South Windham, Maine

South Windham, Maine
South Windham Community Church and Center
South Windham Community Church and Center
Location in Cumberland County and the state of Maine
Location in Cumberland County and the state of Maine
Coordinates: 43°44′38″N 70°25′33″W / 43.74389°N 70.42583°W / 43.74389; -70.42583
CountryUnited States
StateMaine
CountyCumberland
TownWindham
Area
 • Total
1.26 sq mi (3.27 km2)
 • Land1.19 sq mi (3.09 km2)
 • Water0.066 sq mi (0.17 km2)
Elevation154 ft (47 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,215
 • Density1,017.5/sq mi (392.87/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
04062 (Windham)
Area code207
FIPS code23-72900
GNIS feature ID2633176[2]

South Windham is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Windham in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, South Windham had a population of 1,215.[3] Prior to 2010, South Windham was part of the Little Falls-South Windham census-designated place.

It is part of the PortlandSouth PortlandBiddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The Presumpscot River was an early transportation corridor to interior Maine; and provided reliable water power at Little Falls. Major William Knight was operating a sawmill at the falls in 1756. As the local forests were cleared, the sawmill was replaced by William Johnson's grist mill and a wool carding mill operated by Leonard Bacon and Lathrop Crockett. Locks were constructed around the falls to complete the Cumberland and Oxford Canal in 1832.[4] The canal fell into disuse after the Portland and Ogdensburg Railway was completed through South Windham in 1875.[5] Maine Central Railroad leased the railway as their Mountain Division in 1888.[6] Availability of year-round transportation encouraged C.A. Brown and Company to build a large brick wood-paper board factory at South Windham in 1875. Androscoggin Pulp Company purchased the factory, and the industrial village of South Windham developed around the pulp mill.[7] On April 4, 1919, the legislature passed an act creating the Reformatory for Men at South Windham. It is now the Maine Correctional Center, a minimum to medium security facility for men and women.

Geography

South Windham is located along the Presumpscot River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km2), of which 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km2), or 5.31%, is water.[8]

The CDP of Little Falls is located directly across the Presumpscot River, in the town of Gorham. U.S. Route 202 and Maine State Route 4 run north-south in a concurrency through both communities.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
20201,215
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

Notable person

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: South Windham, Maine
  3. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  4. ^ Ward, Ernest E. My First Sixty Years in Harrison, Maine Cardinal Printing 1967 p.7
  5. ^ Bruce D. Heald, A History of the Boston & Maine Railroad: Exploring New Hampshire's Rugged Heart by Rail; The History Press; Charleston, South Carolina 2007
  6. ^ Peters, Bradley L. (1976). Maine Central Railroad Company. Maine Central Railroad.
  7. ^ Barnes, Diane and Jack. The Sebago Lake Area (1996). Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7385-4943-9, p.13
  8. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): South Windham CDP, Maine". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.