Maine

From its source in New Hampshire's White Mountains to its mouth at Saco-Biddeford, the Saco River draws visitors and residents alike to swim, fish, canoe, and white-water kayak. The Saco brought tourists to the White Mountains and influenced the development of both large and small towns, shaping their history and creating bustling centers of industry. The Saco River documents the river through postcards from 1905 to the 1940s, when mills dominated the landscape.

From the 1860s through the 1880s, local photographer Henry Bailey captured all aspects of Victorian life after the Civil War in Maine's capital city. Bailey's rare stereoscopic images depict downtown Water Street, the industrial north end, Capitol Park, the Togus veterans home, and numerous public buildings, churches, and residences. Through these historic images, Victorian Augusta presents a view of the world through one man's lens. Most of the vintage photographs in this volume have come from the collection of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, which has acquired many Bailey stereographs once owned by the photographer and his family.

Guilford and Sangerville typify hundreds of small towns scattered across Maine, and this volume reveals the two towns' rich visual history. Each a beautiful community, and nearly self-sufficient until recently, they border each other with the beautiful Piscataquis River running between. Guilford sits on the north with Sangerville on the south. From the dawn of the Industrial Revolution to the advent of electricity, almost every river in the state spawned dozens of towns as waterpower was harnessed for a variety of mills. Railroads and the subsequent highways provided the needed transportation for importing raw materials and exporting finished goods. Rivers proved to be a blessing and a curse when severe floods washed away many businesses and homes, but the area remained vibrant. While Guilford and Sangerville are quieter now, they still boast strong and proud communities.

This fascinating collection of photographs brings to life the history of the community of Dexter--in its bounty and its bad times

Author Frank Spizuoco has collected over two hundred unforgettable images from the archives of the Dexter Historical Society which together paint a vivid picture of the community and its environs from the 1840s to the 1990s.