Started as early as the 1850s, paper mills were the economic force that transformed Mechanic Falls from a quiet village within the town of Poland to its incorporation as a thriving industrial town in 1893.
That year Merrill & Denning opened the drug store at the right on the corner of Main and Elm Streets, which became a local institution operating into the 1970s.
To the left are two brick commercial blocks from the 1870s, both of which still stand today as anchors to the downtown.
By virtue of its function, the wooden building with the car parked in front gave the area the name of Post Office Square.
The structure that dates this photograph is the Central Garage, which sold and serviced automobiles from 1920 to 1930.
