The Brick School, 1850-1923, in Friendship (2005)
Location Map for Friendship
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 834 |
| 1980 | 1,000 |
| 1990 | 1,099 |
| 2000 | 1,204 |
| 2010 | 1,152 |
Population Trend 1810-2010
| Geographic Data | |
|---|---|
| N. Latitude | 43:58:10 |
| W. Longitude | 69:20:41 |
| Maine House | District 91 |
| Maine Senate | District 12 |
| Congress | District 1 |
| Area sq. mi. | (total) 31.0 |
| Area sq. mi. | (land) 14.0 |
| Population/sq.mi. | (land) 82.3 |
County: Knox
Total=land+water; Land=land only |
|
[FREND-ship] is a town in Knox County, incorporated on February 25, 1807 from Medunkook Plantation.
The area was also known as Medumcook, or “bay at the end of the sand bar” by the Indians, probably indicating a fishing place.
Settled in 1750, its boat building heritage began soon after and became best known for its specialty – the Friendship Sloop.
Friendship United Methodist Church (2005)
Friendship VFW and Veterans Memorial (2005)
The town, whose islands extend far out into Muscongus Bay, hosts the Friendship Sloop Races each summer, organized by the Friendship Sloop Society.
Franklin Island Light, constructed in 1805, sits at the tip of a series of islands forming the easterly side of Muscongus Bay.
The harbor, with its wharfs, moorings, and public landing, is a central economic and social focal point for the community.
Friendship Harbor (2005)
Nelson Nature Preserve (2005)
Maine author John Gould spent much of his adult life here.
The Nelson Nature Preserve is near the village.
Maine Routes 97 and 220 meet in the main village on Friendship Harbor.
The Harbor Road in Friendship Village (2005)
Friendship Library (2005)
Friendship Harbor (2005)
Form of Government: Town Meeting-Select Board.
Additional resources
Chronicles of Cushing and Friendship: containing historical, statistical, and miscellaneous information of the two towns. Rockland, Me. Maine Home Journal. 1892.
Cook, Melville Bradford. Records of Meduncook Plantation and Friendship, Maine, 1762-1899. Rockland, Me. Shore Village Historical Society. c1985.
Friendship Homes: If These Houses Could Talk. Friendship, Me. Friendship Museum. c2007.
MacLachlan, Courtney. The Amanda Letters: Civil War Days on the Coast of Maine. Bowie, Md. Heritage Books. 2003. (Cataloger Note: 46 letters, mostly written to Amanda Davis of Friendship, Maine during the Civil War. The author has constructed a narrative connecting and amplifying the letters, which depict life in isolated coastal communities during the war years.) [University of Maine, Fogler Library, Special Collections; Maine State Library]
Vogel, C. William. Friendship: 150 Years. Orono, Me. University of Maine. 1957.
National Register of Historic Places – Listings
Photos, and edited text are from nominations to the National Register of Historic Places researched by Maine. Historic Preservation Commission.
Full text and photos are at https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp
Blackjack (Friendship sloop)
The Blackjack is a single-masted, Friendship sloop designed and built in 1900 by Wilbur Morse in Friendship. The ship is now [2021] berthed at the Sail, Power and Steam Museum in Rockland. Designed as a 33′ fishing sloop, she was used in various fisheries and occasionally as a coastal trader for thirty-five years before being converted to a personal yacht in 1935. In 2014 she was donated by William Magee to the Sail, Power and Steam Museum and restored to her original design between 2016-18. Although currently fitted out as a fishing sloop, she is used as an educational vessel providing sailing lessons and day trips from the museum. The original design and rig have been restored reflecting a typical Friendship sloop designed to fish and lobster along the mid-Maine coast with adaptability for multiple uses and sailing environments. She is a good example of the hull characteristics and general fishing form of the working Friendship sloop type during the period of significance and reflects the importance of this type of boat to around 1900 along the Maine coast. Friendship sloops were once common along the mid-coast of Maine, and the Blackjack is one of the oldest of the type with a working design and the integrity to convey the significance of the Friendship sloops place in maritime history.
Instead of the Baptist church (which Friendship doesn’t have), your 2005 photo is of the Friendship United Methodist Church, which was started in 1818.
Thanks Karen for the correction. My apologies to the community for the error.