Wiscasset, Maine
| Wiscasset, Maine | ||
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Village square c. 1910
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| Motto: Maine's Prettiest Village | ||
 Location in Lincoln County and the state of Maine. |
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Maine | |
| County | Lincoln County | |
| Settled | 1663 | |
| Incorporated | February 13, 1760 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Town Manager - Board of Selectmen | |
| • Town Manager |
Marian Anderson | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 27.66 sq mi (71.64 km2) | |
| • Land | 24.63 sq mi (63.79 km2) | |
| • Water | 3.03 sq mi (7.85 km2) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 3,732 | |
| • Estimate (2012) | 3,685 | |
| • Density | 151.5/sq mi (58.5/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 04578 | |
| Area code(s) | 207 | |
| Website | wiscasset.org | |
Wiscasset is a town in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Maine, in the United States. The municipality is located in the Mid Coast region of the state. The population was 3,732 as of the 2010 census. Home to the Chewonki Foundation, Wiscasset is a tourist destination noted for early architecture.
The town is home to the world-renowned Red's Eats restaurant.
In 1605, Samuel de Champlain is said to have landed here and exchanged gifts with the Indians. Situated on the tidal Sheepscot River, Wiscasset was first settled in 1663. The community was abandoned during the French and Indian Wars, and the King Philip's War in 1675 and then resettled around 1730. In 1760, it was incorporated as Pownalborough after Colonial Governor Thomas Pownall. In 1802, it resumed its original Abenaki name, Wiscasset, which means "coming out from the harbor but you don't see where."
During the Revolutionary War, the British warship Rainbow harbored itself in Wiscasset Harbor and held the town at bay until the town gave the warship essential supplies.
In 1775, Captain Jack Bunker supposedly robbed the payroll of a British supply ship, Falmouth Packet, that was stowed in Wiscasset Harbor. He was chased for days and caught on Little Seal Island. His treasure reportedly has never been found.
Because of the siege during the Revolutionary War, Fort Edgecomb was built in 1808 on the opposite bank of the Sheepscot to protect the town harbor. Wiscasset's prosperity left behind fine early architecture, particularly in the Federal style when the seaport was important in privateering. Two dwellings of the period, Castle Tucker and the Nickels-Sortwell House, are now museums operated by Historic New England.
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Wikipedia