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A−History
History · Bucksport

Bucksport dates to 1792, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns · #61 of 143 in Maine. What drives it

9 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1800.

1792founded
9on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
11old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bucksport’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bucksport began

When was Bucksport founded?

1792

Bucksport dates its founding to 1792 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1800.

First census: 624 in 18002020 census: 4,944234 years

How historic is Bucksport?

A−

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1797.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Bucksport’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bucksport is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #61 of 143 in Maine. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bucksport’s overall grade.
Founding era1792, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194023.1% of homes (±8.5) · typical ME town 19.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register9 listings, 10 historic buildings, 19.9 per 10,000 residents · typical ME town 15.9 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 85%
NewerOlder
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 58%

Maine towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Maine town has 15.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bucksport’s 19.9 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.5 points). Two sources give 1792.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Bucksport’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages6 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Bucksport, and 5 old place names are still on the map.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1860 and 1920, then more than doubled.On the map since 19004 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1982. Watch Bucksport change.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1911, drew every building in Bucksport.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Bucksport’s post office has been open since 1816. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Buckstown
1797–1816
Bucksport
1816–today
North Bucksport
1828–1906
Bucksport Center
1851–1906
East Bucksport
1856–1920
Buck's Mills
1858–1903
Millvale
1898–1914
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bucks MillsBucksport CenterEast BucksportMillvaleNorth Bucksport
Gone or out of use
Eastern Maine Conference Seminaryschool
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Bucksport
BrooksideBuckEvergreen HillMoultonOak HillPage EldridgeRiverviewSilver Lake

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

People over time

Bucksport, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,500180018501900195020003,554 in 1860Low: 1,906

Lost half of its people between 1860 and 1920, then more than doubled.

23 censuses, 1800–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bucksport’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Bucksport on the map, 1900 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bucksport. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bucksport on the 1900 USGS mapBucksport on the 1942 USGS mapBucksport on the 1955 USGS mapBucksport on the 1982 USGS map1900Bucksport sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bucksport.

The story

How Bucksport came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bucksport.

Read it all →

The first inhabitants of Bucksport were a 5,000-year-old prehistoric culture known as the Red Paint People, that would later be referred to as the Maritime Archaic. They were thought to be a highly advanced native fishing culture that buried red paint in their graves along with stone tools and weapons. The first archaeological dig in the state of Maine, if not the entire United States, was initiated by Professor Charles Willoughby in 1891 on Indian Point, on a site where the present-day mill is located.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bucksport, 1792 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1792
    FoundingBucksport is established
  3. 1797Post officeThe Buckstown post office opens
  4. 19th century
  5. 1816Post officeThe Buckstown post office closes
  6. 1816Post officeThe Bucksport post office opens
  7. 1828Post officeThe North Bucksport post office opens
  8. 1830Born hereEdward Winslow Hinks is born here
  9. 1841Born hereWilliam B. Hincks is born here
  10. 1852Born hereDora Wiley is born here
  11. 1874In the archiveFMIB 34534 View of Salmon-Pens and Spawning-Shed
  12. 1885Born hereRaymond Fellows is born here
  13. 20th century
  14. 1900In the archiveWaldo-Hancock Bridge
  15. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  16. 1906Post officeThe North Bucksport post office closes
  17. 1930In the archiveWaldo-Hancock Bridge, Bucksport, Maine (67547)
  18. 21st century
  19. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 4,944
By decade

Bucksport, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s8 items
FMIB 34534 View of Salmon-Pens and Spawning-Shed1874FMIB 34534 View of Salmon-Pens and Spawning-ShedFMIB 34537 Interior of Spawning-Shed1874FMIB 34537 Interior of Spawning-ShedFMIB 34541 Interior of Salmon-Hatching House1874FMIB 34541 Interior of Salmon-Hatching HouseFMIB 34543 Plan of Salmon-Breeding Works at Bucksport, Maine (1)- Map of Spofford's Brook, Bucksport, Me (2)1874FMIB 34543 Plan of Salmon-Breeding Works at Bucksport…MapFMIB 34547 Ground Floor of the Salmon Hatching House1874FMIB 34547 Ground Floor of the Salmon Hatching HouseFMIB 34549 Second Floor of the Salmon Hatching House1874FMIB 34549 Second Floor of the Salmon Hatching HouseMap of the village of1875Map of the village ofMapMap of the village of1875Map of the village ofMap
1900s–1930s3 items
Waldo-Hancock Bridge1900Waldo-Hancock BridgePostcardBucksportMEBucksportHarborOnThePenobscot19051905PostcardBucksportMEBucksportHarborOnThePenobscot1905PostcardWaldo-Hancock Bridge, Bucksport, Maine (67547)c. 1930Waldo-Hancock Bridge, Bucksport, Maine (67547)Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today19 recent
Fort Knox as seen from the Bucksport waterfront park2018Fort Knox as seen from the Bucksport waterfront parkFort Knox and The Narrows Bridge and Observatory2018Fort Knox and The Narrows Bridge and ObservatoryBucksport waterfront and paper mill2018Bucksport waterfront and paper millBucksport public dock2018Bucksport public dockBucksport Waterfront Park image 42018Bucksport Waterfront Park image 4Bucksport Waterfront Park image 32018Bucksport Waterfront Park image 3Bucksport Waterfront Park image 3 (cropped)2018Bucksport Waterfront Park image 3 (cropped)Bucksport Waterfront Park image 22018Bucksport Waterfront Park image 2Bucksport Waterfront Park image 12018Bucksport Waterfront Park image 1Bucksport Marine Railhead image 22018Bucksport Marine Railhead image 2Bucksport Marine Railhead image 12018Bucksport Marine Railhead image 1Bucksport Marina2018Bucksport MarinaBucksport Marina image 22018Bucksport Marina image 2Fort Knox as seen from the Bucksport waterfront summer view image 22017Fort Knox as seen from the Bucksport waterfront summe…Fort Knox as seen from the Bucksport waterfront summer view image 12017Fort Knox as seen from the Bucksport waterfront summe…Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge, December 2014 image 22014Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge, December 2014…Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge, December 2014 image 12014Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge, December 2014…FortKnoxMaine AsSeenFromBucksport2013FortKnoxMaine AsSeenFromBucksportBucksportFromObservatory2008BucksportFromObservatory
Every building

Bucksport, building by building, 1884–1911

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Bucksport fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 11884Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

FMIB 34534 View of Salmon-Pens and Spawning-Shed
Retake this viewFMIB 34534 View of Salmon-Pens and Spawning-Shed, 1874

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Bucksport’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

9 historic places in Bucksport

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
9
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
10
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
James Emery House
Bucksport Railroad StationWilson HallJed Prouty Tavern and InnBuck Memorial LibraryPhineas Heywood HouseElm Street Congregational Church and Parish HouseJames Emery HouseDuck Cove SchoolBrown-Pilsbury Double House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Federal2
High Victorian Gothic1
Second Empire1
Greek1
Gothic1
Bucksport Railroad StationBuilding
Wilson HallGreek Revival
Jed Prouty Tavern and InnGreek Revival
Buck Memorial LibraryHigh Victorian Gothic
Phineas Heywood HouseFederal
Elm Street Congregational Church and Parish HouseGreek Revival
All 9 listings
James Emery HouseBuilding · listed 1974Duck Cove SchoolBuilding · listed 1993Brown-Pilsbury Double HouseBuilding · listed 1997

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Bucksport

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Dora WileyAmerican opera singer · b. 1852
William B. HincksAmerican military personnel · b. 1841
Edward Winslow HinksUnited States general · b. 1830
R
Raymond FellowsAmerican judge · b. 1885
Help out

Finish Bucksport’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFMIB 34534 View of Salmon-Pens and Spaw…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

OrlandIts storyBWinterport2 historic placesA−Prospect2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOrrington1 historic placeB+Verona IslandIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFrankfort1 historic placeCDedham1 historic placeB+Holden1 historic placeC

Questions about Bucksport’s history

What year was Bucksport founded?

In 1792, according to Wikidata. Bucksport’s post office opened in 1797, and the census of 1800 counted 624 people here.

How does Bucksport rank for history?

Bucksport is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #61 of 143 in Maine. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Bucksport?

9 listings: 9 buildings, among them the James Emery House (listed 1974, the first). 10 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Bucksport?

23% of Bucksport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.5 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1975.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (29), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (9), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.