Blue Hill

Blue Hill is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,686 at the 2010 census. It is home to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, George Stevens Academy, the Blue Hill Harbor School, New Surry Theatre, Kneisel Hall, Bagaduce Music Lending Library, the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club and the Blue Hill Country Club. A community on Blue Hill Bay, the town is the site of the annual Blue Hill Fair.

It was one of six townships granted by the Massachusetts General Court to David Marsh and 351 others for their service in the French and Indian War. Called Plantation Number 5, it was first settled in 1762 by Captain Joseph Wood and John Roundy from Andover, Massachusetts, who built homes on Mill Island at the tidal falls. It would then be called Newport Plantation. On January 30, 1789, the town was incorporated as Blue Hill, named after its commanding summit overlooking the region.
The outlets of various ponds provided water power for several sawmills and gristmills. By 1859, 5,000 cords of firewood were sent from the port annually. Other products included lumber, masts and roof shingles, but the predominant industry was shipbuilding. Beginning in 1792, 133 vessels were constructed at Blue Hill, some of them brigs and ships, but most schooners. The town was also noted for the quality of its granite, some of which was used to build the Brooklyn Bridge, New York Stock Exchange building, and the U.S. Custom House at Norfolk, Virginia. In 1876, local quarries employed 300 workers. Today, Blue Hill is a small, tight-knit community with much antique architecture. It is a summer vacation destination, boasting reversing falls, unique galleries, and numerous outside activities.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86.57 square miles, of which 62.48 square miles is land and 24.09 square mile is water. Located on Blue Hill Bay, the town is drained by Mill Brook. Blue Hill, elevation 940 feet, is the town's highest point. Long Island, situated in Blue Hill Bay, is part of the town.
Blue Hill is crossed by state routes 15, 172, 176 and 177. It borders the towns of Surry to the northeast, Brooklin to the southeast, Sedgwick to the southwest, and Penobscot to the northwest. The town is the site of Blue Hill Airport.