Images of America

One of the largest bilingual Franco-American territories in the United States, the beautiful Upper St. John Valley is revealed in over two hundred images and accompanying text in this fascinating pictorial history.

This history covers the regions from Hamlin Plantation to Allagash along the river and south to Eagle Lake, Winterville, and Guerette. The Upper St. John Valley is a product of the dispersal of the Acadian French by the English in 1755 and 1785. Tested by a severe climate and semi-isolation for years, the Valley inhabitants were strong survivors. Through images dated up to 1960 we see the intense religious feeling, strong work ethic, and leisure activity of the people living in this unique enclave.

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.

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.

Discover the history of Rangeley through historic photographs and how the town continues to draw thousands of visitors annually.

Rangeley, Maine, was settled in 1817 when Luther Hoar brought his family from Madrid to a log cabin he had built on the shore of Rangeley Lake. Several others families soon arrived, cleared land, and began farming. It was a small farming community only until the 1850s though. Lumber barons had arrived in the late 1840s, built dams, and started logging the vast timberlands. Soon after, fishermen from Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington arrived to fish the multitude of lakes, ponds, and streams. By 1900, Rangeley was a bustling town with several hotels and two railroad lines. The big hotel era ended after World War II, and secondary residences began to dominate the scene.

Gary Priest has been recording the history of the Rangeley region for over 25 years. He has served on the board of directors of the Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society (RLRHS) since 1999 and is currently its treasurer. This is his fifth book on Rangeley's history. His other works include History of Rangeley Hotels & Camps, Mingo Springs Hotel: The Early Days, The Gilded Age of Rangeley Maine, and Rangeley through Time.