New Book Releases

Elizabeth O'Connell and Stephen Harding capture the magic of Eagle Island through years of research, interviews, and the collection of photographs and visual images by the Friends of Peary's Eagle Island (FOPEI).

Eagle Island, located off the coast of Harpswell, Maine, is far enough into Casco Bay to offer isolation but close enough to capture the fascination of a young man. Its rocky spine meets the open Atlantic in rugged cliffs with the strength to transform the momentum of ocean swells into plumes of brilliant spray. The interior, covered with a diversity of flora, presents a gentle welcoming to seabirds and the occasional fauna. Robert E. Peary, a Bowdoin College graduate, bought the island and, using local craftsmen, built a cottage for his family to use as their summer home. After his discovery of the North Pole in 1909 with its celebration and controversy, Eagle Island became the family retreat, a refuge from the public scrutiny attendant an international hero. This is the story of three generations of the Peary family and their Eagle Island home. Peary's ""Promised Land,"" now a State of Maine Historic Site and museum, has become a magical place for countless visitors, resulting in its designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2014.

Baxter State Park is the guardian of this vast wilderness area for all to enjoy. Baxter State Park and Katahdin draws on rich collections of archival images dating back to the 19th century.

The character of Baxter State Park and the great mountain at its heart can be powerfully conveyed through two words: forever wild. The mountain was known as Ktaadn, or ""the greatest mountain,"" to native peoples who first frequented Maine's interior northern forest. They were followed by colonial adventurers who explored its cirques and massive granite walls, by those who studied its geology and flora and fauna, and later by loggers who came to extract the virgin timber from nearby valleys. Finally, recreational climbing and camping led to an effort to protect the rugged beauty of these mountains, lakes, and valleys. When calls for preservation went unheeded, former governor Percival P. Baxter, beginning in the 1930s, purchased some 201,000 acres over a period of 30 years and gifted them to the state.

Around Rockland is a fascinating pictorial history of this dynamic city, documenting its development from 1870 to 1970.

This wonderful photographic history of Rockland by the Shore Village Historical Society brings to life the story of this dynamic city between 1870 and 1970. Rockland's unique industrial heritage is documented in great detail--particularly lime manufacturing, which has brought national attention to Rockland over the years. Lime burning led to shipbuilding and other commercial endeavors, making Rockland the shipping and quarrying center of Midcoast Maine, and many of the photographs collected here show the proud shipping and quarrying traditions of the city in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Most of the images that have been selected for this book are rare and previously unpublished, and many of them--although they may have seemed commonplace when originally taken--give us a tremendous insight into the way life was lived in the last century. At once comprehensive and accessible, this delightful book will earn a lasting place on the bookshelves of area homes and cottages, as well as in the hearts of Rocklanders young and old alike.

After the phenomenal success of Old York Beach, John Bardwell has responded with a new pictorial history that explores in even greater depth the rich historic fabric of the community.

Old York Beach: Volume II combines more than two hundred delightful images with insightful captions to create an entertaining and informative visual history that is sure to captivate residents and tourists alike. Through the lens of a camera you will see the area evolve from a small fishing and farming village into the idyllic seashore resort that we know today. You will witness great Victorian hotels rise and fall, observe bustling streets, and see people--some of whom you may recognize--enjoying the beach, sailing, having cookouts, and reveling in the natural beauty of the area. In addition, there are images that document how the area adapted to the changing needs of new generations, as cabins became motels, parking lots replaced train stations, tenting grounds became trailer parks, and the dance halls at St. Aspinquid Park and the York Beach Casino were replaced by lounges in hotels and restaurants.

The isolation and harsh environment of Presque Isle, Caribou, and New Sweden have shaped the distinctive character of these communities and are together known as "America's Last Frontier.'?

While these days the first thing people associate Maine with are dreadfully scary happenings in Stephen King novels, the history of the Pine Tree State is nothing less than fascinating. As part of Aroostook County, the largest American county in the nation, the communities of Presque Isle, Caribou, and New Sweden are remarkable for their rich cultural heritage, which not only includes Anglo-Saxons, but French, Native American & First Peoples, and Acadian communities. The social mobility of the frontier went hand-in-hand with a pioneer pride and spirit that remains today.

Founded in 1844, Laurel Hill Cemetery was one of the first to follow the rural cemetery movement that began with Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These park-like arboretums provided peaceful, natural places to bury and visit the deceased. Nearly everyone who played a significant role in local history, as well as numerous less well-known people who led typical but historically revealing lives, has a grave in the cemetery. Authors Leslie and Emory Rounds chronicle the history of the cemetery and the fascinating stories of those buried there.

These park-like arboretums provided peaceful, natural places to bury and visit the deceased. Nearly everyone who played a significant role in local history, as well as numerous less well-known people who led typical but historically revealing lives, has a grave in the cemetery. Authors Leslie and Emory Rounds chronicle the history of the cemetery and the fascinating stories of those buried there.

This wonderful photographic history shows how much, and yet how little, has changed over the century from 1870 to 1970.

The Boothbay Harbor Region was one of the first parts of the country to be colonized by European settlers, and for over 370 years it has been a home for boat builders, fishermen, farmers, and artists, as well as a vacation destination for more than a century. The Region has maintained its tranquility and sense of tradition throughout and it is fascinating to see farmers ploughing their fields using oxen as late as the 1940s. These photographs show us the faces and places that make up the Region's history: old buildings now long gone, a president's visit and Hollywood film sets, devastating fires and destructive storms, people walking on the frozen bay in the winter and haying in the summer, fishermen and yachtsmen plying the waves, ship launches and shipwrecks. We see church congregations, school sports teams, grizzled sailors, hardworking farmers, a hot dog king, and ordinary families--the ordinary folk of the Boothbay Harbor Region and the intricacies of their day-to-day lives in this beautiful area.

This collection of over two hundred photographs brings life to South Portland and Cape Elizabeth in the century of change from the 1850s on.

Most of the photographs in this fascinating visual history are rare and many have never before been published. They are taken from family albums which provide an intimate chronicle of the history of the area, ranging from the Spurwink River to the boatyards at Ferry Village, the estates at Delano Park, and the many neighborhoods that make up South Portland. The photographs introduce us to the people, places, and events which defined South Portland and Cape Elizabeth between 1850 and 1950, including the descendants of some of the first settlers--the Jordans, Dyers, Murrays, and Cleeves, whose families still live in the area. This treasury of images and information will be a source of fascination and enjoyment for resident and visitor, young and old alike.

Explore the fascinating history of The Casco Bay Islands, Maine with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

Since the development of photography in the mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been used as a tool of both discovery and preservation. Photographs bring alive our image of the past, and can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity and a sense of history.

The Casco Bay Islands have long been one of Maine's most treasured hideaway places. Connected to Portland and the mainland only by ferry, a trip to the islands is a trip into another world. Fairy-tale Victorian cottages are surrounded by beautiful beaches, boats, and an atmosphere of tranquility. Their separation from the outside world has allowed the islands to preserve their unique identities and rich sense of history in the face of twentieth-century changes.

Author Ruth Sargent has lived on Peaks Island for forty years and has published numerous articles on the Casco Bay Islands. In this fascinating pictorial history, she takes those familiar with the islands on an enchanting trip down memory lane, while introducing newcomers to the beauty and history which make the Casco Bay Islands the magical, magnetic places they have always been.

Historian Frank Sleeper catalogues a history of the area's successes and failures, but also captures the amazing triumph of the human spirit.

Maine is a colorful jigsaw puzzle made up of towns and communities that fit together to give the state a unique identity. This photographic collection features Farmington, Wilton, Kingfield, and Sugarloaf, a perfect example of communities working as complements to create an area with a wide appeal to diverse interests. While Farmington serves as the political, educational, and commercial center, Wilton acts as the industrial hub, and Kingfield and Sugarloaf provide the area with recreational attractions. Though the towns may differ in their focus, a scenic beauty does run throughout--whether it be the gentle waters in Wilson Lake, the cascades of the Sandy River, or the stalwart splendor of the mountains. However, to truly understand any place means meeting its people. This volume focuses on three families in particular: the Bass family in Wilton; the Mills family in Farmington; and the Winter family in Kingfield and Sugarloaf.

The Sebago Lake Area is a pictorial history, chronicling the transformation of this natural gathering place over time.

Clean and clear, the waters of the streams and ponds that feed into Sebago Lake bring a constant supply of newness to a region centuries-deep in tradition. Located in southwestern Maine's Cumberland County, Sebago, ""great stretch of water,"" has been a gathering place for generations of native people and settlers. This striking pictorial history quickly transports us to the past. We see the area as it was before the railroad came through; fishermen coming to enjoy the famous landlocked salmon of Sebago, travellers spending the night at farmhouses, and later inns and hostelries. A turn of the page and we find ourselves watching majestic steamboats as they slip through quiet waters. Vistas of summer camps and classic cars abound--fond memories for many.