Knox County, Maine
county in Maine, United States
Knox County is a county located in the state of Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,607. Its county seat is Rockland. The county is named for Revolutionary War general and Secretary of War Henry Knox, who lived in the county from 1795 until his death in 1806. The county was established on April 1, 1860, and is the most recent county to be created in Maine. It was carved from parts of Waldo and Lincoln counties. The Union Fair, started in 1868, began as the efforts of the North Knox Agricultural and Horticultural Society.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,144 square miles (2,960 km2), of which 365 square miles (950 km2) is land and 779 square miles (2,020 km2) (68%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Maine by land area while Androscoggin County is second-smallest by total area. It was originally part of the Waldo Patent.
The public source identifies “Knox County, Maine” as county in Maine, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Knox, County and Maine.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Knox County, Maine”, the useful work is to connect “county in Maine, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q502581. VIAF identifies the subject as 152483605. The Library of Congress control number is n83157101. Authority coordinates are 44.120, -69.128. 5 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1795, 1806 and 1860.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Knox County, Maine”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Knox County, Maine primary sources, Knox County, Maine archive and Knox research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Knox County, Maine”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Knox County, Maine” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.