Unit 40 (RSU#40), formerly known as Maine School Administrative District #40, is a school district headquartered on the second floor of Union Elementary School in Union, Maine.Medomak Valley High School Medomak Valley High School is a public high school established in 1968 in Waldoboro, Maine ( Lincoln County), United States, which educates grades 9–12. The school is part of the MSAD 40 district. Academics Medomak Valley offers a variet ...

are in nearby Waldoboro. Gibbs Library is in Washington.

Notable people

* Alonzo Bowman,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

recipient *

Elmer McCurdy } Elmer J. McCurdy (January 1, 1880 – October 7, 1911) was an American bank and train robber who was killed in a shoot-out with police after robbing a Katy Train in Oklahoma in October 1911. Dubbed "The Bandit Who Wouldn't Give Up", his mummi ...

, an outlaw born in the town on Thursday, January 1, 1880 whose body was displayed many times between 1911, when he died in a shootout with police officers, up until 1976 *

Clyde Sukeforth Clyde Leroy Sukeforth (November 30, 1901 – September 3, 2000), nicknamed "Sukey", was an American professional baseball catcher, coach, scout and manager. He was best known for signing the first black player in the modern era of Major League ...

, Major League Baseball catcher, coach, scout, and manager, was born in Washington

References

External links

*
Downtown Gallery

Maine Genealogy: Washington, Knox County, Maine

Gibbs Library
{{authority control Towns in Knox County, Maine Towns in Maine