Maine Memory Network

Looking North from the Square, Main Street, Sanford, ca. 1900

Contributed by: Sanford-Springvale Historical Society Date: circa 1900 Location: Sanford Media: Print from Glass Negative

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.