Dexter, Maine
Dexter is a town in
Penobscot County,
Maine,
United States. The population was 3,890 at the 2000 census. It is part of the
Bangor, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located at (45.0242, -69.2899), beside Lake Wassookeag at the intersection of Penobscot County Roads 7 and 23.
Dexter was settled in
1801. It would incorporate in
1816, named for
Samuel Dexter, a politician. The town grew because of its location on the East Branch of the Sebasticook River, which provided
water power for mills. In
1818, Jonathan Farrar constructed a grist mill at the falls. The
Dexter Historical Society today uses the building which replaced it in
1854 as part of its museum complex. The stream would also power 5 woolen mills, the oldest and largest of which was established by Amos and Jeremiah Abbott in
1836.
Amos Abbott & Company , which closed in
1975, was the only mill in the
United States to be owned by one family throughout the duration of its operation.
Dexter's downtown includes the
Memorial Building, designed by John Morrison. At its top is the community's largest clock, named "Nancy" after the architect's wife. The tallest building in town is the
Unitarian Universalist Church. It is also Dexter's oldest house of worship, built in
1826.
Historic Sites & Museums:*
Abbott Museum (
1836)
*
Grist Mill Museum (
1854)
*
Miller's House (
1825)
*
Carr Schoolhouse (
1845)
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 96.3
km² (37.2
mi²). 91.1 km² (35.2 mi²) of it is land and 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²) of it (5.38%) is water. Dexter is drained by the East Branch of the Sebasticook River, which flows from Lake Wassookeag.
This article describes the town of Dexter as a whole. Additional demographic detail is available which describes only the central settlement or village within the town, although that detail is included in the aggregate values reported here. See: Dexter (CDP), Maine. |
First Methodist Church in c. 1910 |
As of the
census2 of 2000, there were 3,890 people, 1,615 households, and 1,106 families residing in the town. The
population density was 42.7/km² (110.6/mi²). There were 2,054 housing units at an average density of 22.5/km² (58.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.56%
White, 0.31%
Black or
African American, 0.23%
Native American, 0.10%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.03% from
other races, and 0.75% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.
There were 1,615 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were
married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.80.
|
Fay & Scott Machine Shop and Foundry in c. 1920 |
In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,000, and the median income for a family was $31,204. Males had a median income of $27,130 versus $18,805 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $14,197. About 15.4% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 28.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
*
Town of Dexter, Maine Official Website**
Abbott Memorial Library**
Dexter Historical Society
