In 1820 before the first textile mill was constructed the combined population of Biddeford and Saco was 4,200.
By the 1850s, the textile industry was in full swing and the total combined population had risen to over 15,000.
At that time, there were three textile manufacturing companies in operation: York Manufacturing, Laconia and Pepperell.
Together they employed about 3,500 people, had 11 mill buildings, operated 70 boarding houses and produced more than 25 million yards of cotton fabric annually.
