Maine Memory Network

Aerial view of the gas works area of Lewiston, ca. 1940

Contributed by: Lewiston Public Library Date: circa 1940 Location: Lewiston Media: Phototransparency

Biddeford and Saco Gas Light Company stock certificate, ca. 1857

Contributed by: Allison Fecteau through Biddeford Historical Society Date: circa 1857 Location: Biddeford Media: Ink on paper

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Assessor's Record, 2-40 Commercial Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Portland Gas Co. Use: Gas Holder

Assessor's Record, 2-40 West Commercial Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Portland Gas Light Co. Use: Gas Holder

Coal Shed for Lewiston Gas Light Company, Lewiston, ca. 1888

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1888 Location: Lewiston Client: Lewiston Gas Light Company Architect: George M. Coombs

Plans of Alterations for Building for Lewiston Gas Light Co., Lewiston, 1909

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1909 Location: Lewiston Client: Lewiston Gas Light Company Architect: Coombs and Gibbs Architects

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.

Farmington: Franklin County's Shiretown - Corn Canning Industry

"The plant was located where present day McDonald’s restaurant and Irving’s gas station are. Back to History of Farmington's Agriculture"

Historic Hallowell - Days 6 & 7

"The man had not yet known that this dangerous gas was slowly killing him until it was too late. This harmful and in most cases deadly gas has side…"

Bert Gagne-from star athlete to community barber
by Biddeford Cultural & Heritage Center Voices of Biddeford project

Bert’s personal account of his lifelong non-stop approach including his 60+ years as a barber.

Eating lower on the food chain
by Avery Yale Kamila

Animal agriculture's ties to climate change