Maine Memory Network

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - VI. The deluge of industrial expansion & immigration (1865-1900) - Page 1 of 2

"From "Romance of Pepperell" (1921) X The textile manufacture industry, however, was the largest employer and the heart of the local economy."

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - VI. The deluge of industrial expansion & immigration (1865-1900) - Page 2 of 2

"… were drawn to the area to work in the huge textile mills, many became entrepreneurs in their own right and opened small businesses up and down Main…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - VII. Flow and ebb: the effects of industrial peak & global upheaval (1900-1955) - Page 2 of 3

"VII. Flow and ebb: the effects of industrial peak & global upheaval (1900-1955) Construction of the new Bradbury Bridge, Biddeford…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - VII. Flow and ebb: the effects of industrial peak & global upheaval (1900-1955) - Page 3 of 3

"VII. Flow and ebb: the effects of industrial peak & global upheaval (1900-1955) Staff of Biddeford High School Olympian, 1924McArthur Public…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - VII. Flow and ebb: the effects of industrial peak & global upheaval (1900-1955) - Page 1 of 3

"VII. Flow and ebb: the effects of industrial peak & global upheaval (1900-1955) Main Street, Biddeford, 1909McArthur Public Library At the…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 7 of 17

"Like ice, this industry was international and products shipped all the way to India and Sri Lanka. The Laconia Mills were one of the earliest…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 5 of 17

"… 1848Dyer Library/Saco Museum The cotton textile manufacturing industry became very significant in Biddeford once the Laconia Mills and Pepperell…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - Cities of Smoke and Soot

"Behind the industrial background of these two cities lays a history of raging fires that have consumed landmark buildings, businesses and even entire…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 9 of 17

"Immigrants not only served to support the industries of Biddeford and Saco, but many also opened their own small businesses."

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - V. A Cascade of Booms & Busts (1790-1865) - Page 2 of 3

"… first newspaper, first city directory, first textile mills and the first French-Canadian immigrant."

Biddeford Mills Museum

A historic mill museum dedicated to creating exhibits that will educate the community and highlight mill history; as a research collection to assist the public in locating information on the mill's buildings, history and employees; and to ensure the story of Biddeford's economic and industrial revolution remains relevant and accessible to diverse audiences.

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 2 of 17

"… for ice harvesting, granite cutting, and cotton textile manufacturing. Businesses that supported the war did well and were able to hire more…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 6 of 17

"… from the Southern States then manufactured in textile mills. During the years of the war, cotton manufacturing became extremely challenging."

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - V. A Cascade of Booms & Busts (1790-1865) - Page 3 of 3

"Biddeford's textile mills however, were hit hard by the stoppage in cotton production & the cotton blockades."

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - VIII. Changing course and new beginnings (1955-Present) - Page 1 of 2

"… Saco "divisions" or move them down South to the textile production centers of Georgia and Alabama, where the help was cheaper and the raw materials…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - RESOURCES

"(N, A) Textile Manufacture Collection (1844-2010). (DC.14) McArthur Library Special Collections. (N, A) Thursday Club Collection."

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

"… Public Library As more businesses and industries were using the local water ways advantageously, nearly 17 sawmills were erected in Saco by 1800…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - The Civil War/Reconstruction Era as Experienced in Biddeford & Saco - Page 1 of 17

"… successful in their agricultural endeavors, but industry was on a steady rise. Business in Biddeford began to expand as entrepreneurs took…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - Artists and Inventors of Biddeford

"… or inventing new technology to keep a local industry booming, Biddeford has produced real originals, individuals whose impact has reached far…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - IV. Engulfed by nationalism: Revolutionary Biddeford

"It was a typical colonial American town, well placed along trade routes and a bustling hub. Lumber was one of the earliest and most successful…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - Shipbuilding in Biddeford: Lore, Leaders, and Legacy

"… documentary evidence remains of this thriving industry. Most of the surviving information comes from the District of Saco custom house."

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - III. An undercurrent of danger: Colonial Biddeford

"The lumber industry was also thriving despite the violence in Biddeford, and a fledgling shipbuilding industry was growing as well."

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - V. A Cascade of Booms & Busts (1790-1865) - Page 1 of 3

"… mills, lumber was easily the most important industry at the falls. About 1866 a man named Joseph Hobson was the leading operator, owning mills on…"

Biddeford History & Heritage Project - VIII. Changing course and new beginnings (1955-Present) - Page 2 of 2

"More development has taken place in the industrial and shopping parks on the western end of town, and investments in new schools have been made."