Maine Memory Network

Oriental Powder Mills gunpowder keg, Gorham and Windham, ca. 1860

Contributed by: Windham Historical Society Date: circa 1860 Location: Windham; Gorham Media: Wood

Original label on wooden gunpowder keg, ca. 1860

Contributed by: Windham Historical Society Date: circa 1860 Location: Windham Media: Paper, wood

Gunpowder for the Civil War

The gunpowder mills at Gambo Falls in Windham and Gorham produced about a quarter of the gunpowder used by Union forces during the Civil War. The complex contained as many as 50 buildings.

This Rebellion: Maine and the Civil War

For Mainers like many other people in both the North and the South, the Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865, had a profound effect on their lives. Letters, artifacts, relics, and other items saved by participants at home and on the battlefield help illuminate the nature of the Civil War experience for Mainers.