All Non-Digital Titles

Photo by photo, discover the stories that have been made along Maine's stretch of Appalachian wildneress.

Maine native Myron H. Avery recruited friends from Washington, DC; Maine forest and warden service personnel; guides and sporting camp operators; and the Civilian Conservation Corps to extend the Appalachian Trail through Maine, despite questions of whether it would be possible to carve a trail through the state's wildlands. Volunteers of Maine's Appalachian Trail Club, created by Avery in 1935, have since maintained the trail, built shelters, relocated more than half of the original hastily constructed route, and taken on the task of managing the trail's protection corridor. Along Maine's Appalachian Trail illustrates the rich history of the trail's rugged mountains and vast forests, which have provided a livelihood for generations of workers and communities.

Beginning in the town of Solon, Old Canada Road winds for nearly 80 miles through the Upper Kennebec and Dead River Valleys before ending at the Canadian border.

Following ancient aboriginal trails and early trade routes to Quebec City, Old Canada Road was traveled by Benedict Arnold and his army of 1,100 men in their failed 1775 quest to capture Quebec. By the mid-19th century the small villages along the route grew as the immigration of French Canadians blossomed and logging became a major industry in the region. This pristine wilderness also became a sportsman's paradise, attracting wealthy families from Boston, New York, and beyond. Today the Forks and West Forks cater to a new breed of sport as the center of white-water rafting on the Kennebec and Dead Rivers. The region is a major hub for snowmobiling, hunting, and hiking throughout the year.

Beginning in the town of Solon, Old Canada Road winds for nearly 80 miles through the Upper Kennebec and Dead River Valleys before ending at the Canadian border.

Following ancient aboriginal trails and early trade routes to Quebec City, Old Canada Road was traveled by Benedict Arnold and his army of 1,100 men in their failed 1775 quest to capture Quebec. By the mid-19th century the small villages along the route grew as the immigration of French Canadians blossomed and logging became a major industry in the region. This pristine wilderness also became a sportsman's paradise, attracting wealthy families from Boston, New York, and beyond. Today the Forks and West Forks cater to a new breed of sport as the center of white-water rafting on the Kennebec and Dead Rivers. The region is a major hub for snowmobiling, hunting, and hiking throughout the year. Enjoy the rich history of Maine’s Old Canada Road in 15 historic black-and-white postcards.

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 image of the past and can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity and a sense of history. The Damariscotta River has always been an important resource to those who have lived and traveled along its shores. From Jefferson at the head of Damariscotta Lake to the bridge at Damariscotta and eventually on to the sea at Christmas Cove, this small but adaptable body of water has fostered a wide range of human activities. The fishing, shipbuilding, and brick-making industries were the first to harvest and harness the river. As these industries eventually declined and word of the scenic beauty and simple charm of the region spread, summer cottages, and camps began to appear along the river's banks. Today, the Damariscotta River region is an evocation of Maine life past and present, and it remains one of the most captivating and extraordinary regions in the Northeast.

Over 200 images document the fascinating history of the towns along the banks of Maine's Union River, chronicling their evolutions.

Along the Union River weaves together more than two hundred images with intriguing and informative text to create an immensely enjoyable journey through the history of the towns along the banks of Maine's majestic Union River and its tributaries. The region comprising Hancock and Penobscot Counties was originally settled by soldiers who came to work in the woods and tanneries. Soon, supporting industries, stores, copper shops, lumber camps, and ladies millinery shops were established, but it was the shipbuilding industry that flourished most prominently. Here, we explore Bingham Millions, Mariaville's ""Greenhouse Settlement,"" and Lucerne's ""Little Switzerland,"" and experience the wild beauty of this world-famous countryside.

Surrounded by rugged mountains and bordered by a beautiful, jagged coastline, the city of Ellsworth and the town of Blue Hill exemplify ""Downeast Maine"" at its best.

Few areas in Maine have retained as much nineteenth-century charm: lighthouses, cottages, gardens, and even a castle enhance the natural beauty of the region, which has always drawn visitors from far and wide. At the same time, Maine traditions of Yankee pride and hard work shine through, with granite quarries and copper mines, as well as busy fishing seasons testifying to the industrious spirit of this coastal people. It is this combination of natural beauty and strength of spirit that has always made the Ellsworth and Blue Hill area one of the most compelling and dynamic regions in all of Maine.

With Around Hallowell, author Bob Briggs has created a nostalgic look at his home from the Civil War era to the 1940s.

Incorporated in 1771, Hallowell is one of Maine's oldest permanent settlements. Incredibly, the 1807 American Encyclopedia predicted that Hallowell would one day be one of the nation's largest cities. This book focuses on the city in its heyday of prosperity, culture, and education, and it gives the reader insight into the now-vanished industries of shipping, granite, lumber, and ice that comprised the staple of Hallowell's financial prosperity. Over the years, urban renewal has claimed many of Water Street's most prominent landmarks. Manu of the 200 rare photographs included in this volume depicts these historic buildings and street scenes as they once were. Covering the area along the Kennebec River between Farmingdale and Augusta, these images speak volumes about a time when life moved at a leisurely pace, enabling residents to take time out for cultural and spiritual refinement.

Around Houlton documents the history of this town with Yankee pioneer spirit from potato farming to Market Square.

Since the development of photography in the mid-19th century, the camera has been used as a tool of both discovery and preservation. Photographs bring alive our picture of the past in a way that other historic relics cannot, and they tell us much more than at first appears. Houlton, Maine, is a town still infused with the Yankee pioneer spirit, an independence that can be traced back to Houlton's roots at the beginning of the 19th century. This is reflected in nearly every face in this delightful selection of images of the people of Houlton and its surrounding communities in the century between 1850 and 1950. Some of the best photographs are those that simply show ""how things used to be""--pictures of potato farming, of industry, of lively activity in Market Square, and of peaceful summer recreation at cottages at Nickerson, Grand, and Drew's Lakes.

Around Rockland is a fascinating pictorial history of this dynamic city, documenting its development from 1870 to 1970.

This wonderful photographic history of Rockland by the Shore Village Historical Society brings to life the story of this dynamic city between 1870 and 1970. Rockland's unique industrial heritage is documented in great detail--particularly lime manufacturing, which has brought national attention to Rockland over the years. Lime burning led to shipbuilding and other commercial endeavors, making Rockland the shipping and quarrying center of Midcoast Maine, and many of the photographs collected here show the proud shipping and quarrying traditions of the city in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Most of the images that have been selected for this book are rare and previously unpublished, and many of them--although they may have seemed commonplace when originally taken--give us a tremendous insight into the way life was lived in the last century. At once comprehensive and accessible, this delightful book will earn a lasting place on the bookshelves of area homes and cottages, as well as in the hearts of Rocklanders young and old alike.

The Kennebec and Sheepscot Rivers of Maine, natural boundaries for the Wiscasset region, provided the water highways for early explorers, traders, and missionaries.

For over 360 years, the area has been home to shipbuilders, fishermen, farmers, and tradesmen. This marvelous photographic chronicle traces not only the rich historical traditions of the area, but also the shared sense of life’s unbroken continuity present in the towns of the Wiscasset region: Alna, Dresden, Westport Island, Wiscasset, and Woolwich. Vintage photographs profile a few of those who quietly inspired others through their efforts to make life better in the region, as well as those men and women of wealth and vision who provided the area with a legacy by their lifestyles and great homes. The book also features views of local taverns, courthouses, general stores, churches, and schools—all the foundations of a changing, vivacious, and growing community.

Take a fascinating journey through the history of Auburn, Maine with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

According to local lore, Auburn's name comes from Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain, a line from Oliver Goldsmith's poem, The Deserted Village.

The first settlers were drawn to the Auburn area by the remarkable falls, lakes, and streams, which provided power for early shoe and textile manufacturers as well as opportunities for recreation. Visitors were also attracted by the tremendous natural resources of Sweet Auburn and tourism boomed in the nineteenth century, with people from away flocking to the area to enjoy cruises on Lake Auburn and to partake of spring waters and tonics.

As Auburn grew and changed, photographers began to preserve these developments on film. For the past 130 years, they have recorded the daily lives of the people of Auburn: their workplaces, schools, and houses; their modes of dress and moments of leisure; and the celebrations and disasters that have brought the people of Auburn together.

More than two hundred images of Auburn, many of which are from the archives of the Androscoggin Historical Society, have been woven with informative text to create this remarkable visual history. Allow the images to lead you back into the past; it is a journey worth making, and one that you will never forget.

Bangor has grown in many ways since Jacob Buswell and his family, the first white settlers, built their cabin by the Penobscot River in 1769.

Over the course of the nineteenth century, Bangor developed into a cosmopolitan center of Maine, but to this day it retains some of the proud characteristics of a town that was once the lumbering capital of the world. Collected in this fascinating visual history are over 200 photographs that together reflect the city's rich and diverse history. The photographs show more than a century of change, with stirring images of four-masted schooners in the harbor, of log drives, of floods, and of fires. People fill the book: Amelia Earhart and Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Kennedy pictured on visit; the Brady Gang, shot by the FBI in 1937 as the nation's most wanted criminals; and especially the hardworking men and women who built Bangor into the Queen City of the East.

Long before Maine became known as Vacationland in the 1890s, Wells beckoned promoters and guests from the inland cities of New England.

Founded in 1643, Wells is the third-oldest town in Maine, but with the expansion of the railroad in the 1800s, the small beach town's tourist industry has thrived for more than a century. Miles of beach, rock-bound coast, and refreshing seabreezes beckon vacationers to return annually. In turn, Wells' economy, landscape, and development has catered to the needs of both these visitors and the year-round residents. Perhaps the beautiful landscape and pristine beaches aren't the only things keeping tourists returning year after year-- Wells also holds the nickname of "the friendliest town in Maine'?!

Nineteenth-century archeological digs found relics of the ancient Red Paint People and Native Americans in Brooklin. In the early 1900s, Col. Adam Wesley Powell dug artifacts of these people, and later, the famous Norse coin was found here. In North Brooklin, the creatures in E.B. White's barn inspired the characters for Charlotte's Web. On Naskeag Point, a Revolutionary War battle was fought by the local residents. At Center Harbor, sardines and clam factories made Brooklin rich, and in Haven, Noah Tibbets started a summer colony of prominent residents. On Flye Point, another colony was founded on land deeded to the Flye family by the king of England. Boats were built at Allen's Cove, Herrick's Bay, Bridges Point, Benjamin River, and Center Harbor. With its numerous boatyards, the famous WoodenBoat School, and WoodenBoat magazine, Brooklin has been called the "Boatbuilding Capital of the World."

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.

Since the development of photography in the mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been used as a tool of both discovery and preservation. 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 combined its farms with factories. This fascinating pictorial history illuminates the daily lives of the residents of the two towns, and reveals how life has changed over the past 120 years.

From Fort George and Fort Madison to ""Battleground of Four Nations,"" Castine documents the history of this bucolic Maine village.

Castine is a delightfully tranquil village located on a peninsula bounded by the Bagaduce River on one side and Penobscot Bay on the other. It makes a powerful impression upon all who visit: indeed the very name Castine conjures up images of verdant landscapes, of sea-washed shores, and of life in a serene Maine village; images so magical that they become ingrained in one's memory. Castine is a charming, peaceful place, but it has not always been so. Visited as early as 1604 by European explorers and traders, Castine has since been known as the ""Battleground of Four Nations"" because French, Dutch, English, and American soldiers have fought for control of this strategically important place over the years. The remains of two forts-- Fort George and Fort Madison--stand testimony to the part that Castine played in America's formative wars.

Collected in this intriguing visual history are more than 200 photographs that bring to life the history of Colby College from 1813 to 1963.

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 image of the past, and can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity and a sense of history. Collected in this intriguing visual history are more than 200 photographs that bring to life the history of Colby College from 1813 to the sesquicentennial in 1963. From President Chaplin's voyage up the Kennebec River to the relocation of Colby to Mayflower Hill, it focuses on the events, and more importantly on the people that have defined Colby's history. Using material from the Colby College Archives, Anestes Fotiades leads us on a unique journey into the past, where the faculty, staff, and students of Colby are remembered with reverence and pride; people like President J. Seelye Bixler, Webster ""Bugsy"" Chester, Julian Taylor, and many others. The photographs have been chosen to provide an accurate history as well as a delightful voyage of nostalgia into the heritage of one of Maine's most progressive institutions of higher education.

See for yourself how the Maine communities of Deer Isle and Stonington grew and changed from its very beginnings.

The island communities of Deer Isle and Stonington lie in Penobscot Bay, a region known and loved by sailors the world over.Deer Isle and Stoningtonportrays life on the island from the age of ferries and steamships, to the building of the Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge, through World War II.

Represented in this piece are landmarks such as the Mark and Pumpkin Island lighthouses, the Stonington Opera House and the oldest buildings on the island. The vital industries of seafaring, sail making, commercial fishing, granite quarrying, and yachting are pictured here alongside images of everyday life-celebrations and ceremonies, shopping and picnics, education and worship, work and play.

This fascinating collection of photographs brings to life the history of the community of Dexter—in its bounty and its bad times

Author Frank Spizuoco has collected over two hundred unforgettable images from the archives of the Dexter Historical Society which together paint a vivid picture of the community and its environs from the 1840s to the 1990s.

From a small farming and fishing town to a growing community, uncover the history of Falmouth through a collection of rarely-seen images.

Falmouth began as a farming and fishing town with an active wooden ship-building industry along the Presumpscot River Estuary. The town later developed a number of small villages, each with a post office, stores, and its own school. Following the Civil War, the population dropped and did not begin to increase until the beginning of World War II. Wealthy Portland residents and out-of-state visitors established summer estates in Falmouth Foreside. With the introduction of the automobile and the electric trolley in the early 1900s, the Falmouth Foreside and West Falmouth areas enjoyed an influx of people who could live in Falmouth and work in Portland. After World War II, Falmouth continued to increase in size as roads were improved and more houses were built. Today Falmouth remains a growing community with extensive retail, health, retirement, and service facilities.

Historian Frank Sleeper catalogues a history of the area's successes and failures, but also captures the amazing triumph of the human spirit.

Maine is a colorful jigsaw puzzle made up of towns and communities that fit together to give the state a unique identity. This photographic collection features Farmington, Wilton, Kingfield, and Sugarloaf, a perfect example of communities working as complements to create an area with a wide appeal to diverse interests. While Farmington serves as the political, educational, and commercial center, Wilton acts as the industrial hub, and Kingfield and Sugarloaf provide the area with recreational attractions. Though the towns may differ in their focus, a scenic beauty does run throughout--whether it be the gentle waters in Wilson Lake, the cascades of the Sandy River, or the stalwart splendor of the mountains. However, to truly understand any place means meeting its people. This volume focuses on three families in particular: the Bass family in Wilton; the Mills family in Farmington; and the Winter family in Kingfield and Sugarloaf.

In this unique pictorial history, discover the early days of Gorham and the residents who established the community's traditions and quality of life.

Located just 10 miles west of the state's largest city, Gorham, Maine, is known as a college town, a bedroom community, and a suburb of Portland. In this unique pictorial history, discover the early days of Gorham and the residents who established the community's traditions and quality of life. With the advent of the automobile and a new accessibility to other cities, the face of Gorham was changed forever. Residents no longer traveled via the York-Cumberland canal or electric trolleys; gone were the livery stables, gunpowder mills, and tanneries of an early Gorham. View the early industries and activities of the community in this carefully crafted historical tribute, compiled and written by local historian David Arthur Fogg. Included in Gorham are the schools founded in its early days and the educators who shaped the lives of residents. John Green became Gorham's first paid teacher in 1765, receiving three pounds yearly for keeping school. The Western Maine Normal School, now known as the University of Southern Maine, is included as well.

With over 200 photographs, many of them never before published, Kennebunkport offers an intimate glimpse into the past that will delight resident and tourist alike.

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 image of the past and can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity and a sense of history.

From its early settlement in the 1600s to the present, the area known as ""the Port"" and ""the Cape"" has typified what it means to live or vacation on the Maine coast. Kennebunkport is a study in contrasts: fishermen work the sea while tourists fill Dock Square in search of art, ""lobstah,"" and steamers; fish shanties dot the shore of the Cape while estates and luxury hotels dominate Ocean Avenue; sailboats glide serenely through the harbor while carnivals take place on the Kennebunk River. It is this variety of people, places, and events that has always made Kennebunkport one of the most dynamic and vivacious communities on the Northeastern seaboard.

Permanent settlers began arriving at the village of Flagstaff around the 1820s, drawn by its advantageous location along the Dead River floodplain and the availability of waterpower at the outlet to Flagstaff Pond.

In 1923, the Maine legislature passed a bill condemning a 25-mile section of the upper Dead River Valley to inundation, causing the eventual permanent flooding of the villages of Flagstaff, Dead River, and Bigelow. The bill authorized the construction of a dam at the river narrows at Long Falls and the subsequent creation of Flagstaff Lake. The properties in these towns were obtained by the process of eminent domain, and residents were forced to relocate. In the spring of 1950, Flagstaff Lake was officially created when the gates in Long Falls Dam were closed. It remains a controversial project today.

The typical farm life of a Mainer pre-1910 is told through the photographs of Nettie Cummings Maxim.

Before her death in 1910, Nettie Cummings Maxim chronicled the people, landscapes, and animals of a typical Maine farm at Bird Hill in Bethel at the turn of the century. In a time before mass media, her world consisted almost entirely of her family and farm. This intimate familiarity with her immediate world and a degree of cultural isolation allowed Nettie to explore and capture on film the details of farm life through the seasons and the innocence and wisdom in the eyes of the children whose lives were so closely entwined with life on a rural Maine hill farm. After one look at her photographs, her innate artistic talent becomes immediately apparent: her use of natural light, the composition of her images, and her eye for detail lend a tremendously beautiful, evocative quality to her images. She turned the long exposures mandated by film at the turn of the century to her advantage, and somehow manages to create the illusion of motion in her photographs. Through her cameras, Nettie recorded the world that was so endearing to her, a world that has gone largely undocumented by photography. In doing so, she has given immortality to the people, buildings, and even the animals that were part of her life and her microcosm of society nearly a century ago, as well as giving us a rare insight into the intricacies of daily life in the nearby communities of Locke's Mills and Greenwood. Allow her to lead you back into life in rural Maine at the turn of the century: it is a journey worth making, and one that you will never forget.

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads is a comprehensive pictorial record of the history of the narrow gauge railroad in Maine. From the one-hundred-twelve-mile Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad to the five-mile Kennebec Central, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads features the toylike miniature trains of Maine as they appeared at different stages in their history. The Bridgton and Harrison Railroad, the Monson Railroad, and the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway lines are documented within, as well as the current restoration projects that are under way.

Our past is our present-it surrounds us always. It is our responsibility to learn from it, and to preserve it for future generations.  At Arcadia, we feel it is our mission to make this possible.  With the inception of the Images of America series in 1993, we began to focus on a variety of cities, neighborhoods, towns, counties, and regions, weaving each community's unique story into the tapestry of American history.  With the Best of Images of America series, we celebrate the publication of our 1000th title in the Images of America series.  We have chosen the most striking, the most memorable, and the very best images from the wide variety of titles in the series, and brought them together in these volumes for your enjoyment.

In this illuminating pictorial history, readers enjoy unique views of Skowhegan, with its historic buildings and riverfront, where Senator Smith spent her first forty years.

Called "". . . the most influential woman in the history of American politics,"" Senator Margaret Chase Smith always carried with her a strong connection to her roots in Skowhegan, Maine. How did her years and experiences in this community influence her strength of character and lifetime commitment to public service? Author Frank H. Sleeper has searched local archives to bring us rare photographs and new connections between Skowhegan and its famous senator. Her strong convictions and tolerance for dissent, especially apparent in her famous ""Declaration of Conscience"" speech against Senator Joe McCarthy, may well have come from her background in Skowhegan.

Author Margaret Shiels Konitzky reveals the stories of local heroes and the relentless spirit of midcoast Maine.

While World War II raged overseas, the people of midcoast Maine responded with remarkable achievements on the homefront. The shipyard at Bath Iron Works launched a new destroyer every seventeen days. Bowdoin College had more military than civilian students and held three commencements per year. Boothbay Harbor, Bailey Island and Damariscotta all had military bases, and anyone who owned or sailed a boat was recruited for coastal defense. Women worked at machine shops, registered their neighbors for rationing and volunteered for the Civil Defense and Red Cross. Author Margaret Shiels Konitzky reveals the stories of local heroes and the relentless spirit of midcoast Maine.

Monhegan Island, Maine has historically attracted a number of different visitors and workers, each with their own unique reasons for being there.

The natural beauty of Monhegan Island has continuously attracted generations of artists, day-trippers, and summer sojourners. White Head, Pulpit Rock, and Cathedral Woods are names that resonate throughout New England and beyond. Long before the first ferry full of seasonal visitors arrived, the Monhegan Island fishermen had established a permanent community on the island, scratching out an existence on a remote offshore outpost. As early as 1890, prominent artists Robert Henri and George Bellows, followed by Rockwell Kent and Jamie Wyeth, captured the magnificence of Monhegan. They shared the cliffs and coves with the lighthouse keepers, carpenters, lobstermen, and the island people.

Page by page, picture by picture, step back in time and discover the remarkable history of Ogunquit By-The-Sea.

From its early history as a fishing village to its official recognition as a town in July 1980, Ogunquit has always been one of New England's most dynamic coastal communities. When Charles Woodbury opened opened an art school in 1889 among the fishhouses and dories of Perkins Cove, he could scarcely have known the effect it would have on the little village. Drawn by the natural beauty of its rocky shore and rolling sand dunes, hundreds of aspiring artists flooded the Cove every summer, creating one of the most vivacious creative communities in the Northeast. The people of Ogunquit -- the residents and tourists; artists and fishermen -- have each contributed to its rich cultural heritage, making it one of the most unique resorts on the Atlantic seaboard.

From 1631 to the present, Old Orchard Beach has had a singularly rich history among New England's summer communities.

Old Orchard was originally a small seacoast farming community nestled on the shore of Saco Bay. When the railroad came in 1873, the coast exploded into one of the grandest Victorian settings in Maine. It boasted famous religious camp meetings, transatlantic flights, big bands, big fires, harness racing, and automobile racing on the beach. The Kennedy family, Bette Davis, Fred Allen, Rosa and Carmen Ponselle, Pierre Trudeau, and Charles Lindbergh all rejuvenated themselves in this community. Old Orchard Beach is still a vacation mecca, and residents and visitors alike will find enjoyment and education within these pages.

Author Daniel E. Blaney was born in Old Orchard Beach and still lives in the house he was born in. He has been a member of the Old Orchard Beach Historical Society since 1970 and has served as its president, vice president, trustee, and historian.

With rare local accounts and historic images, the thrilling early days of Old Sebec jump off the page.

Old Sebec Lake is an intriguing look at one of Maine's most beautiful and historically interesting areas, containing a series of photographs as well as accompanying text that document the most colorful era in the lake's history. The photographs, which date from 1860 to 1950 and come mainly from private collections, illustrate a time of steamboats and tenting parties, log drives and spool mills, market hunters and 30-mile traplines. This was also a time of uncertain employment, boom-and-bust economies, and remarkable changes in transportation, all of which profoundly affected the lake and the communities surrounding it. Although the images tell the story, woven through the text are interesting stories about B.M. Packard, Fred Gates, Walter Arnold, and others whose lives contributed to the lake's interesting past. Accounts of the 1936 flood, the scuttling of the Marion, and the construction of The Castle are also included in the text.

Visit the idyllic seashore community of York Beach, ME with these family photos of both early vacationers and locals!

Prior to 1860, York, Maine was simply a small coastal fishing and farming community . After the Civil War the beauty of this area began to attract summer visitors, and by the 1880s large summer hotels and private cottages began to line the beaches and bluffs. Thus the idyllic seashore community of York Beach was created between the Cape Neck peninsula and the Cape Neddick River. With the turn of the century, Victorian opulence gave way to bustling promenades and streets as motorized transportation increased the influx of tourists. Locals were quick to respond with cabins and cottages, ice and fresh fish, saltwater taffy and popcorn, as the community developed into the Atlantic resortwe know today. The history of York Beach began shortly after the invention of photography, and this fascinating collection draws upon the area's rich and varied legacy of images. Commercial photographers recorded decades of change in popular postcard scenes. Snapshots of holidaymakers at the beach, at the ballroom, or simply enjoying a cottage cookout filled the family albums that were left in cabins and cottages to be marvelled at by future generations.

After the phenomenal success of Old York Beach, John Bardwell has responded with a new pictorial history that explores in even greater depth the rich historic fabric of the community.

Old York Beach: Volume II combines more than two hundred delightful images with insightful captions to create an entertaining and informative visual history that is sure to captivate residents and tourists alike. Through the lens of a camera you will see the area evolve from a small fishing and farming village into the idyllic seashore resort that we know today. You will witness great Victorian hotels rise and fall, observe bustling streets, and see people--some of whom you may recognize--enjoying the beach, sailing, having cookouts, and reveling in the natural beauty of the area. In addition, there are images that document how the area adapted to the changing needs of new generations, as cabins became motels, parking lots replaced train stations, tenting grounds became trailer parks, and the dance halls at St. Aspinquid Park and the York Beach Casino were replaced by lounges in hotels and restaurants.