Robbinston is a town in Washington County,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, United States. The population was 539 at the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is situated northeast of

Machias Machias may refer to: Places * Machias, Maine, a New England town ** Machias (CDP), Maine, the main village within the town * Machias Bay, in Washington County, Maine * Machias River (Aroostook River tributary) in northern Maine * Machias River ...

, north of Lubec and south of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

Climate

History

Robbinston is in Washington County, the easternmost of the United States. As it was settled, the areas, or "Plantations" were numbered, and then became villages and cities. It was named for

Edward Hutchinson Robbins Edward Hutchinson Robbins (February 9, 1758 – 1829) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the sixth lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1802 to 1806. Early life Robbins was born on February 9, 1758, in Milton, Province ...

and Nathaniel J. Robbins who received a land grant for the area on October 21, 1786, and became the third and fourth family settled there. A post office was established by 1796, and Robbinston was incorporated on February 18, 1811. The area near Robbinston was first settled by the French explorer Pierre de Monts from 1604 to 1605 and then abandoned when the colony lost 36 people that first winter.William D. Williamson, ''History Of The State Of Maine: From Its First Discovery, A.D. 1602'' That island, once called De Mont's Island, then the Neutral Island, is now the St. Croix Island International Historic Site. It marks the boundary between the United States and Canada as set out by treaty in 1783. Traces of the fort were first excavated in 1798, then the St. Croix Lighthouse was installed in 1856 at the head of

Passamaquoddy Bay Passamaquoddy Bay () is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Most of the bay lies within Canada, with its western shore bounded by Was ...

where it meets the St. Croix River. It now has seven life-sized historical statues as part of the park walk. The river is wide separating Robbinston from the town of

St. Andrews, New Brunswick Saint Andrews is a town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada. The historic town is a national historic site of Canada, bearing many characteristics of a typical 18th century British colonial settlement, including the original grid layo ...

, Canada. Still saltwater, the tidal range is . Because of the abundance of wood, much of the early industry centered around shipbuilding. For example, in 1856, 17 vessels, ranging from 100 to 1000 tons each, were built at Robbinston.George Jones Varney, ''A Gazetteer of the State of Maine'', p.567 When steam-powered ships arrived, Robbinston returned to fishing and farming potatoes, which escaped the blight found in warmer areas. The granite quarry in Red Beach also was a local industry. The seven lakes and streams in Robbinston boasted pickerel, trout, perch and salmon. During the mid-19th century, Robbinston was a last stop for the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

where escaping slaves would cross over into Canada and freedom. One of the houses that supported them still stands, the John N. Brewer Sr Mansion. Built in 1785 with an addition added around 1821, it is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The John N. M. Brewer Jr House built in 1826 is across hwy 1 and is now operated as a B&B. Other historical sites in Robbinston are the Grace Episcopal Church, James S. Pike Racing Milestones, Pulpit Rock, Henrietta Brewer Cottage (wife of John Brewer Jr) (Redclyffe Shore Motel) and Sewall Memorial Congregational Church, with its roots in 1817. Up five miles along Coastal Route 1 is Devil's Head, a high rocky bluff overlooking the river and landmark for watercraft. There is a nice trail and picnic site next to the water. The highest lookout point, at above sea level, is Trimble Mountain, off Brewer Road. The three islands are accessible by boat, which can be rented or hired. Many people have family historical roots in the area and visit for business as well as pleasure. The Washington County Historical Society is best contacted in advance, since many of the records are held in the larger towns and are more easily navigated with a little direction.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 574 people, 238 households, and 165 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 354 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.3%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.2% Asian, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population. There were 238 households, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the town was 48.6 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.2% were from 25 to 44; 35.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 53.1% male and 46.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 525 people, 201 households, and 157 families residing in the town. The

was 18.6 people per square mile (7.2/km). There were 329 housing units at an average density of 11.7 per square mile (4.5/km). The racial makeup of the town was 95.81%

, 1.33%

, and 2.86% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population. There were 201 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were

living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.88. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,250, and the median income for a family was $36,346. Males had a median income of $31,389 versus $26,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $14,801. About 6.4% of families and 12.3% 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 ...

, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Grace Macurdy (1866–1946), educator *

Laurence Trimble Laurence Norwood Trimble (February 15, 1885 – February 8, 1954) was an American silent film film director, director, screenwriter, writer and actor. Trimble began his film career directing Jean (dog), Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, the first canine ...

(1885–1954), silent film actor, writer and director

References

External links

*
Town of Robbinston

Washington County Historical Society
*
Tide Forecast
{{authority control Towns in Washington County, Maine Towns in Maine Underground Railroad in Maine Populated coastal places in Maine