Montville, Maine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Montville, Maine
Town
Motto(s):  "The Way Life Is"
Location of Montville (in yellow) in Waldo County and the state of Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Waldo
Area
• Total	43.14 sq mi (111.73 km2)
• Land	42.66 sq mi (110.49 km2)
• Water	0.48 sq mi (1.24 km2)
Elevation	469 ft (143 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,020
• Density	24/sq mi (9.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04941
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-46790
GNIS feature ID	0582605
Website	Town of Montville, Maine

Montville is a small town located in Waldo County, Maine, United States. In 2020, about 1,020 people lived there. It's known for its quiet, rural feel.

History of Montville

Early Days and First Settlers

The land where Montville now stands was first home to the Wawenoec Indians. Later, between 1629 and 1631, a large part of Maine was divided up. The area including Montville was bought by Samuel Waldo, a military leader. Waldo County is named after him.

Around 1720, Europeans started using the area for timber. They cut down tall white pine trees. These trees were used as masts for ships in the British Royal Navy.

The first permanent European settlement in Montville began in 1780. A man named James Davis moved there from Massachusetts. He started a settlement called Davistown Plantation. This area grew to include all of modern-day Montville and Liberty. By 1790, six families lived there. By 1800, there were 50 families. Davistown became an official town on February 18, 1807. It was renamed Montville, which means "mountain town" in French. Twenty years later, the southern part of Montville became its own town called Liberty.

Land Disputes and the Liberty Men

The land originally claimed by Samuel Waldo later belonged to Henry Knox. He was George Washington's Secretary of War. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, there was a big argument. Settlers and Knox disagreed about who truly owned the land.

This was part of a larger fight in Mid Coast Maine. Poor settlers believed land ownership meant you had "improved" it. This meant clearing trees, planting crops, or building fences. But the land owners, called proprietors, believed ownership came from government papers, or deeds.

The proprietors tried to divide the land into lots to tax the settlers. But the settlers fought back. They called themselves Liberty Men. This is likely where the town of Liberty got its name. They used scare tactics to stop surveyors from measuring their land. On September 5, 1815, a group of Liberty Men attacked the Marshall Springs hotel in Montville. They were targeting Joseph H. Pierce Jr., who worked for the group that took over Henry Knox's land claims after he died.

Growth and Decline

Montville's population grew quickly during the first 40 years of the 1800s. Much of the land was cleared of trees. Many farms were started. Sawmills in Montville and Liberty processed wood. This wood was then sent to the coast for shipbuilding.

Montville also became a center for coopering, which is making barrels. Many barrels were used by fishermen to store their catch. Others were used by brick masons in cities like Portland, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts.

Montville's population was highest in 1840, with 2,153 people. After that, the population steadily dropped for 120 years. It reached its lowest point in 1960, with only 366 people. Since then, the population has grown back some. In 2020, it was 1,020 people. Because the population dropped so much, old farmland became wild again. Today, most of Montville is covered in forests.

Geography

Montville covers about 43.14 square miles (111.73 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 42.66 square miles (110.49 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.48 square miles (1.24 square kilometers), is water.

Important water bodies in Montville include:

• Trues Pond (173 acres)
• Kingdom Bog (90 acres)
• Ledge Pond (24 acres)
• Mud Pond (15 acres)

State routes SR 220 and SR 3 pass through the town. Montville shares borders with several other towns:

• Knox to the northeast
• Morrill to the east
• Searsmont to the southeast
• Liberty to the southwest
• Palermo to the west
• Freedom to the northwest

The Town Office is located at 414 Center Road. Montville is also home to parts of two wildlife areas: Frye Mountain Wildlife Management Area and James Dorso (Ruffingham Meadow) WMA. These areas help protect local wildlife.

Population Information

2010 Census Details

In 2010, Montville had 1,032 people living in 433 households. About 294 of these were families. The town had about 24.2 people per square mile. There were 553 housing units, which are homes or apartments.

Most of the people in Montville were White (96.1%). A small number were African American (0.4%), Native American (0.1%), or Asian (0.4%). About 0.7% were from other races, and 2.3% were from two or more races. About 2.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Of the households, 32.1% had children under 18 living with them. More than half (55.0%) were married couples. About 25.6% of all households were single individuals. About 8.3% of people lived alone and were 65 years or older. The average household had 2.38 people. The average family had 2.83 people.

The average age in Montville was 43.6 years. About 22.4% of residents were under 18. About 14.8% were 65 or older. The population was almost evenly split between males (49.7%) and females (50.3%).

Historic Sites in Montville

• Ebenezer Knowlton House

Notable People

• Ebenezer Knowlton: A U.S. Representative from Maine. He was also a minister and helped start Bates College.
• Carol Weston: A state legislator.
• Stanley Zeigler: A state legislator.

See also

In Spanish: Montville (Maine) para niños

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