Kittery, Maine

English settlement around the natural harbor of the Piscataqua River estuary began about 1623.{{cite book |author=Kittery Historical and Naval Society |title=A Brief History of Kittery, Maine |url=http://www.kitterymuseum.com/r-town/Kittery-History-02-Bicentennial.pdf |location= |publisher=Kittery Historical and Naval Society |page=4 |date=February 20, 2020 |type=booklet |edition=2nd |access-date=December 15, 2020}} By 1632 the community was protected by Fort William and Mary on today's New Hampshire side of the river; in 1689 defensive works that later became Fort McClary in Kittery Point were added on today's Maine side to the north.

Kittery was incorporated in 1647, staking a claim as the "oldest incorporated town in Maine."[http://www.kitteryme.gov/Pages/KitteryME_CompPLan/chapter1 Town of Kittery Maine, Chapter One The History of Kittery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601150605/http://www.kitteryme.gov/Pages/KitteryME_CompPLan/chapter1 |date=June 1, 2016 }}. Retrieved May 1, 2016. It was named after the birthplace of a founder, Alexander Shapleigh, from his manor of Kittery Court at Kingswear in Devon, England. Shapleigh arrived in 1635 aboard the ship Benediction, which he co-owned with another prominent settler, Captain Francis Champernowne,The Champernownes were a prominent shipping family from Devon in England's West Country, having been a fixture in mercantile and social scene there for generations. Kat Ashley, née Champernowne, was a close friend and governess to Queen Elizabeth I. Her niece Catherine Champernowne was the mother of Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Humphrey Gilbert. At the heart of the family dynastic influence lay Sir Arthur Champernowne, who served as Vice-Admiral of the West, while residing at Dartington Hall in Devon. a cousin of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, lord proprietor of Maine.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pJDSvhHjyxMC&q=champernowne+maine&pg=PA281|title=Sir Ferdinando Gorges and His Province of Maine|last1=Baxter|first1=James Phinney|year=1890}} Together with the Pepperrell family, they established fisheries offshore at the Isles of Shoals, where fish were caught, salted, and exported to Europe. Other pioneers were hunters, trappers, and workers of the region's abundant timber. The settlement at the mouth of the Piscataqua River was protected by Fort McClary.{{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/n216 182]–185| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859. }}

Thomas Spencer, Esquire, immigrant from Gloucestershire, England, was also settler of Kittery, with his wife Patience Chadbourne. Their story is included in The Maine Spencers: a history and genealogy, with mention of many associated families.

Kittery originally extended from the Atlantic Ocean inland up the Salmon Falls River, including the present-day towns of Eliot, South Berwick, Berwick, and North Berwick. Located opposite Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the town developed into a center for trade and shipbuilding. In 1652, after the death of Gorges, Maine became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Francis Small was a pioneer resident of Kittery, and operated a trading post near the confluence of the Ossipee River and Saco River. Here major Indian trails converged—the Sokokis Trail (now Route 5), the Ossipee Trail (now Route 25), and the Pequawket Trail (now Route 113). The site supported the lucrative fur trade with Indians, but had the risks of living isolated in the wilderness.{{cite web|url=http://www.cornish-maine.org/about_cornish_cab.html|title=About Cornish Maine and CAB – Cornish Association of Businesses|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121061150/http://cornish-maine.org/about_cornish_cab.html|archive-date=November 21, 2010}} Small became the largest property owner in the history of Maine, and was known as "the great landowner".[http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/m/a/Lois-Small-MA/GENE1-0002.html Descendants of Edward Small] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711081957/http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/m/a/Lois-Small-MA/GENE1-0002.html |date=July 11, 2011 }}Sullivan, Gov. James, The History of the District of Maine, I. Thomas and E. T. Andrews, Publishers, Boston, MA, 1795.

In 1663, John Josselyn wrote: "Towns there are, are not many in this province. Kittery, situated not far from Passacataway (Portsmouth), is the most populous."{{Citation

| last = Varney

| first = George J.

| title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Kittery

| place = Boston

| publisher = Russell

| year = 1886

| url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/kittery-me.htm

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130201113829/http://history.rays-place.com/me/kittery-me.htm

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = February 1, 2013

}}

In late 1694 or early 1695 the enslaved woman Rachel of Kittery, Maine was murdered by her enslaver, Nathaniel Keen in Kittery. During the colonial era in Kittery Parish, which included present-day Kittery, Eliot, Berwick and South Berwick, as many as 500 enslaved people were brought to Kittery Parish.{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Gillian |date=February 14, 2021 |title='A missing piece:' Maine's connections to slavery are hidden in plain sight |url=https://www.pressherald.com/2021/02/14/a-missing-piece-maines-connections-to-slavery-are-hidden-in-plain-sight/ |access-date=July 23, 2023 |website=Press Herald}} The Maine Historical Society calls Sir William Pepperrell (1696 – 1759) of Kittery "Maine's most prolific and infamous slave owner."{{Cite web |title=Begin Again Pepperrell |url=https://www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/3103/slideshow/1930/display?format=list&prev_object_id=4904&prev_object=page |access-date=July 23, 2023 |website=Maine Memory Network |language=en}}

In 1705, during Queen Anne's War, tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy raided the town, killing six residents and taking five prisoners.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/borderwarsnew00drakrich#page/215/mode/1up|title=The border wars of New England, commonly called King William's and Queen Anne's wars|year=1897}}

During the Revolution, the first vessels of the U.S. Navy were constructed on Badger's Island, including the USS Ranger (1777) commanded by John Paul Jones. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the nation's first federal navy yard, was established in 1800 on Fernald's Island. It connects to the mainland by two bridges. During the Civil War, the facility rebuilt the USS Constitution, and built the Civil War USS Kearsarge. Seavey's Island was annexed and became site of the now defunct Portsmouth Naval Prison.{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/man/company/shipyard/portsmouth.htm|title=Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (NSY)|access-date=February 13, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093838/http://fas.org/man/company/shipyard/portsmouth.htm|url-status=dead}}

In 1905, the Treaty of Portsmouth, which formally ended the Russo-Japanese War, was signed at the shipyard.

From 1946 and 1977, when racial discrimination in public accommodations was common, Clayton and Hazel Sinclair operated the Rock Rest summer guest house in Kittery Point providing lodging to Black vacation travelers.{{Cite web |title=Rock Rest, Kittery Point (SAVED) |url=https://www.mainepreservation.org/most-endangered-2008-1/2019/5/15/rock-rest-kittery-point |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=Maine Preservation |date=May 15, 2019 |language=en-US}} The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.{{Cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm#table |website=National Park Service}} Rock Rest was featured in the 2020 documentary Driving While Black, that aired on PBS.{{Cite web |last=Hodge |first=Channon |date=October 11, 2020 |title=Filmmakers unearth a long trail of racism in 'Driving While Black' |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/11/us/driving-while-black-film-trnd/index.html |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of {{convert|75.30|sqmi|sqkm|2|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|57.52|sqmi|sqkm|2|abbr=on}} are covered by 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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220032143/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2010.html|archive-date=December 20, 2012|url-status=dead}} Situated beside the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean, Kittery is drained by Spruce Creek, Spinney Creek, Chauncey Creek, and the Piscataqua River.

Kittery is Maine's southernmost town. The town is crossed by Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1, Maine State Route 101, Maine State Route 103, and Maine State Route 236.

:See also Kittery (CDP), Maine and Kittery Point, Maine for village demographics

{{US Census population

|1790= 3259

|1800= 3114

|1810= 2019

|1820= 1886

|1830= 2202

|1840= 2435

|1850= 2706

|1860= 2974

|1870= 3333

|1880= 3230

|1890= 2864

|1900= 2872

|1910= 3533

|1920= 4763

|1930= 4400

|1940= 5374

|1950= 8380

|1960= 10689

|1970= 11028

|1980= 9314

|1990= 9372

|2000= 9543

|2010= 9490

|2020= 10070

|footnote=https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/me190090.txt {{Bare URL plain text|date=March 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |title=U.S. Census website |author=Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS) }}[http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/ University of Virginia Library]. Mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. Retrieved on May 24, 2014.

}}

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 9,490 people, 4,302 households, and 2,488 families living in the town. The population density was {{convert|533.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 4,942 housing units at an average density of {{convert|278.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.1% White, 0.01% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 4,302 households, of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.77.

The median age in the town was 43.2 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% 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 9,543 people, 4,078 households, and 2,528 families living in the town. The population density was {{convert|535.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 4,375 housing units at an average density of {{convert|245.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 95.98% White, 1.78% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 4,078 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% 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 2.86.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,200, and the median income for a family was $53,343. Males had a median income of $37,096 versus $29,850 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,153. About 5.7% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

The Kittery economy is driven by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In 2021, 438 shipyard workers lived in Kittery and were paid a combined $37,784,774. The shipyard's total economic affect on the region in 2022 was $1,457,952,317{{Cite web |date=September 18, 2023 |title=Portsmouth Naval Shipyard economic impact estimated at $1.4 Billion |url=https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-09-18/portsmouth-shipyard-economic-impact-nh-maine-over-billion-dollars |access-date=September 20, 2023 |website=New Hampshire Public Radio |language=en}} and in 2021 was $1,322,611,898.{{Cite web |last=Lenahan |first=Ian |title=Portsmouth Naval Shipyard economic impact $1.3B: Here's towns with most workers, payroll |url=https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/2022/09/08/portsmouth-naval-shipyard-economic-impact-report-2021-numbers/7946727001/ |access-date=January 1, 2023 |website=Portsmouth Herald |language=en-US}} In 2022, 7,251 people were employed at the shipyard.{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Edward D. |date=September 9, 2022 |title=Kittery shipyard's impact last year soared to $1.3 billion |url=https://www.pressherald.com/2022/09/09/kittery-shipyards-impact-last-year-soared-to-1-3-billion/ |access-date=September 20, 2023 |website=Press Herald}}

The Kittery Outlets is an outdoor shopping area located on Route 1 next to Interstate 95 with over 100 retailers, including national brands and local shops.{{Cite web |title=The Kittery Outlets - Visit Maine |url=https://visitmaine.com/organization/kittery-outlets/b5bade86-6f56-4ec9-981b-b5e3249e24cc |access-date=January 1, 2023 |website=visitmaine.com |language=en}} The town in 2024 approved the removal of one of the shopping plazas, The Outlets at Kittery, to be replaced with apartment housing, a hotel, and a restaurant.{{Cite web |last=Ciampi |first=Raquel |date=February 27, 2024 |title=The Outlets at Kittery to be demolished for apartment, hotel, restaurant |url=https://www.wmtw.com/article/outlets-kittery-demolished-hotel-restaurant-apartments/46976245 |access-date=April 10, 2024 |website=WMTW |language=en}}

Kittery Foreside is a popular, walkable neighborhood adjacent to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard that has many commercial businesses, including boutique shops, restaurants, and cafes. It also features historic homes, large shade trees, and a number of arts and culture organizations.{{Cite web |last=Groban |first=Betsy |date=October 11, 2022 |title=Just over the border in Kittery, Maine, a neighborhood that has it all - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/11/lifestyle/just-over-border-kittery-maine-neighborhood-that-has-it-all/ |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}}

The Weathervane Restaurant chain was founded in Kittery in 1969.{{Cite web |title=Weathervane Seafood Restaurant |url=https://www.nhmagazine.com/listings/restaurants/weathervane-seafood-restaurant-2/ |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=New Hampshire Magazine |language=en-US}} In 2023, the Portland Press Herald reported that Kittery has the highest per capita number of vegan and vegetarian restaurants and food businesses in Maine.{{Cite web |last=Kamila |first=Avery Yale |date=August 20, 2023 |title=Vegan food businesses thrive in Kittery |url=https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/20/vegan-food-businesses-thrive-in-kittery/ |access-date=August 25, 2023 |website=Press Herald}}

{{See also|Climate change in Maine}}

In Kittery, coastal property, shoreland infrastructure, and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard are all vulnerable to rising seas caused by the changing climate. Most vulnerable are low-lying roads, the bridges to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, other bridges, businesses, a church, a fire station, and the working waterfront. To respond to these threats, the town formed a Climate Change Adaptation Committee.{{Cite web |last=Eichacker |first=Charlie |date=November 10, 2021 |title=With more waterfront and wealth, southern Maine towns lead the way in planning for climate change |url=https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2021-11-10/with-rising-seas-and-more-wealth-southern-maine-towns-lead-the-way-in-planning-for-climate-change |access-date=May 25, 2023 |website=Maine Public |language=en}}

The Kittery Art Association was formed in 1958. It manages the KAA Gallery at 2 Walker Street in Kittery Foreside, as a cultural center and exhibition gallery.{{Cite web |title=About KAA |url=https://www.kitteryartassociation.org/about |access-date=January 1, 2023 |website=Kittery Art Association |language=en-US}} The Kittery Art Association purchased the gallery building in 2022 from the town library, where the property was known as the Taylor Building, for $558,700. The Kittery Art Association used to be located at 8 Coleman Avenue in Kittery Point.{{Cite web |last=Lenahan |first=Ian |title=Kittery Art Association moving to 'vibrant' Foreside in library's Taylor Building |url=https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/2022/03/02/kittery-art-association-buy-rice-public-librarys-taylor-building-maine-foreside-rice-public-library/6968960001/ |access-date=January 1, 2023 |website=Portsmouth Herald |language=en-US}}

File:327. Rice Public Library (3517541420).jpg

The Rice Public Library was built in 1889 at 8 Wentworth Street. The library reopened in 2022 after a $6.1 million renovation.

The nonprofit The Dance Hall is located in the former Grange Hall in Kittery Foreside. It hosts performances and classes in dance and music.

Sites of interest include:

• William Pepperrell House, built in 1733
• Lady Pepperrell House, built in 1760.
• John Bray House, built in 1662, believed to be the oldest extant house in Maine.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
• John Paul Jones Memorial Park, which includes the Maine Sailors' and Soldiers' Memorial by Bashka Paeff.
• The Kittery Historical and Naval Museum, opened in 1977.{{Cite web |title=The History of Kittery {{!}} kitteryme |url=https://www.kitteryme.gov/kittery-celebration-committee/pages/history-kittery |access-date=April 10, 2024 |website=www.kitteryme.gov}}
• Seapoint Beach and Fort Foster, originally a harbor defense, at Kittery Point.
• Fort McClary State Historic Site
• Rock Rest
• Kittery Community Center

Kittery includes many parks, beaches, and recreational spaces. The largest is Fort Foster, a former federal military installation from the 19th century until the 1950s.{{Cite web |title=Parks Commission {{!}} Kittery ME |url=https://www.kitteryme.gov/parks-commission |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=www.kitteryme.gov}}

Other parks include

• John Paul Jones Memorial Park
• Fort McClary State Historic Site
• Inspiration Park
• Rogers Park Conservation Area
• Kittery Memorial Field
• Cutts Island Trail on the Rachel Carson Nature Preserve{{Cite web |title=Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge {{!}} Map {{!}} U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/rachel-carson |access-date=April 10, 2024 |website=www.fws.gov |language=en-us}}

Beaches include:{{Cite web |title=Beach Status Info - Maine Healthy Beaches {{!}} kitteryme |url=https://www.kitteryme.gov/public-works/pages/beach-status-info-maine-healthy-beaches |access-date=April 10, 2024 |website=www.kitteryme.gov}}

• Seapoint Beach
• Crescent Beach
• Fort Foster Scuba Beach
• Fort Foster Horn Point - East Cove Beach
• Fort Foster Pier Beach

Kittery is home to Robert William Traip Academy (9–12), a formerly private, preparatory school which became public and town-run in 1967. Kittery is also home to Horace Mitchell Primary School (K–3) and Shapleigh School (4–8).

The movie Thinner (1996), based on the 1984 Stephen King novel, was filmed in Kittery.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

• Jess Abbott, guitarist of the band Now, Now
• William Badger, master shipbuilder
• Devin Beliveau, state representative
• John Haley Bellamy, woodcarver, folk artist
• George Berry, captain, shipbuilder
• Dennis C. Blair, admiral
• Scott Brown, ambassador, senator from Massachusetts (2010–2013)
• Tunis Craven, naval officer
• Shem Drowne, metalworker, creator of Boston's Grasshopper Weathervane
• Elisha T. Gardner, Wisconsin politician, lawyer
• William Dean Howells, writer, magazine editor
• Sandi Jackson, Chicago city alderman
• Kenneth F. Lemont, state legislator
• Jeremiah O'Brien, naval officer
• John O'Hurley, television actor and game show host
• Joseph T. Palastra Jr., U.S. Army General
• Sir William Pepperrell, merchant, soldier
• Arthur Shawcross, serial killer
• Hunt Slonem, artist
• Francis Small, trader and landowner
• Celia Thaxter, poet
• John Treworgie, last proprietary governor of Newfoundland
• Donald Valle (1908–1977), American businessman and owner of the eponymously named Valle's Steak House
• Walter Wheeler, state representative
• William Whipple, signer of the Declaration of Independence
• Rachel of Kittery, Maine, an enslaved women who was murdered by her enslaver

The Saturday morning cartoon DinoSquad is based in Kittery/Kittery Point.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

File:Sir William Pepperrell House.jpg|Pepperrell House {{circa|1905}}

File:Government Street, Kittery, ME.jpg|Government St. {{circa|1910}}

File:Navy Yard Bridge, Kittery, ME.jpg|Navy Yard Bridge {{circa|1908}}

File:Dry Dock, Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME.jpg|Shipyard dry dock {{circa|1908}}

• Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
• National Register of Historic Places listings in York County, Maine
• Portsmouth Naval Prison

{{reflist|30em}}

• Stackpole, Everett S. [https://archive.org/details/oldkitteryandhe00stacgoog Old Kittery and its Families.] Published 1903. Full image at books.google
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20141004044422/http://lighthouse.cc/whaleback/history.html History of Whaleback Light]}}
• [http://www.northamericanforts.com/East/New_Hampshire/Portsmouth/harbor.html Seacoast Forts of Portsmouth Harbor] from American Forts Network

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.kitteryme.gov/ Town of Kittery official website]

{{Geographic location

| Centre = Kittery

| North = York

| Northeast = York

| East = Atlantic Ocean

| Southeast =

| South = Rye, New Hampshire

| Southwest = New Castle, New Hampshire

| West = Portsmouth, New Hampshire

| Northwest = Eliot

}}

{{York County, Maine}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Populated places established in 1623

Category:Towns in York County, Maine

Category:Portland metropolitan area, Maine

Category:1623 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies

Category:Populated coastal places in Maine

Category:Towns in Maine