South Windham, Maine

South Windham, Maine
South Windham Community Church and Center
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.