Cornish, Maine Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cornish, Maine
Town
Downtown Cornish
Nickname(s): The Crown of York County
Motto(s): "Come & Explore Your Next Cherished Memory"
Cornish, Maine Location in Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	York
Incorporated	1794
Area
• Total	22.38 sq mi (57.96 km²)
• Land	22.18 sq mi (57.45 km²)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.52 km²)
Elevation	351 ft (107 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,508
• Density	68/sq mi (26.2/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04020
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-14485
GNIS feature ID	0582421

Cornish is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The main village in town is the Cornish census-designated place. The village has a number of antique shops and restaurants near historic Thompson Park. Cornish is home to the first concrete bridge in North America.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Local schools
Sites of interest
Notable people
See also

History

In 1665, a trading post was established by Francis Small in the vicinity of Cornish village, not far from the confluence of the Ossipee River with the Saco River. Here converged three major Abenaki Indian paths—the Sokokis Trail (Route 5), the Ossipee Trail (Route 25) and the Pequawket Trail (Route 113), making it a central location for conducting with Native Americans the lucrative fur trade. In 1668, Small purchased from Newichawannock Chief Captain Sunday (or Wesumbe) the Ossipee Tract, encompassing the present-day towns of Cornish, Parsonsfield, Newfield, Limerick, Limington and Shapleigh (which then included Acton). The price was two large Indian blankets, two gallons of rum, two pounds of gunpowder, four pounds of musket balls and twenty strings of Indian beads. Small then sold a half interest in the tract to Major Nicholas Shapleigh of Eliot.

In 1770, heirs discovered the unrecorded deed, and hired attorney James Sullivan of Biddeford to pursue their claim. They won, and paid Sullivan for his services with the township he named Limerick. Small's descendants took possession of Newfield, Limington and Cornish, the latter first named Francisborough, then Francistown, after its original proprietor. Settled by Joseph Thompson in 1782, it was incorporated on February 27, 1794, as Cornish, presumably by settlers from the county of Cornwall, England. The soil was very productive for farming, producing large crops of corn and other types of grain. In 1859, the population was 1,144. The Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad ran up the Saco River valley in the early 1870s, servicing Baldwin Station across the bridge from Cornish.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.38 square miles (57.96 km²), of which 22.18 square miles (57.45 km²) is land and 0.20 square miles (0.52 km²) is water. Cornish is drained by the Ossipee River and the Saco River. The town's highest point is Clark Mountain, 1,320+ feet (402+ m) above sea level. It is also York County's highest point. The second highest point in the town and county is Hosac Mountain, 1,320 feet (402 m), often mistaken as the highest point in York County.

The town is crossed by state routes 5, 25 and 160. Cornish borders the towns of Hiram to the north, Baldwin to the northeast, Limington to the east, Limerick to the south, and Parsonsfield to the west.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	409	—
1800	734	79.5%
1810	971	32.3%
1820	1,088	12.0%
1830	1,235	13.5%
1840	1,263	2.3%
1850	1,144	−9.4%
1860	1,153	0.8%
1870	1,100	−4.6%
1880	1,169	6.3%
1890	1,118	−4.4%
1900	984	−12.0%
1910	954	−3.0%
1920	813	−14.8%
1930	753	−7.4%
1940	826	9.7%
1950	795	−3.8%
1960	816	2.6%
1970	839	2.8%
1980	1,047	24.8%
1990	1,178	12.5%
2000	1,269	7.7%
2010	1,403	10.6%
2020	1,508	7.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

Bonney Memorial Library, c. 1920

2010 census

A the 2010 census, there were 1,403 people, 609 households and 405 families living in the town. The population density was 63.3 inhabitants per square mile (24.4/km²). There were 692 housing units at an average density of 31.2 per square mile (12.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.4% White, 0.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 609 households, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.5% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% 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 2.75.

The median age in the town was 44.5 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 32.9% were from 45 to 64; and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

Local schools

Old High School in 1915

Cornish Elementary (Closed)
Sacopee Valley Middle School
Sacopee Valley High School

Sites of interest

Cornish Historical Society & Museum
Saco River Festival Association
Caleb R. Ayer House
George F. Clifford House
Odd Fellows-Rebekah Hall
LeRoy F. Pike Memorial Building

Notable people

Caleb R. Ayer, 19th century state senate president and Secretary of State
David Dunn, 18th governor of Maine
Eddie Files, baseball pitcher
David Hammons, US congressman
Joseph Hammons, US congressman from New Hampshire
Steve Letarte, former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and current commentator for NASCAR on NBC

In Popular Culture

Cornish is briefly mentioned by Father Callahan in Stephen King's 1975 Novel 'Salem's Lot.

Cornish, Maine facts for kids

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