The Harraseeket River is a 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km) tidal river in the town of Freeport within the U.S. state of Maine . It forms a northern arm of Casco Bay .
31-514: Several smaller streams flow into the Harraseeket that have their headwaters in Freeport and Brunswick , to include Frost Gully Brook and Kelsey Brook. The Harraseeket embayment joins Casco Bay between Moore Point on its eastern shore, and Stockbridge Point on its western shore, with a small island called Pound of Tea dividing the channel. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife includes
62-603: A commercial boat yard that provides maritime services including dock construction. Porter's Landing is named for Seward Porter (1753–1800), who was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts . He and his wife, Eleanor Merrill, moved to Freeport, District of Maine , from Falmouth (the part now today's Portland) in 1782. He purchased land from William Coolidge in Falmouth in 1777. He and Eleanor arrived with three children, and at least eleven more were born at Porter's Landing. The shipyard, which
93-596: A day between the Portland Transportation Center and Brunswick Maine Street Station with its Metro Breez bus service. A local bus service is provided by Brunswick Link . Porter%27s Landing Porter's Landing (formerly known as Bartol's Landing ) is a community in Freeport, Maine , United States. Located above the Harraseeket River , around 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Freeport town center, it
124-459: A homegrown industry of shipwrights, tradesmen and laborers under the direction of "master builders". Born in 1753 in Weymouth, Massachusetts , by 1777 Seward Porter had built a homestead near Mast Landing. In 1782, Porter commenced shipbuilding at what would become known as Porter's Landing . In the 1830s, Rufus Soule began leasing space at Porter's Landing for a shipyard that would launch more than 100 vessels. Others would follow downstream along
155-589: A number of historic districts recognized on the National Register of Historic Places : The book Uncle Tom's Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe while she was living in Brunswick, during the time that her husband was a professor at Bowdoin. She got a key vision for the book in the First Parish Church. A scene in the 1993 movie The Man Without a Face was filmed in the town. According to
186-521: A range of wildlife and tidal organisms, to include ducks like Barrow's goldeneye , common goldeneye , northern pintail and lesser scaup ; fish like Atlantic mackerel and rainbow smelt; and shellfish like blue mussels , soft-shell clams and green crabs . Herring gulls and great black-backed gulls are a constant in the Harraseeket River basin, along with cormorants . In 2023, three dams were removed from Frost Gully Brook which flows into
217-648: A river in Maine is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine , United States. Brunswick is included in the Lewiston-Auburn , Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area , Brunswick
248-528: A year later, he arrived on September 11, 1690, with 300 men at Casco Bay. He went up the Androscoggin River to Fort Pejepscot (present day Brunswick, Maine). From there he went 40 miles (64 km) upriver and attacked a native village. Three or four native men were shot in retreat. When Church discovered five captive settlers in the wigwams, six or seven prisoners were butchered as an example, and nine prisoners were taken. A few days later, in retaliation,
279-765: Is home to Bowdoin College , the Bowdoin International Music Festival , the Bowdoin College Museum of Art , the Peary–MacMillan Arctic Museum , and the Maine State Music Theatre . It was formerly home to the U.S. Naval Air Station Brunswick , which was permanently closed on May 31, 2011, and has since been partially released to redevelopment as "Brunswick Landing". Settled in 1628 by Thomas Purchase and other fishermen ,
310-509: Is the last remaining of the town's formerly twenty-six one-room schoolhouses. Brunswick's sister city is Trinidad, Cuba . The town is served by Interstate 295 , U.S. Routes 1 and 201 , and Maine State Route 24 , Maine State Route 123 and Maine State Route 196 . Amtrak 's Downeaster train service terminates at Brunswick Maine Street Station and connects the town to the Portland Transportation Center and Boston's North Station . Greater Portland Metro provides several trips
341-510: The Royal Navy , with those logging efforts centered initially on the Piscataqua River . Trees marked for Royal Navy use were marked with a "broad arrow" symbol, with a penalty of 100 pounds sterling to be levied on anyone who cut down any of those trees without permission, but with evidence that plenty of local residents flouted the rule. Mast Landing, situated in the upper navigable reaches of
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#1733084550171372-472: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 54.34 square miles (140.74 km ), of which 46.73 square miles (121.03 km ) is land and 7.61 square miles (19.71 km ) is water. Brunswick is located at the north end of Casco Bay , as well as the head of tide and head of navigation on the Androscoggin River . As of 2000, the median income for a household in the town
403-429: The census-designated place of Brunswick . The population density was 433.9 inhabitants per square mile (167.5/km ). There were 9,599 housing units at an average density of 205.4 per square mile (79.3/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 93.0% White , 1.7% African American , 0.3% Native American , 2.1% Asian , 0.5% from other races , and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of
434-517: The Harraseeket River, improving the habitat there for brook trout . The municipal Freeport Sewer District operates a secondary wastewater treatment plant licensed to discharge an average of 750,000 gallons daily into the Harraseeket River via an outfall pipe. Flows are monitored seasonally for Enterococci bacteria and under the parameters of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program . Multiple marinas and boatyards operate in
465-530: The Harraseeket River, to include shipyards under the names Briggs & Cushing, Talbot, Bliss and Soule Brothers. In 1974, the Harraseeket Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places , including Wolfe's Neck, Mast Landing, Porter's Landing and the village of South Freeport . 43°48′17″N 70°06′01″W / 43.80480°N 70.10033°W / 43.80480; -70.10033 This article related to
496-651: The Harraseeket in the designated Maquoit and Middle Bay Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance that extends from Harpswell Neck to the Royal River in Yarmouth , recognizing a diverse habitat for fish and wildlife including tidal marshes, eelgrass beds and mudflats. Protected lands open to the public along the Harraseeket include Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park , the Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary and Winslow Memorial Park . The Harraseeket River supports
527-441: The Harraseeket with sailboats and power boats moored in an extensive anchorage in the lower reaches of the estuary. Other enterprises include commercial lobster boats, an island ferry , tour boats and other working boats. The town of Freeport maintains a public dock on the west bank of the Harraseeket, and employs a harbor master and shellfish warden. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Abenaki peoples who were allied with
558-587: The Harraseeket, became a loading point for the timber, and in time shipbuilding emerged as a major industry on the Harraseeket. During the 17th and early 18th century, a number of Maine farmers turned to shipbuilding as a way to capitalize on surplus timber they cleared to grow crops, typically forming syndicates to share ownership and any profits from cargoes. While some vessels were built on farm properties and then launched there or hauled overland to waterways, small shipyards began opening along rivers and harbors that attracted and then groomed over succeeding generations
589-562: The area was called by its Indian name, Pejepscot , meaning "the long, rocky rapids part [of the river]". In 1639, Purchase placed his settlement under protection of the Massachusetts Bay Colony . During King Philip's War in 1676, Pejepscot was burned and abandoned, although a garrison called Fort Andros was built on the ruins during King William's War . During the war, in Major Benjamin Church 's second expedition
620-442: The company in 1890 persuaded the town to move Maine Street. Principal employers for Brunswick include L.L. Bean , Bath Iron Works , as well as companies that produce fiberglass construction material and electrical switches. A number of health services providers serving Maine's mid-coast area are located in Brunswick. The former Naval Air Station Brunswick was a major employer in Brunswick prior to its closure. Brunswick has
651-625: The following year by United States President James Madison . The vessel evaded blockades and captured British ships, but disappeared in Georges Bank in a storm in January 1815. It was under the command of John Porter; he and sixty men (including his brothers Jeremiah and Ebenezer) were lost. In 1823, Seward Jr. became the owner of the first steamboat to be brought to Maine. He lived until 1838 (aged 54); Samuel until 1847 (aged 68); and William until 1868 (aged 80). The eldest of Seward Sr.'s sons, Joseph,
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#1733084550171682-672: The larger Wabanaki Confederacy lived in the Casco Bay region. Some researchers have identified the Almouchiquois or Aucocisco as the area's dominant group centered on the Presumpscot River west of the Harraseeket, while another group called the Pejebscot were located along the Androscoggin River east of the Harraseeket. The earliest colonial settlements along the Harraseeket were linked to farming or harvesting pine trees for ship masts for
713-623: The natives attacked Church at Cape Elizabeth on Purpooduc Point, killing seven of his men and wounding 24 others. On September 26, Church returned to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The 1713 Treaty of Portsmouth brought peace to the region between the Abenaki Indians and the English colonists. In 1714, a consortium from Boston and Portsmouth bought the land, thereafter called the Pejepscot purchase . The Massachusetts General Court constituted
744-441: The population. There were 8,469 households, of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 44.7% were married couples living together; 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present; 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present; and 42.3% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
775-563: The township in 1717, naming it "Brunswick" in honor of the House of Brunswick and its scion, King George I . A stone fort called Fort George was built in 1715 near the falls. But during Dummer's War on July 13, 1722, Abenaki warriors from Norridgewock burned the village. Consequently, Governor Samuel Shute declared war on the Abenakis. In 1724, 208 English colonial militia left Fort Richmond and sacked Norridgewock during Dummer's War . Brunswick
806-433: Was $ 40,402; and the median income for a family was $ 49,088. Males had a median income of $ 32,141 versus $ 24,927 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 20,322. About 5.0% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over. As of the census of 2010, there were 15,175 people, 7,183 households, and 6,498 families residing in
837-509: Was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the town was 41.4 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 14.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.1% male and 52.9% female. The Brunswick School Department operates the town's public schools, including: Other local educational institutions include: The Growstown School , on Woodside Road,
868-626: Was rebuilt again in 1727, and in 1739 incorporated as a town. It became a prosperous seaport , where Bowdoin College was chartered in 1794. The Androscoggin River falls in three successive stages for a total vertical drop of 41 feet (12 m), providing water power for industry . Brunswick became a major producer of lumber , with as many as 25 sawmills . Some of the lumber went into shipbuilding . Other firms produced paper , soap , flour , marble and granite work, carriages and harness , plows , furniture , shoes and confections . The town
899-604: Was site of the first cotton mill in Maine, the Brunswick Cotton Manufactory Company, built in 1809 to make yarn . Purchased in 1812, the mill was enlarged by the Maine Cotton & Woolen Factory Company. In 1857, the Cabot Manufacturing Company was established to make cotton textiles . It bought the failed Worumbo Mill and expanded the brick factory along the falls. Needing even more room,
930-493: Was situated near today's Falls Point Marine, was run during the mid-19th century by John Blethen (1810–1882) and his five employees. He took over the shipyard from Samuel, William and Seward Porter Jr., who inherited it upon their father's death in 1800. The privateer Dash was built there in 1813 by James Brewer for the Porter boys. It was commissioned , for service in the War of 1812 ,
961-439: Was the port for Freeport prior to the arrival of the railroad. It was also known for its shipyard, along with its salt works, brickyard and a crab-meat factory. Porter's Landing is part of Harraseeket Historic District , which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . At Porter's Landing, the town of Freeport maintains a public launch for small boats called Dunning Boat Yard, and leases land and facilities there to