Maine Memory Network

Strong, a Mussul Unsquit village - The Railroad

"… only way to effectively transport the harvested timber to southern markets was by rail. The Central Maine Railroad stopped at Farmington, so…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Early Shipbuilders - 1780s

"Timbers could be laid down on the shores for ships and then easily launched upon completion. The first records of ships being built are in 1787 when…"

Cumberland & North Yarmouth - Our Shared History - Page 1 of 4

"… divisions.” This land was a valuable source of timber and after the trees were harvested, the property would serve as farmland."

Swan's Island: Six miles east of ordinary - Islanders at Work

"… Island Historical Society With the best timber harvested, men turned to the sea for their livelihood rather than leave the island."

Swan's Island: Six miles east of ordinary - II. Pinkies, wherries, skiffs and chebaccos: Early Settlement

"With its resources of timber, granite, water power, fishing and hunting, Swan’s Island made an attractive settlement site for families and traveling…"

Mount Desert Island: Shaped by Nature - Beginnings

"There was plenty of timber on the island -- enough, in fact, for them to ship that, too. With the fishery and the trading, men were gone for long…"

Blue Hill, Maine - Discover the Story of Blue Hill - Page 2 of 4

"… the 19th Century The first harvest was old growth timber. Felled trees were pulled out of the forests with teams of horses or oxen."

Lubec, Maine - Lubec History

"… prosperity to area farmers, who harvested the timber, and to blacksmiths, carpenters, ship-chandlers and other suppliers of materials needed to…"

Acadian Archives

View collections, facts, and contact information for this Contributing Partner.

Farmington: Franklin County's Shiretown - Brief History

"… gauge railroads allowed for the quick movement of timber south and tourists north. For the first time in western Maine’s history, rural communities…"