Alfred, Maine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alfred, Maine
Town
Village Square c. 1906
Motto(s):  "Shiretown of York County"
Alfred, Maine Location in Maine Show map of Maine Alfred, Maine Location in the United States Show map of the United States Alfred, Maine Location in North America Show map of North America
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	York
Settled	1764
Incorporated	1794
Named for	Alfred the Great
Villages	Alfred Alfred Mills North Alfred
Government
• Type	Board of Selectmen
Area
• Total	27.92 sq mi (72.31 km2)
• Land	27.25 sq mi (70.58 km2)
• Water	0.67 sq mi (1.74 km2)
Elevation	289 ft (88 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,073
• Density	113/sq mi (43.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04002
Area codes	207
FIPS code	23-00730
GNIS feature ID	0582319
Website	The Town of Alfred, Maine

Alfred is a small town in York County, Maine, United States. In 2020, about 3,073 people lived there. Alfred is special because it is the "seat" of York County. This means it's where the main county offices and courthouse are located.

The town is also home to part of the Massabesic Experimental Forest. You can find two places in Alfred listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Alfred Historic District and the Alfred Shaker Historic District.

Alfred includes smaller areas called villages, such as Alfred, Alfred Mills, and North Alfred. The town is part of the larger Portland metropolitan area.

Discovering Alfred's Past

Abenaki Native Americans were the first people to live in this area. They called it Massabesic, which means "large pond" or "the place of much water."

Early Settlements and Growth

The first permanent settlers arrived in 1770. Before that, in 1764, Simeon Coffin came to the area. The community was first known as the north part of Sanford. On February 4, 1794, it officially became its own district.

Early settlers used water power from streams to run sawmills and gristmills. In 1806, Alfred became the "shire town" of York County. This meant it was chosen as the county's administrative center. The town was officially named Alfred in 1808, honoring King Alfred the Great.

The Shaker Community

Alfred Shaker Village, around 1915

A special religious group called the Shakers once lived in Alfred. They settled near Massabesic Pond in 1783. People sometimes called them the "Merry Dancers" because of their lively worship style. Today, their former village is known as the Alfred Shaker Historic District.

Historic Buildings and Events

In 1872, the District No. 5 School was built. It was a school until 1921 and then served other community needs. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Alfred's courthouse was the site of a very important trial in 1873. A man named Louis H. F. Wagner was tried there for a serious crime that happened on Smuttynose Island. It was one of the biggest trials in Maine at the time. Wagner later escaped from the Alfred jail but was caught again.

Trains played a big role in Alfred's history. The Rochester & Portland Railroad arrived in 1864. Between 1910 and 1920, over 30 trains passed through Alfred daily! However, with the rise of automobiles, train use declined. Passenger service stopped in 1949, and the last train left in 1961.

In 1947, a severe drought led to the Great Fires of 1947 in Maine. About 4,500 acres (18 km2) of woodland and two homes in Alfred were burned.

Alfred's Geography

Alfred covers about 27.92 square miles (72.31 km2). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water. Rivers and brooks like the Middle Branch of the Mousam River flow through the town.

Alfred has a few hills. Yeaton Hill is about 602 feet (183 m) high, and Brackett Hill is 480 feet (146 m) high. The highest point in town is on Fort Ridge, reaching 1,020 feet (311 m).

Population of Alfred

Parsons Memorial Library in 1906, donated to the town in 1905 by George and Edwin Parsons

In 2010, there were 3,019 people living in Alfred. The town had 1,175 households. About 25% of these households had children under 18. The average age of people in Alfred was about 45.7 years old.

Fun Things to See and Do

Alfred has some interesting places to visit if you want to learn more about its history and culture.

Points of Interest

• Alfred Shaker Museum: Learn about the Shaker community that lived here.
• Alfred Village Museum: Discover more about the town's local history.

Learning in Alfred

Children in Alfred attend public schools within the local district.

Schools in Alfred

• Alfred Elementary School: This school is for students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
• Massabesic Middle School: Students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades go to this school in Waterboro.
• Massabesic High School: High school students (ninth through twelfth grade) also attend school in Waterboro.
• Unlimited Vision Montessori School: This is a private school option for elementary-aged students.

Community Facilities

Alfred is home to important county facilities that serve the people of York County.

• The York County Courthouse is located in Alfred. This is where legal cases and violations for York County are handled.
• The York County Shelter is also in Alfred. It helps people who need a place to live and offers support. They even have a bakery that sells goods to help support their work!

Nearby Towns

Alfred is surrounded by several other towns in Maine:

• Kennebunk
• Lyman
• Sanford
• Shapleigh
• Waterboro

Famous People from Alfred

Some notable people have connections to Alfred:

• James Abbe: A well-known photographer.
• Mildred Barker: A musician and scholar, who was also a Shaker eldress.
• Joseph Brackett: A songwriter and Shaker elder.
• John Holmes: A U.S. Representative and Senator.
• Enrique Peña Nieto: A former President of Mexico, who learned English in Alfred as a schoolboy.

Images for kids

• 

  Village Square around 1906

• 

  Alfred Shaker Village, around 1915

• 

  Parsons Memorial Library in 1906

See also

In Spanish: Alfred (Maine) para niños