Hampden is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,327 at the 2000 census.

The town was originally called Wheelersborough, after its original settler, Benjamin Wheeler. It was incorporated in 1794, and named after the English patriot John Hampden

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.0 square miles (101.0 km²), of which, 38.1 square miles (98.6 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it (2.36%) is water.

Battle of Hampden

During the War of 1812, on Sept. 3, 1814, about 400 local militia under the command of Brig. Gen. John Blake of nearby Brewer, Maine attempted to hold off a superior force of British regulars at Hampden, but the American line collapsed before a British charge and was quickly routed. The American side lost 1 killed and 11 wounded, and the British side, 2 killed (one an officer). A civilian spectator was also killed. The British subsequently looted Hampden and nearby Bangor, Maine

The British, who had landed a short time before at Castine, Maine, were seeking to capture the USS Adams, a frigate with 750 men which had escaped up the Penobscot River and was anchored at Hampden. The crew of the Adams, under Capt. Charles Morris, burned the ship to avoid her capture, and subsequently escaped overland.

Blake and two other officers, Lt. Col. Andrew Grant of Hampden and Maj. Joshua Chamberlain of Brewer (father of the later Civil War general), were court-martialed in Bangor in 1816 for their part in the defeat. Blake and Chamberlain were both exonerated, but Grant was cashiered.[1]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 6,327 people, 2,433 households, and 1,802 families residing in the town. The population density was 166.1 people per square mile (64.2/km²). There were 2,545 housing units at an average density of 66.8/sq mi (25.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.91% White, 0.40% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.

There were 2,433 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $53,377, and the median income for a family was $61,321. Males had a median income of $45,775 versus $29,183 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,498. About 3.0% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Hampdenites

• Dorothea Dix – activist
• Hannibal Hamlin – politician
• Thompson H. Murch– politician

See also

• Hampden (CDP), Maine

References

1. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Hampden, Maine Official Website
• Hampden Business Association