Prentiss, Maine
unorganized territory in Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Prentiss is an unorganized territory (township) in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The township was named for Henry Prentiss, an early landowner. The population was 169 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the unorganized territory has a total area of 38.4 square miles (99.4 km2), of which 38.3 square miles (99.3 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.10%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 214 people, 82 households, and 61 families living in the unorganized territory. The population density was 5.6 inhabitants per square mile (2.2/km2). There were 113 housing units at an average density of 2.9 per square mile (1.1/km2). The racial makeup of the unorganized territory was 97.66% White, 0.47% Black or African American, 1.40% Native American, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.40% of the population.
There were 82 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Prentiss, Maine” as unorganized territory in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as unorganized territory in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7240568. VIAF identifies the subject as 142063790. The Library of Congress control number is n96087901. Authority coordinates are 45.492, -68.082. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020 and 2000.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. 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 “Prentiss, Maine”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Prentiss, Maine primary sources, Prentiss, Maine archive and Prentiss 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 “Prentiss, Maine”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Prentiss, 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.