Gray, Maine

The area was granted on March 27, 1736, by the Massachusetts General Court to a group from Boston. In 1737, the township was laid out and roads cleared, with the first settlers arriving in the spring of 1738. But during the ongoing French and Indian Wars, the settlement was attacked in the spring of 1745 by Indians, who killed cattle and burned the meetinghouse and all dwellings. Inhabitants fled to other towns. In 1751, the village was resettled, but wiped out again in May 1755.{{Cite book | last = Coolidge | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield | title = A History and Description of New England| publisher = A.J. Coolidge | year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n177 143]–144| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859. }}

Consequently, Fort Gray was built in 1755. It featured a blockhouse measuring {{convert|50|ft|m}} long by {{convert|25|ft|m}} wide, set within a garrison palisade {{convert|100|ft|m}} long by {{convert|75|ft|m}} wide. The town had been without a name until about 1756, when it began to be called, Boston, then New Boston and eventually, New Town. On June 19, 1778, New Boston Plantation would be incorporated as Gray after Thomas Gray, a proprietor.

Gray had many farms and some quarries. Other industries included a gristmill, 12 sawmills, a tannery, granite and marble works, carriage and sleigh manufacturer, and shuttle maker.[https://archive.today/20120708170508/http://history.rays-place.com/me/gray-me.htm George J. Varney, "History of Gray, Maine" (1886)] Along Collyer Brook, Samuel Mayall established in 1791 the first successful water-powered woolen mill in North America. British woolen guilds had prohibited the production of goods in the colonies and tried to prevent British technology from being put to use in competition against them. Mayall smuggled out of England plans for machinery hidden in bales of cloth meant for trade with the Indians. When the guilds learned of his deception, they tried at least twice to kill him. They sent him a hat in which were hidden pins laced with poison, and then a box with loaded pistols rigged to fire when opened. Suspicious of the packages, Mayall avoided an untimely death. His daughters Mary and Phanela took over the mills when he died in 1831, and built the Lower Mill in 1834. The Mayalls retained ownership until about 1879. The business closed in 1902. The ruins of the mill and associated structures are still visible to this day and are open to the public.[http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/history/mayallmill/index.htm History of Mayall Mills]

In the 1970s, Gray was chosen as the site of one of ten Decision Information Distribution System radio stations, designed to alert the public of an enemy attack. The system was never implemented and the station was not built.

File:Stranger grave Gray Maine.jpg During the Civil War, a Confederate soldier's body was accidentally sent to Gray. Instead of sending the body away, the "Ladies of Gray" gave the rebel soldier a proper burial and funded a gravestone marked simply, "Stranger". A statue dedicated to the "Unknown Soldier" was later erected in Gray Village Center, and every Memorial Day, the Unknown Soldier is respected with a Confederate flag marking the grave. (The Civil War was especially painful for the small town, as they had proportionately sent more men to conflict than any other town in Maine.) Today, there are more than 178 Union soldiers—and one Confederate—buried in the Gray Village Cemetery.[http://20thmainevolunteers.com/stranger.html The Stranger]

{{further|Unknown Confederate Soldier of Gray, Maine}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of {{convert|45.99|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|43.27|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|2.72|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2010.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 16, 2012}} Gray, which includes most of Little Sebago Lake and Crystal Lake, is drained by Collyer Brook. Little Sebago Lake has been experiencing problems with milfoil for years.

Gray has five towns surrounding it: Windham to the southwest, Cumberland to the southeast, North Yarmouth to the northeast, New Gloucester to the north-northeast and Raymond to the northwest and west. On a north-up map, Gray is the shape of a crooked square.

Gray has long been interconnected with its neighbor to the north, New Gloucester, both sharing similar demographics, culture and economy. Both towns share the same school district, Maine School Administrative District 15. Being in the vicinity these towns are in, there has been ever-increasing suburban development since the early nineties. Subdivisions and commercial developments have been built at an ever-increasing frequency, leading to the possibility of Gray being swallowed up into the surrounding urban and sub-urban areas in the future.[http://www.graymaine.org/Pages/GrayME_ShorelandOrds/GrayZoningMap2010.pdf Gray, Maine Zoning Map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722165252/http://www.graymaine.org/Pages/GrayME_ShorelandOrds/GrayZoningMap2010.pdf |date=July 22, 2011 }} These developments have drawn much protest from residents, many of whom live on the same property as their ancestors many generations ago.

{{Weather box

| single line = Y

| location = Gray, Maine, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1995–present

|Jan record high F = 66

|Feb record high F = 63

|Mar record high F = 86

|Apr record high F = 91

|May record high F = 95

|Jun record high F = 95

|Jul record high F = 99

|Aug record high F = 96

|Sep record high F = 96

|Oct record high F = 84

|Nov record high F = 76

|Dec record high F = 69

|Jan avg record high F = 52.7

|Feb avg record high F = 50.3

|Mar avg record high F = 61.6

|Apr avg record high F = 75.5

|May avg record high F = 87.7

|Jun avg record high F = 88.3

|Jul avg record high F = 90.9

|Aug avg record high F = 89.3

|Sep avg record high F = 86.6

|Oct avg record high F = 75.1

|Nov avg record high F = 65.3

|Dec avg record high F = 54.5

|year avg record high F = 92.8

| Jan high F =29.8

| Feb high F =33.1

| Mar high F =41.3

| Apr high F =52.9

| May high F =64.3

| Jun high F =73.4

| Jul high F =79.0

| Aug high F =78.2

| Sep high F =70.4

| Oct high F =57.7

| Nov high F =46.1

| Dec high F =35.2

| Jan mean F =22.0

| Feb mean F =24.7

| Mar mean F =32.9

| Apr mean F =43.5

| May mean F =54.2

| Jun mean F =63.6

| Jul mean F =69.5

| Aug mean F =68.6

| Sep mean F =60.9

| Oct mean F =49.2

| Nov mean F =38.8

| Dec mean F =28.2

| Jan low F =14.2

| Feb low F =16.4

| Mar low F =24.6

| Apr low F =34.0

| May low F =44.0

| Jun low F =53.8

| Jul low F =60.1

| Aug low F =58.9

| Sep low F =51.5

| Oct low F =40.8

| Nov low F =31.4

| Dec low F =21.1

|Jan avg record low F = -4.9

|Feb avg record low F = -1.3

|Mar avg record low F = 6.3

|Apr avg record low F = 24.9

|May avg record low F = 35.1

|Jun avg record low F = 44.6

|Jul avg record low F = 53.9

|Aug avg record low F = 50.9

|Sep avg record low F = 39.5

|Oct avg record low F = 29.5

|Nov avg record low F = 16.4

|Dec avg record low F = 4.2

|year avg record low F = -7.0

|Jan record low F = -15

|Feb record low F = -17

|Mar record low F = -4

|Apr record low F = 15

|May record low F = 31

|Jun record low F = 37

|Jul record low F = 47

|Aug record low F = 46

|Sep record low F = 31

|Oct record low F = 24

|Nov record low F = 3

|Dec record low F = -10

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch =3.55

| Feb precipitation inch =3.34

| Mar precipitation inch =4.01

| Apr precipitation inch =4.40

| May precipitation inch =3.56

| Jun precipitation inch =4.73

| Jul precipitation inch =3.73

| Aug precipitation inch =3.84

| Sep precipitation inch =4.32

| Oct precipitation inch =5.42

| Nov precipitation inch =4.65

| Dec precipitation inch =4.59

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 10.9

|Feb precipitation days = 10.1

|Mar precipitation days = 11.4

|Apr precipitation days = 11.7

|May precipitation days = 13.6

|Jun precipitation days = 13.1

|Jul precipitation days = 12.3

|Aug precipitation days = 11.1

|Sep precipitation days = 9.8

|Oct precipitation days = 11.8

|Nov precipitation days = 11.3

|Dec precipitation days = 12.7

| Jan snow inch =20.6

| Feb snow inch =20.4

| Mar snow inch =16.2

| Apr snow inch =4.7

| May snow inch =0.0

| Jun snow inch =0.0

| Jul snow inch =0.0

| Aug snow inch =0.0

| Sep snow inch =0.0

| Oct snow inch =0.6

| Nov snow inch =3.8

| Dec snow inch =17.7

|year snow inch = 84.0

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 8.7

|Feb snow days = 7.9

|Mar snow days = 6.3

|Apr snow days = 2.2

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.2

|Nov snow days = 2.3

|Dec snow days = 7.4

|year snow days = 35.0

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00173295&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Gray, ME

|access-date = March 6, 2023

}}

|source 2 = National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020)

{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=gyx

|publisher = National Weather Service

|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Gray/Portland

|access-date = March 6, 2023

}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1790= 577

|1800= 987

|1810= 1310

|1820= 1479

|1830= 1575

|1840= 1740

|1850= 1788

|1860= 1767

|1870= 1738

|1880= 1798

|1890= 1517

|1900= 1388

|1910= 1270

|1920= 1139

|1930= 1189

|1940= 1378

|1950= 1631

|1960= 2184

|1970= 2939

|1980= 4344

|1990= 5904

|2000= 6820

|2010= 7761

|2020= 8269

|footnote=sources:{{cite web |url=http://www.library.umaine.edu/census/townsearch.asp?county=Cumberland&town=Gray&from=1790&to=2000&optype=ex |title=Fogler Library - Maine Census Population Totals - Database Search Results for Minor Civil Divisions |access-date=March 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726221936/http://www.library.umaine.edu/census/townsearch.asp?county=Cumberland&town=Gray&from=1790&to=2000&optype=ex |archive-date=July 26, 2011 }}, accessed March 2010.

}}

As of the census{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 16, 2012}} of 2010, there were 7,761 people, 3,156 households, and 2,187 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|179.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 3,841 housing units at an average density of {{convert|88.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.2% White, 0.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 3,156 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.85.

The median age in the town was 40.6 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 32.2% were from 45 to 64; and 10.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

As of the census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, there were 6,820 people, 2,637 households, and 1,890 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|157.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 3,202 housing units at an average density of {{convert|74.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.89% White, 0.43% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

There were 2,637 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,107, and the median income for a family was $55,806. Males had a median income of $36,342 versus $26,433 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,050. About 1.3% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

• Maine School Administrative District 15

File:Pennell Institute, Gray, Maine.jpg|Henry Pennell Municipal Complex

File:Monument Square, Gray Maine.jpg|Centrally located Monument Square in the heart of Gray Village.

File:Gray Public Library.jpg|Newly renovated Gray Public Library provides a media hub with books, movies, music, and more.

File:Gray Historical Society.JPG|Town of Gray Maine Historical Society & Museum

File:Loon Island, Forest Lake, Gray, Maine.jpg|A clear view of tiny Loon Island on a perfectly calm day on Forest Lake in Gray

File:Wilkies Beach Gray Maine.JPG|Wilkies Beach Gray Maine

File:Gray Village Cemetery.jpg|Gray Village Cemetery: Final resting place of approximately 5,500 Gray residents.

File:Dry Mills Schoolhouse Museum in Spring.JPG|A view of Dry Mills one-room schoolhouse with a meadow filled with spring flowers.

File:Stimson Memorial Hall.JPG|Stimson Memorial Hall

File:First Woolen Mill, Gray, ME.jpg|Mayall Mill {{circa|1908}}

File:Gray Corner, Gray, ME.jpg|Gray Corner in 1908

File:Elm House, Gray, ME.jpg|The Elm House {{circa|1910}}

File:NWS Forecast Office Gray ME board.jpg|National Weather Service Office in Gray

File:NWS Forecast Office Gray ME front view2.jpg|National Weather Service Office in Gray

• Wendell Abraham Anderson, politician
• Susan Austin, politician
• Cuke Barrows, professional baseball outfielder
• Todd Chretien, activist
• Walter B. Gibson, author & magician
• Simon Greenleaf, jurist
• Samuel Mayall, U.S. congressman
• Reuben Ruby, entrepreneur and abolitionist
• Warren H. Vinton, state legislator

• [http://www.graymaine.org/ Town of Gray official website]
• [http://www.grayhistorical.org/ Gray Historical Society]
• [http://www.gray.lib.me.us/ Gray Public Library]
• [http://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/history/mayall_mill/index.shtml Mayall Mills State Historic Site]

{{Reflist}}

{{Cumberland County, Maine}}

{{Presumpscot River}}

{{Coord|43|53|08|N|70|19|54|W|type:city_region:US-ME|display=title}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Towns in Cumberland County, Maine

Category:Portland metropolitan area, Maine

Category:Towns in Maine