Since the development of photography in the
mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been
used as a tool of both discovery and preservation.
Photographs bring alive our picture of the past and
can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or
inspire curiosity and a sense of history.
Both joined and separated by the Androscoggin
River, Brunswick and Topsham were carved
from the same land grant in 1715. Despite their
proximity, the towns developed separate identities:
Brunswick became a manufacturing, commercial,
and educational center, while Topsham...

Originally founded as one town, Bath and West Bath have gone their separate ways since 1844. By that fateful year, the two areas had already developed different interests and identities. Whereas the western part of town remained agricultural, the eastern part--stretched along the Kennebec River--had become active in shipbuilding and maritime trade. After their separation, eastern Bath went on to become a thriving city, while the farms of West Bath eventually mingled with summer camps and cottages. Because Bath's shipbuilding industry made a successful transition from wood to steel and from...

Harpswell's uniquely scattered geography has shaped its destiny. With a long peninsula known as the Neck, three large islands--Orr's, Bailey, and Sebascodegan--and more than thirty other islands of varying sizes, the town has, from the start, been a fishing and farming community. In the late nineteenth century, when Casco Bay steamboat lines made the area easy to reach, flourishing resorts developed, with numerous hotels and boarding houses catering to summer visitors. The photographs that make up this fascinating visual history bring to life the changes that took place in Harpswell between...