Damariscotta, Maine

Damariscotta (/dæmrɪˈskɒtə/ DAM-rih-SKOT-ə) is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,297 at the 2020 census. A popular tourist destination known for its oysters, the towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle are linked by the Main Street bridge over the Damariscotta River, forming the "Twin Villages". The name Damariscotta derives from an Algonquian word 'Madamescontee' which means place of abundance of small fish (alewives), and is shared with a census-designated place located within the town.

The area was once traversed by Abenaki Indians, who left behind 2,500-year-old oyster shell middens along the banks of the Damariscotta River. The Whaleback Shell Midden is now a state historic site. The land became part of the Pemaquid Patent, granted by the Plymouth Council in 1631 to Robert Aldsworth and Gyles Elbridge, merchants from Bristol, England. At Pemaquid (now Bristol), they built a fort and trading post.

Some colonists moved upriver from the village at Pemaquid about 1640 to settle what is today Damariscotta. But the settlements were attacked in 1676 during King Philip's War, with the inhabitants either driven off or massacred. Attempts to rebuild alternated with further attacks during the French and Indian Wars. The Province of Massachusetts Bay constructed Fort William Henry at Pemaquid in 1692, but it was destroyed in 1696. The last battle of King William's War was on September 9, the Battle of Damariscotta, in which Captain John March killed 25 native men.

Fort Frederick, in 1729, successfully resisted the region's final two attacks, and was pulled down at the time of the Revolution so that the British could not occupy it. With peace at last, Damariscotta grew as a trade center. It was incorporated as a separate town on March 15, 1848, set off from parts of Bristol and Nobleboro.

The name Damariscotta is an extreme corruption of the Algonquian word "Madamescontee", meaning "place of an abundance of alewives", which are small, salty fish that spawn in Damariscotta Lake. The main village is located at the lower falls and head of navigation on the Damariscotta River. Early industries included two sawmills, a match factory and a tannery. Along the river were established several brickyards, which supplied much of the brick used to build Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Shipbuilding in particular brought Damariscotta wealth in the 1800s, when clipper ships were launched at the town's shipyards. During that time, many fine examples of Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate style architecture were erected, giving the old seaport a considerable charm which each summer attracts throngs of tourists. Damariscotta is home of the Skidompha Public Library, whose name is an acronym formed from the first letter of several founders' surnames.

The terminus of the Damariscotta River is the Great Salt Bay, a mating area for horseshoe crabs in North America, and the state's first marine protected area. The river is home to 80% of the farmed oysters produced in Maine.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.71 square miles (38.10 km²), of which 12.42 square miles (32.17 km²) is land and 2.29 square miles (5.93 km²) is water. Damariscotta is situated on the Damariscotta River, a tidal estuary of the Gulf of Maine. Hunt Hill, at an elevation of 350 feet (108 m) above sea level, is the town's highest point.

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,218 people, 1,051 households, and 578 families residing in the town. The population density was 178.6 inhabitants per square mile (69.0/km²). There were 1,359 housing units at an average density of 109.4 per square mile (42.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.0% White, 0.4% African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.