[CHI-nah] China is a town in Kennebec County, incorporated on February 5, 1818, from parts of Harlem, Fairfax—now Albion—and Winslow.
Settlement and formation
China was originally part of the Plymouth Patent. The area that became the town was first surveyed in 1773–1774, and the first settlers arrived during the summer of 1774.
A portion first known as Jones Plantation was incorporated as Harlem in 1796. Harlem was annexed by China in 1822. In 1829, China ceded some land to Vassalboro.
Villages, work, and China Lake
In an 1881 gazetteer, George J. Varney described local industry at Weeks Mills and Branch Mills, including grist, lumber, and shingle mills. He also noted a cheese factory, tannery, boot and shoe production, China Village at the north, and South China at the south end of the lake.
Elizabeth Gray Vining’s account of late-19th-century South China described a village rebuilt after a destructive 1872 fire. Four roads met at its center, leading toward Augusta, Belfast, Bangor, and Damariscotta. The community supported shops, trades, a grocery, and active town meetings.
Population history
The figures below preserve the historical census series included with this entry. They should be read as an archival trend rather than a current population estimate.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,850 |
| 1980 | 2,918 |
| 1990 | 3,713 |
| 2000 | 4,106 |
| 2010 | 4,328 |
Quaker heritage and notable lives
The town was the birthplace of U.S. Representative John E. Nelson. It was also closely connected with Rufus M. Jones, a Quaker educator and writer whose work addressed education, philosophy, and religion.
Eli and Sybil Jones became internationally known Quaker missionaries and lecturers. Beginning in 1840, they traveled in North America, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Europe, the Middle East, and Liberia. Eli later served in the Maine House of Representatives and as principal of Oak Grove, a Quaker preparatory school.
Historic places
China’s historic resources document village growth, religious life, education, architecture, and the relationship between local families and the lake landscape.
China Village Historic District
Centered along Maine Route 9 and Neck Road, the district retains the fabric of a rural community that prospered after Maine achieved statehood in 1820.
Abel Jones House
A Federal farmhouse associated with the birthplace and early life of Rufus Jones, including a long rear ell and surviving period interior details.
Eli and Sybil Jones House
The South China property is associated with the Quaker lecturers and missionaries whose work reached communities across several continents.
Pendle Hill
Rufus Jones’s summer retreat overlooks China Lake and includes a shingle-style cottage, a one-room log cabin, meadow, pines, and shoreline.
Pond Meeting House
The modest 1807 post-and-beam meeting house reflects Federal-era concern for regularity and proportion without elaborate ornament.
South China Meeting House
Built in 1884 and later altered, this village meeting house retained the restrained detailing characteristic of local construction.
South China Public Library
Built in 1900 with local lumber and labor, the compact shingled building served an association founded in 1830.
Local government
Additional resources
- Ebert, Fred R. A Land Use Study of China, Maine. 1973.
- Hinshaw, David. Rufus Jones: Master Quaker. 1951.
- Jones, Rufus Matthew. Addresses about South China. 1955.
- Jones, Rufus Matthew. A Small-Town Boy. 1941.
- Maine Historic Preservation Commission, historic property documentation.
- Town of China. 1892.
- Varney, George J. A Gazetteer of the State of Maine. 1881, pp. 175–176.
- Vining, Elizabeth Gray. Friend for Life: The Biography of Rufus M. Jones. 1958.