Maine Memory Network

Saco Falls, 1829, 1829

Contributed by: Dyer Library/Saco Museum Date: 1829 Location: Saco Media: Oil on canvas

Cataract Falls, Saco, ca. 1895

Contributed by: Dyer Library/Saco Museum Date: circa 1895 Location: Saco Media: Print from glass negative

Biddeford, Saco and the Textile Industry

The largest textile factory in the country reached seven stories up on the banks of the Saco River in 1825, ushering in more than a century of making cloth in Biddeford and Saco. Along with the industry came larger populations and commercial, retail, social, and cultural growth.

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.

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 15 of 17

"In Saco in the evening the Town Hall was thrown open, which was packed by a joyful crowd. Speeches, singing and cheers were the order of the evening…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - HISTORY

"Biddeford is bordered by Saco to the north, Dayton and Arundel to the west, Kennebunkport to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east."