History
Way Back When 147 — Summer Colonies
Bayville in East Boothbay was one of many post-Civil War summer colonies in Maine.
Back When “Working Waterfront” Meant Just That
Photojournalists preserved these scenes from the midcoast Maine working waterfront during the 1940s through 1970s.
Summer Camp Life
Two early summer camps in Maine.
Touring Boothbay Harbor
Two vintage postcards from Boothbay Harbor, excerpted from the book Maine on Glass: The Early Twentieth Century in Glass Plate Photography.
Charting the Coast
Nautical charts of the Maine coast were first produced in the late 1860s. Since then, evolving technology has led to increasingly detailed knowledge of the ocean bottom.
Way Back When — Issue 143
An early-1900s view of the Penobscot River from the book "Maine On Glass," show an array of vessels.
The Revenue Man
Catching rumrunners during Prohibition was one thing, but convicting them was another, as a customs agent on Mount Desert Island learned, much to his frustration.
From Rum to Lobsters
The qualities that made them good for rum-running during Prohibition also made builder Will Frost’s boats good for lobstering. His semi-displacement hulls, renowned for maintaining speed at capacity, have influenced the design of lobsterboats ever since.
Remembering the Oakey L. Alexander
Sometimes when disaster strikes, the official rescuers need help. In 1947, a whole community came out to save a shipwrecked crew off Cape Elizabeth.
The Hidden Life of Seaweed
While some beachcombers turn up their nose at a slimy piece of seaweed on the beach, they should not. What keeps that seaweed flexible and slippery is also what keeps our ice cream smooth in our mouths, our lipstick smooth on our lips, and our shaving cream smooth across our cheeks.
