Maine Memory Network

Tugboat on Saco River, 1923

Contributed by: Dyer Library/Saco Museum Date: 1923-01-08 Location: Saco Media: Photographic print

Ships in Saco River, ca. 1890

Contributed by: Dyer Library/Saco Museum Date: circa 1890 Location: Saco Media: Photographic print

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 5 of 17

"at Saco & Biddeford, 1848Dyer Library/Saco Museum The cotton textile manufacturing industry became very significant in Biddeford once the Laconia…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 8 of 17

"1894McArthur Public Library As more businesses and industries were using the local water ways advantageously, nearly 17 sawmills were erected in…"