Kennebunkport, Maine

History

Archeological evidence exists of activity in the area now known as Cape Porpoise 7000 years ago. In 1602, the time of contact with Europeans, it was occupied by communities of the Almouchiquois people, who referred to the area as Nampscoscock. According to 1640 land records, a sagamore of that community was "Thomas" Chabinock.{{cite web | url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/me-supreme-judicial-court/1373441.html | title=EATON v. TOWN OF WELLS (2000) |access-date=August 22, 2025 }}

Kennebunkport was first incorporated in 1653 as Cape Porpus, subject to the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise). Due to Abenaki Indian resistance to colonial expansion, European settlers abandoned the town by 1689 and did not return for at least ten years. The Wabanaki Confederacy again expelled English from the area from 1703 to 1717, and continued violent resistance to colonization until the end of King George's War in 1748.

Indian settlements continued to be present and interspersed with English colonial settlements during that time and later during Maine statehood. When the United States Congress was debating the Indian Removal Act, residents of Kennebunk sent to Congress a statement advocating for the preservation of Indian rights and property. A settlement of Penobscot and Passamaquoddy continued until at least the 1880s.

The town was renamed Arundel in 1701, and the town center located inland at Burbank Hill.

On August 8, 1782 Arundel was under attack by two loyalist vessels: the 16 gun brig "Miriam" [Richard Pomroy] and the schooner "Hammond" [Doty] captured two unnamed vessels from Newbury Massachusetts (a schooner and a sloop). The sloop was burned after it went aground on Goat Island. A battle took place between the vessels and the militia ashore. The Patriot casualties were Captain James Burnham killed in action; civilian Samuel Wildes was wounded when he demanded the Loyalists return the vessels they had taken. In 1821 the town was renamed again, this time to Kennebunkport in reflection to its economy becoming one of shipbuilding and trade along the Kennebunk River.

By the 1870s the town had developed as a popular summer destination, with both hotels and homes constructed along its coastline. Cape Arundel, Cape Porpoise, and Beachwood (now called Goose Rocks) were some of the early summer colonies; although Cape Porpoise was, and still is, a working fishing harbor. Since 1939, Kennebunkport has been home to the Seashore Trolley Museum.

The Great Fires of 1947, which devastated much of York County, affected Kennebunkport and especially the area near Goose Rocks Beach. Much of the housing near Goose Rocks Beach was destroyed by the fire, but the area has since recovered and been rebuilt.

Geology

Like much of the northeast coast, the geography of the southern Maine coast was largely directed by the retreat of the Laurentide ice cap about 23,000 years ago. The coast is framed by bedrock, left during the formation of the Appalachian mountains, and the irregular shape of the coast (characteristic of much of the New England coast, with the exception of Cape Cod and the islands) is attributed to differential erosion of the underlying rock layer.

The coast along Kennebunkport differs sharply from the Maine coast north and east of Portland due to differences in the composition of this rock layer. Beyond Portland, the layer is a largely metamorphic rock, but here the coast is a mixture of igneous rock, and embayments of more deeply eroded sedimentary and metamorphic rock. These embayments result in the sandy beaches that can be found in southern Maine (such as Goose Rocks Beach, Colony Beach, and nearby Kennebunk Beach) but are uncommon north of Portland. Likewise, the geology here differs from that of the outer lands (Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Block Island in Rhode Island, and Long Island in New York), which were formed as terminal and recessional moraines, and do not contain much in the way of a bedrock skeleton.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.35 sqmi, of which 20.52 sqmi is land and 28.83 sqmi is water.

The town has several distinct areas, each developed during a phase of the town's history. The original town center was at Cape Porpoise, which today has a small village center, is both a summer colony and year-round community, and hosts a working fishing harbor. Inland from Cape Porpoise is a mix of forest and agricultural land, punctuated by a historic town center at Burbank Hill (there are a few historic buildings of interest here, including a schoolhouse and jail). Heading west, towards the mouth of the Kennebunk River is Dock Square, the current town center.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Kennebunkport, and especially Cape Arundel (also known as Point Arundel), developed as a summer colony for the wealthy. Traveling from Dock Square along Ocean Avenue is the Cape Arundel Summer Colony Historic District. This district of many well-preserved examples of early-20th-century shingle-style cottages begins at Chick's Creek and ends at Walker's Point.

Adjacent municipalities

• Biddeford (north)
• Kennebunk (southwest)
• Arundel (west)

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge has a significant portion of lands in Kennebunkport, northeast of Cape Porpoise and through Goose Rocks. Within Kennebunkport, much of this protected land is salt-water marsh.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Kennebunkport has a humid continental climate, abbreviated Dfb on climate maps.

|Jan record high F = 63 |Feb record high F = 68 |Mar record high F = 77 |Apr record high F = 91 |May record high F = 92 |Jun record high F = 97 |Jul record high F = 99 |Aug record high F = 96 |Sep record high F = 93 |Oct record high F = 84 |Nov record high F = 79 |Dec record high F = 75

|Jan avg record high F = 51.1 |Feb avg record high F = 52.1 |Mar avg record high F = 60.0 |Apr avg record high F = 73.3 |May avg record high F = 82.0 |Jun avg record high F = 87.7 |Jul avg record high F = 90.5 |Aug avg record high F = 87.9 |Sep avg record high F = 83.2 |Oct avg record high F = 73.7 |Nov avg record high F = 64.1 |Dec avg record high F = 55.5 |year avg record high F = 92.6

|Jan avg record low F = -6.7 |Feb avg record low F = -3.9 |Mar avg record low F = 3.6 |Apr avg record low F = 20.4 |May avg record low F = 29.5 |Jun avg record low F = 40.3 |Jul avg record low F = 46.6 |Aug avg record low F = 44.3 |Sep avg record low F = 33.1 |Oct avg record low F = 23.7 |Nov avg record low F = 14.4 |Dec avg record low F = 2.6 |year avg record low F = -9.7

|Jan record low F = -20 |Feb record low F = -19 |Mar record low F = -10 |Apr record low F = 13 |May record low F = 16 |Jun record low F = 34 |Jul record low F = 35 |Aug record low F = 29 |Sep record low F = 19 |Oct record low F = 12 |Nov record low F = -3 |Dec record low F = -15

|Jan snow depth inch = 11.6 |Feb snow depth inch = 12.7 |Mar snow depth inch = 11.7 |Apr snow depth inch = 2.0 |May snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jun snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jul snow depth inch = 0.0 |Aug snow depth inch = 0.0 |Sep snow depth inch = 0.0 |Oct snow depth inch = 0.1 |Nov snow depth inch = 0.7 |Dec snow depth inch = 7.3 |year snow depth inch = 18.7

|access-date = June 27, 2025 |access-date = June 27, 2025

Summer home of the Bush family

Main article: Bush compound

Kennebunkport was also the summer home of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, father of former U.S. President George W. Bush. First built by Bush's maternal grandfather George Herbert Walker, it has been a family home ever since, and has been owned by the Bush family since sometime in the early 1980s. The Bushes' ancestry is distinct from the Walker family that settled York County, Maine. Some of this family's Walker relatives are buried in the Kennebunkport area ancient cemeteries. During his presidency, George H.W. Bush often invited world leaders, from Margaret Thatcher to Mikhail Gorbachev, to Kennebunkport. In 2007, his son George W. Bush invited Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Sarkozy. The Bush compound is on Walkers Point, called Point Vesuvius prior to the Walker family's acquisition.

Demographics

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $54,219, and the median income for a family was $66,505. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $34,028 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,707. About 1.7% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,474 people, 1,578 households, and 1,039 families residing in the town. The population density was 169.3 PD/sqmi. There were 2,897 housing units at an average density of 141.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 99.0% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 1,578 households, of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.68.

The median age in the town was 51.8 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.2% were from 25 to 44; 36.5% were from 45 to 64, and 24.7% were 65 years of age or older. The sex makeup of the town was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

Education

It is in the Regional School Unit 21.

Gallery

File:Kennebunkport South Congregational Church 2004-12-03.jpg|South Congregational Church File:Kennebunkport ME harbor.jpg|The harbor File:Boats on the Kennebunk River at Kennebunkport, Maine.jpg|Boats on the Kennebunk River File:Ocean Ave, K'port 1.jpg|Businesses on Ocean Avenue File:Dock-square-1.jpg|View of Dock Square File:Kennebunkport Public Library.jpg|Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library File:Kennebunkport Lithuanian monument.jpg|Monument dedicated to Lithuanians who died fighting for Lithuania's freedom File:Walkers-point.aug2008.jpg|Protestors on Ocean Ave. near the Bush Compound, in 2008 File:Kennebunkport Welcome Sign.jpg|Kennebunkport welcome sign and town line, in 2008

Notable people

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability. · The article must mention how they are associated with Kennebunkport, whether born, raised, or residing. · The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited. · Alphabetical by last name please. · All others will be deleted.

• Margaret Deland, novelist
• Patrick Dempsey, actor
• Dan Goodwin, building, rock, and sports climber
• Frank Handlen, painter
• Garnet Hathaway, professional ice hockey player
• Joshua Herrick, US congressman
• Dick McCabe, racing driver and champion
• Wiley Miller, cartoonist
• Jane Morgan, singer, actress
• Russell Nype, actor
• Shiloh Pepin, Sirenomelia patient with legs fused
• George Clement Perkins, 14th governor of California
• Kenneth Roberts, author
• Rex Smith, American singer and actor
• Booth Tarkington, novelist and dramatist
• George Herbert Walker, banker, businessman, grandfather of US President George H. W. Bush, and great-grandfather of George W. Bush
• Bentley Warren, racecar driver
• Neil Clark Warren, online dating service chairman

In popular culture

Kennebunkport was featured in the 2003 filming of the film Empire Falls by Maine author Richard Russo, with a downtown book shop making a notable appearance. Robin Wright appeared on set in Kennebunkport.

Other films with scenes shot in Kennebunkport include Lost Boundaries (1949), The Man Who Knew Bush (2004 documentary), The Living Wake (2007), 41 (2012 documentary) and US Route 1-ME (2012). My Husband's Double Life was partially set in the town, but filmed in Toronto.

References

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Kennebunkport town, York County, Maine". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. http://www.rsu21.net/facilities/ {{Webarchive. link. (March 9, 2016 Maine Regional School unit 21 ARUNDEL). KENNEBUNK. KENNEBUNKPORT Facilities
3. "Native People Exhibit".
4. (2004). "Finding the Almouchiquois: Native American Families, Territories, and Land Sales in Southern Maine". Ethnohistory.
5. (1859). "A history and description of New England, general and local". Boston, A. J. Coolidge. 1859.
6. "Memorial of Inhabitants of Kennebunk, Maine".
7. Cummins, Sharon. (2024-06-20). "Kennebunk Opposed Indian Removal Act".
8. [https://www.mykennebunks.com/revolution.htm Kennebunks.com revolution]
9. Coolidge, Austin J.. (1859). "A History and Description of New England". A.J. Coolidge.
10. "History of Kennebunkport - Text".
11. "North Atlantic Coast Ecoregion // LandScope America". Landscope.org.
12. Kelley, Joseph T.. "Coastal Bluffs of New England". gulfofmaine.org.
13. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
14. "Kennebunkport Historical Society -- History".
15. "Maine Historic Preservation Commission: National Register of Historic Places: Historic Properties: Historic District List". State.me.us.
16. "National Register of Historic Places". mykennebunks.com.
17. Carson, Rachel. "National Wildlife Refuge". [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]].
18. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=593607&cityname=Kennebunkport%2C+Maine%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Kennebunkport, Maine]
19. Bacic, Ryan. "Vacationer-in-chief: A history of presidential getaways". Washington Post.
20. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
21. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
22. Geography Division. (January 14, 2021). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: York County, ME". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
23. (October 29, 2003). "HBO's Empire Falls Transforms Kennebunk Book Port".
24. "Filming Location Matching "Kennebunkport%2C%20Maine%2C%20USA" (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)".
25. writer, Nancy Nussbaum, Associated Press. "Lifetime's 'Familiar Stranger' shares family's experience".