Buckfield, Maine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buckfield, Maine
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| Motto(s):
"Where good people live"
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 Buckfield, Maine
Location in Maine
Buckfield, Maine
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Oxford |
| Incorporated | 1793 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 37.77 sq mi (97.82 km2) |
| • Land | 37.53 sq mi (97.20 km2) |
| • Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2) |
| Elevation | 374 ft (114 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,983 |
| • Density | 53/sq mi (20.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
04220
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| Area code(s) | 207 |
| FIPS code | 23-08710 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0582376 |
| Website | Town of Buckfield, Maine |
Buckfield is a small town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. It is part of the larger Lewiston-Auburn area in Maine. Buckfield is also part of Regional School Unit 10. This school district includes the nearby towns of Hartford and Sumner. In 2020, about 1,983 people lived in Buckfield.
Contents
History of Buckfield
Buckfield was first settled in 1776 by Benjamin Spaulding. He was a fur trapper from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. In the spring of 1777, Abijah Buck and Thomas Allen moved there with their families.
In 1785, the people living there bought the land from Massachusetts. They paid 2 shillings per acre. A shilling was an old type of money. The area was first called Bucktown Plantation. In 1793, it officially became a town. It was named Buckfield after Abijah Buck.
The land in Buckfield is hilly but has rich, dark soil. This soil was great for growing crops. Farmers grew grain, corn, and apples. The east and west branches of the Nezinscot River meet in Buckfield Village. This river provided water power for mills. These mills made many things. They produced lumber, roof shingles, and barrel staves. They also made shovel handles, snow-shovels, and boots.
In 1870, about 1,494 people lived in the town. The Rumford Falls and Buckfield Railroad ran through Buckfield. The train station was in Buckfield Village. This village was the main business area.
Geography of Buckfield
Buckfield covers about 37.77 square miles (97.82 square kilometers). Most of this area is land. Only a small part, about 0.24 square miles (0.62 square kilometers), is water. The town is drained by the Nezinscot River. This river flows into the Androscoggin River.
State routes 117 and 140 pass through Buckfield. The town shares borders with several other towns. To the north are Sumner and Hartford. Turner is to the east. Hebron is to the south. Paris is to the west, and West Paris is to the northwest.
Population Information
Buckfield's population has changed over the years.
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 1,002 | — | |
| 1810 | 1,251 | 24.9% | |
| 1820 | 1,501 | 20.0% | |
| 1830 | 1,514 | 0.9% | |
| 1840 | 1,629 | 7.6% | |
| 1850 | 1,657 | 1.7% | |
| 1860 | 1,705 | 2.9% | |
| 1870 | 1,494 | −12.4% | |
| 1880 | 1,379 | −7.7% | |
| 1890 | 1,200 | −13.0% | |
| 1900 | 1,139 | −5.1% | |
| 1910 | 1,087 | −4.6% | |
| 1920 | 957 | −12.0% | |
| 1930 | 972 | 1.6% | |
| 1940 | 903 | −7.1% | |
| 1950 | 899 | −0.4% | |
| 1960 | 982 | 9.2% | |
| 1970 | 929 | −5.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,333 | 43.5% | |
| 1990 | 1,566 | 17.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,723 | 10.0% | |
| 2010 | 2,009 | 16.6% | |
| 2020 | 1,983 | −1.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
What the 2010 Census Showed
In 2010, there were 2,009 people living in Buckfield. These people lived in 821 households. About 547 of these were families. The town had about 53.5 people per square mile. Most of the people living in Buckfield were White (97.7%).
About 29.6% of households had children under 18. Many households (51.0%) were married couples. The average age in Buckfield was 41.2 years old. About 23.2% of residents were under 18. And 11.9% were 65 years or older.
Important Landmarks
Buckfield has several historic buildings and places:
- Churchill Bridge – built around 1797
- E.C. and M.I. Record Homestead – built between 1843 and 1844
- Enoch Hall House – built around 1790
- Union Church – built in 1832
- Zadoc Long Free Library – built in 1901
Schools in Buckfield
- Buckfield Junior-Senior High School
Famous People from Buckfield
Many interesting people have come from Buckfield:
- William Berry, a soldier
- Hermon Carey Bumpus, who became the fifth president of Tufts College
- John Lewis Childs, a plant expert, state senator, and founder of Floral Park, New York
- Patrick Dempsey, a well-known actor
- Fritz Grobe, a professional juggler and co-founder of Eepybird (known for "Diet Coke and Mentos Guys")
- Terry Hayes, a State Representative and the Maine State Treasurer
- Ray Lamontagne, a popular singer and songwriter
- John Davis Long, who was the Secretary of the Navy and governor of Massachusetts
- Virgil D. Parris, a US congressman
- Thomas Phelps, a naval officer
- Charles H. Prince, a US congressman
- Albion Woodbury Small, a sociologist and educator
- Seba Smith, a humorist and writer
- Stephen Voltz, an attorney and co-founder of Eepybird
Gallery
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Buckfield municipal building
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Buckfield Community Baptist Church
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Postcard of the Old Church on the Hill, High Street Buckfield
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The Old Church on the Hill, also called the Union Church, Buckfield
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The Record Homestead on Bean Road in Buckfield
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The Enoch Hall House on Bean Road in Buckfield
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The Churchill Bridge on Mountain Road in Buckfield
See also
In Spanish: Buckfield (Maine) para niños
