Kittery, Maine
Government Street
Location of town of Kittery in state of Maine
Coordinates: 43°5′35″N 70°43′41″W / 43.09306, -70.72806
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	York
Incorporated	1647
Government
- Assessor	Bruce Kerns
Area
- Total	21.0 sq mi (54.4 km²)
- Land	17.8 sq mi (46.2 km²)
- Water	3.2 sq mi (8.2 km²)
Elevation	23 ft (7 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	9,543
- Density	535.5/sq mi (206.8/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	03904
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-37270
GNIS feature ID	0582544
Website: http://www.kittery.org/

Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. The town declares itself to be the "Gateway to Maine." Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes the seaside district of Kittery Point and part of the Isles of Shoals.

Kittery is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Fort McClary in c. 1910

Settled about 1623, Kittery was incorporated in 1647, and today bills itself as "the oldest incorporated town in Maine." It was named after the birthplace of a founder, Alexander Shapleigh, from his manor of Kittery Court at Kingswear in Devon, England. Shapleigh arrived in 1635 aboard the ship Benediction, which he co-owned with another prominent settler, Captain Francis Champernowne, a cousin of Sir Ferdinando Gorges.^[1] Together with the Pepperrell family, they established fisheries offshore at the Isles of Shoals, where fish were caught, salted and exported back to Europe. Other pioneers were hunters, trappers and workers of the region's abundant timber. The settlement at the mouth of the Piscataqua River was protected by Fort McClary.

Kittery originally extended from the Atlantic Ocean inland up the Salmon Falls River, including the present-day towns of Eliot, South Berwick, Berwick and North Berwick. Located opposite Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the town developed into a center for trade and shipbuilding. After the death of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Lord Proprietor of Maine, the province in 1652 became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1663, John Josselyn would write: "Towns there are, are not many in this province. Kittery, situated not far from Passacataway (Portsmouth), is the most populous." During the Revolution, the first vessels of the U.S. Navy were constructed on Badger's Island, including the 1777 Ranger commanded by John Paul Jones. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the nation's first federal navy yard, was established in 1800 on Fernald's Island. Still in operation, it is connected to the mainland by two bridges. The facility rebuilt the Constitution, and built the Civil War sloop-of-war Kearsarge. Seavey's Island was annexed and became the site of the now defunct Portsmouth Naval Prison.

Kittery has some fine early architecture, including the Sir William Pepperrell House, built in 1733, and the Lady Pepperrell House, built in 1760. The John Bray House, built in 1662, is believed to be the oldest surviving house in Maine. Located at the John Paul Jones State Historic Site on U.S. Route 1 is the Maine Sailors' and Soldiers' Memorial by Bashka Paeff. Further northeast up the road, the town has developed factory outlet shopping, very popular with tourists. Kittery Point is home to Seapoint Beach and Fort Foster Park, which was originally a harbor defense. In 1996, the movie Thinner, based on the 1984 Richard Bachman novel Thinner, was filmed in Kittery.

Pepperrell House, c. 1905

Government St., c. 1910

Navy Yard Station, c. 1912

Navy Yard Bridge, c. 1908

Notable residents

Whaleback Light in c. 1920

• John Haley Bellamy, woodcarver & folk artist
• George Berry, captain & shipbuilder
• Dennis C. Blair, admiral
• Tunis Craven, naval officer
• William Dean Howells, writer & magazine editor
• Sandi Jackson, politician
• Jeremiah O'Brien, naval officer
• John O'Hurley, actor & television personality
• Sir William Pepperrell, merchant & soldier
• Randy Price, newscaster
• Arthur Shawcross, serial killer
• Celia Thaxter, poet
• John Treworgie, trading post agent & politician
• William Whipple, signer of the Declaration of Independence

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.0 square miles (54.4 km²), of which, 17.8 square miles (46.2 km²) of it is land and 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²) of it (15.14%) is water. Situated beside the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean, Kittery is drained by Spruce Creek, Chauncey Creek and the Piscataqua River.

Demographics

See also: Kittery (CDP), Maine

Badger House on Badger's Island in 1912, the home of William Badger (1752-1830), master shipbuilder

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 9,543 people, 4,078 households, and 2,528 families residing in the town. The population density was 535.5 people per square mile (206.8/km²). There were 4,375 housing units at an average density of 245.5/sq mi (94.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.98% White, 1.78% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 4,078 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.

Fraternal Building in c. 1920

In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,200, and the median income for a family was $53,343. Males had a median income of $37,096 versus $29,850 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,153. About 5.7% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

• Fort McClary State Historic Site
• Fort Foster Park
• Kittery Art Asscociation
• Kittery Historical and Naval Museum

External links

• Town of Kittery, Maine
• Kittery at Maine.gov
• Maine outlet shopping on Wikitravel.org
• Kittery Travel Guide from Wikitravel
• John Paul Jones State Historic Site
• Rice Public Library
• City Data Profile
• Epodunk Town Profile
• The Shapleigh Family Association, founder of Kittery, Maine
• History of Kittery
• Old Kittery and Her Families, Everett Schermerhorn Stackpole, 1903

References

1. ^ Sir Ferdinando Gorges and his Province of Maine, James Phinney Baxter, The Prince Society, Boston, 1890
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

• Stackpole, Everett S. Old Kittery and its Families. Published 1903. Full image at books.google
• History of Kittery, Maine
• History of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
• History of Whaleback Light

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