Hill-farmers from Temple, New Hampshire, Old North Yarmouth, Maine, and nearby Farmington settled the town beginning in 1796. It incorporated in 1803. Commercial sawmills operated on Temple Stream in the village for many years in the 1800s and 1900s, providing the town a robust local economy. Logging is still vibrant in Temple, but its timber is now trucked to mills in nearby towns. The town contains a town hall, a post office in the former general store, a theater, a fire station, and a youth baseball field, established in 1957, commemorating the life of Larry Boyce, the former Temple Townies player and manager for whom the field is named. What is now Maple Street was once called Cowturd Lane, due to "the smell of manure, fresh from cows walking in the road on their way to and back, hanging in the air like swamp gas." Temple is a sanctuary for writers, poets, artists, and crafters, and the setting for several novels, biographies, and memoirs: Shawno, Temple, Temple Stream: A Rural Odyssey, Upcountry: Reflections from a Rural Life, A Soldier's Son: An American Boyhood During World War II, and The Town that Ends the Road. Besides the above, a number of well-known writers either lived or summered in Temple, including Denise Levertov, Mitchell Goodman, and C. J. Stevens.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, of it is land and is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 528 people, 226 households, and 141 families residing in the town. The population density was. There were 327 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 97.7% White, 1.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population. There were 226 households of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the town was 45.6 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 36% were from 45 to 64; and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 572 people, 228 households, and 165 families residing in the town. The population density was 16.1 people per square mile. There were 316 housing units at an average density of 8.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.60% White, 0.17% Native American, 0.52% Asian, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population. There were 228 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.79. In the town, the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $34,931. Males had a median income of $29,844 versus $24,688 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,905. About 7.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 22.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
Helen Jewett also known as Dorcas Doyen, noted New York City murder victim, and subject of numerous novels and biographies
