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History

A Sea Captain and the House He Built

From Kittery to Calais, Maine’s coastal towns and cities are graced with 19th-century homes built by the state’s prosperous shipbuilders, vessel owners, and sea captains. In Brunswick, one of the most notable is the Captain George W. McManus House of 1858.

Clara Martin and the Earliest Guide for Mount Desert Island Tourists

One of the earliest guidebooks to Mount Desert was written by a woman, Clara Barnes Martin.

Fly Reel Makers of Maine

Maine’s storied history of fishing tackle includes men who designed and built early salmon reels.

McCurdy Smokehouse

The McCurdy smokehouse Museum tells the story of Lubec’s fishy past.

Camden’s Anchor Works

Camden once was the site of the country’s largest anchor manufacturing company.

Memories of Early Schooner Days

A schooner hand recalls his years on the water

Architectural Elements

Once charted on maps, cupolas provide views and ventilation as well as serving as waypoints.

Early Photos Tell the Gritty Story of Maine’s Granite Industry

Early photos tell the gritty story of Maine’s granite industry

Barrell’s Tidal Mill Pond

One of the largest and best-preserved tide mill sites in Maine is in York.

Tide Mills Powered Maine’s Early Economy

Tide mills once were a big force along the Maine coast. Yet little is left now and no one thinks about them.

Toppingwold

A historic summer cottage with a lighthouse-inspired tower

Edward Robinson’s Pictorial Legacy

Early photographs of Monhegan capture a vanishing way of life.

Fast and Lovely

Members of an early yacht racing club on Mount Desert brought some of the most beautiful one-designs ever built to Maine waters.

Maine’s Proud History of Building Boats

Mainers have built thousands of boats and ships in the last 200 years. Four are the state’s signature types, wherever they are found: the canoe, the peapod, Friendship sloops, and lobsterboats.

Bowdoin turns 100

A century after it was built to explore remote Arctic regions, the schooner Bowdoin still sails northward, although now the passengers are mostly students.