Contributed by Penobscot Marine Museum
Description
Downtown Wiscasset was beginning to change in the 1920s. World War I accelerated the popularity of automobiles among working and middle class Americans. By the 1920s urban visitors were touring Maine by automobile on the Atlantic Highway (Route 1), and highway bridges were replacing ferry crossings. Fewer and fewer buggies were seen on Main Street in Wiscasset and other coastal towns.
The sounds and smells of the village began to change along with transportations and businesses in town. Gas stations and garages replaced livery stables and blacksmiths. Hardware stores catered to the new machines as well as older farm equipment. Cafes that served locals now beckoned tourists, and Main Street shops added Maine souvenirs to their inventory.
In 1920, Maine state business directories listed garages separately, but still listed livery stables. By 1930, the transition from 19th to 20th century transportation was complete.
About This Item
- Title: Main Street, Wiscasset, ca. 1925
- Creator: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co.
- Creation Date: circa 1925
- Subject Date: circa 1925
- Location: Wiscasset, Lincoln County, ME
- Media: Glass Plate Negative
- Dimensions: 12.7 cm x 17.8 cm
- Local Code: LB2007.1.103231
- Collection: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co.
- Object Type: Image
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For more information about this item, contact:
Penobscot Marine MuseumPO Box 498, 5 Church Street, Searsport, ME 04974
(207) 548-2529
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This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. No Permission is required to use the low-resolution watermarked image for educational use, or as allowed by the applicable copyright. For all other uses, permission is required.
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