Maine Memory Network

Cumberland County Power & Light crew, Portland, ca. 1915

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1915 Location: Portland Media: Photographic print

Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine

As early as 1633, entrepreneurs along the Piscataqua River in southern Maine utilized the force of the river to power a sawmill, recognizing the potential of the area's natural power sources, but it was not until the 1890s that technology made widespread electricity a reality -- and even then, consumers had to be urged to use it.