Jay, Maine
| Jay, Maine | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Androscoggin River c. 1910
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| Motto: "Proud of our past...Working for our future" | |
 Jay
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| Coordinates: 44°30′59″N 70°13′10″W / 44.51639°N 70.21944°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Franklin |
| Incorporated | 1795 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 49.20 sq mi (127.43 km2) |
| • Land | 48.38 sq mi (125.30 km2) |
| • Water | 0.82 sq mi (2.12 km2) |
| Elevation | 653 ft (199 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,851 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 4,832 |
| • Density | 100.3/sq mi (38.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 04239, 04262 |
| Area code(s) | 207 |
| FIPS code | 23-35625 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0582534 |
| Website | Town of Jay, Maine |
Jay is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,851 at the 2010 United States Census. Jay includes the village of Chisholm.
This was once territory of the Anasagunticook (or Androscoggin) Abenaki Indians, whose main village was Rockameko, located on Canton Point. They were decimated by smallpox in 1757. The township was then granted by the Massachusetts General Court to Captain Joseph Phipps and 63 others for their services in the French and Indian War. Called Phipps-Canada, the plantation was not settled until after the Revolutionary War. On February 26, 1795, Phipps-Canada was incorporated as Jay for John Jay, the first chief justice of the Supreme Court. In 1821, Canton was set off and incorporated as a town.
Farmers found the soil to be loamy and productive, yielding great quantitites of hay, corn, wheat, potatoes, oats and apples. In 1793, a tavern was constructed at Jay Hill. On the Androscoggin River near Jay Hill was erected a toll bridge, then in 1839 a sawmill. At North Jay was built a sawmill, brickyard and granite quarry. White granite from the North Jay Granite Company, established in 1884, would be used to construct numerous important buildings throughout the country, including Grant's Tomb. East Jay had a sawmill, and Bean's Corner a carriage factory. In 1857, the Maine Central Railroad reached town.
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