Maine Memory Network
Maine's Online Museum

Cumberland County Power and Light employees, 1927

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society

Media: Photograph

Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine

As early as 1633, entrepreneurs along the Piscataqua River in southern Maine utilized the force of the river to power a sawmill, recognizing the potential of the area's natural power sources, but it was not until the 1890s that technology made widespread electricity a reality -- and even then, consumers had to be urged to use it.

Maine Streets: The Postcard View

Photographers from the Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Co. of Belfast traveled throughout the state, especially in small communities, taking images for postcards. Many of these images, taken in the first three decades of the twentieth century, capture Main Streets on the brink of modernity.

Among the Lungers: Treating TB

Tuberculosis -- or consumption as it often was called -- claimed so many lives and so threatened the health of communities that private organizations and, by 1915, the state, got involved in TB treatment. The state's first tuberculosis sanatorium was built on Greenwood Mountain in Hebron and introduced a new philosophy of treatment.

Presque Isle: The Star City

The history of a northern Maine community as told by an array of local institutions and organizations. Site contributors include University of Maine at Presque Isle, Presque Isle Historical Society, Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library, Presque Isle Middle School. Some of the topics include historic buildings, potato farming, transportation and the Aroostook Valley Railroad.

Guilford, Maine

An extensive history of a small central Maine town as compiled by team members from Guilford Historical Society and Piscataquis Community Middle School, with input from Guilford Memorial Library, Guilford Economic Development Board, and the Guilford’s town office. Manufacturing, festive events, historic buildings, notable veterans, and education, are covered in depth.