One of Several giant mill buildings in Biddeford, reflecting its Historic Past (2007)

[BID-ih-frd] City in York County, was incorporated as a town on November 17, 1718 and as a city in 1855. It was originally part of the town of Saco, its “twin” city.

Martin Pring in 1603, Samuel De Champlain in 1604, and John Smith in 1614 explored the area of the lower Saco River valley.

Physician Richard Vines established what is possibly the earliest settlement in Maine in 1616 at Biddeford Pool, then known as Winter Harbor. Vines spent the winter of 1616-17 there, having been sent by Sir. Fernando Gorges.

He and John Oldham returned in 1630, settling on the side of the river now occupied by Biddeford; in 1631 others arrived and settled on the east, or Saco, side.

Some historians suggest that other early settlers had emigrated from Bideford in Devonshire, England giving the area its name. Although Saco (including Biddeford) was destroyed during Queen Anne’s War, the Massachusetts General Court authorized its resettlement, which began in 1714.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An anecdote from A Gazetteer of the State of Maine:

Captain Samuel Jordan . . . opened a store near Biddeford Pool in 1717. His home was secured from attacks from the Indians by a strong stone wall which surrounded it. . . .

During the first century of the Saco settlements a numerous tribe of Indians dwelt upon the upper waters of the river.

Squando also known as Squanto), their chief sachem, became deeply incensed against the English, because of an experiment made by some English sailors, who overset the canoe containing his squaw and child in the river to see if the infant would swim, – according to the reports of the Indian children. The child died not long after, and and Squando determined on war.

By 1762 the population had reached 1,000. While lumbering was the major industry until the early nineteenth century, textile manufacturing dominated for 100 years from mid-century.

First Irish, then French Canadians came to work in the mills. The French arrived after 1870 and by 1910 elected the first mayor from the French community.

Downtown Biddeford (2007)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biddeford is York County’s largest city, a major industrial and commercial center. While many communities have been losing population, Biddeford, the state’s sixth largest, has retained and expanded its number of residents. It hosts the University of New England. 

In 1881, the City already boasted seven cotton mills running 165,000 spindles. The largest were the Laconia Company and the Pepperrell Company. The Boston and Maine, and the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroads each had a station there. The 1903 list of active labor unions reflects the local economy at the time: Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers; Carpenters and Joiners; Cigarmakers; Iron Moulders; Loom Fixers [textiles]; Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers; Plumbers; Slasher Tenders [textiles]; Typographical.

                                                             

 

Biddeford Pool, known in the 17th century as Winter Harbor, is both a village and a water body in the city. The village is at the eastern most point of land which virtually surrounds the Pool, just south of Wood Island. It was a destination for the Sokokis tribe as it moved periodically from the Fryeburg area to the coast to fish.

 

Biddeford was the home of 19th century U.S. Congress members Moses MacDonald and Daniel E. Somes, who was also Mayor 1855-Locomotive1857.  It is the birthplace of baseball player Freddy Parent in 1875, who played for the Boston Americans and the Chicago White Sox from 1901 through 1911.

On May 7, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited St. Francis College, now the University of New England, and later traveled Bowdoin College, in his only trip to Maine. The University of New England campus lies outside the downtown on Beach Hill Road.

 

 

 

 

 

Biddeford hosts two nature preserves managed by the Maine Audubon Society: The East Point Sanctuary at Biddeford Pool is a thirty acre sanctuary offering beautiful ocean views and is considered one of the best spots for birding in southern Maine. A wide variety of waterfowl visit the point and harbor seals can be seen fishing off shore.

Wood and Stage Islands are both important nesting areas for waterfowl. A wooden boardwalk leads to an abandoned Coast Guard Lighthouse on Wood Island.

Form of Government: Council-Mayor-Manager.

Additional resources

Assumption College (Worcester, Mass.). French Institute. Conference (3rd : 1982). Quintal, Claire, Ed. The Little Canadas of New England : third annual conference of the French Institute/Assumption College. (Worcester, Massachusetts, March 13, 1982). Worcester, Mass. French Institute/Assumption College, 1983.

Bain, Caroline D. The Abenakee Club of Biddeford Pool, Maine: a centennial history. Exeter, NH: J.N. Townsend Pub., 1998.

Biddeford Public Library. An Introduction to Biddeford’s History and a Chronological Outline of Events. Prepared by The McArthur Library, Biddeford, Me. 1944.

Butler, Charles L. Biddeford. Charleston, SC. Arcadia Pub. 2003.

Chadbourne, Ava Harriet. Maine Place Names and The Peopling of its Towns: Kennebec and Somerset Counties.

Downs, Jaques M. Cities on the Saco: A Pictorial History. Norfolk, Virginia: Downing Company, 1985.

Fairfield, John, 1797-1847. Governor Fairfield’s letters. (“six letters on matters intimately connected with the local history of Biddeford and Saco.” Biddeford, Me.: Biddeford Journal?, 1847?.

Folsom, George. History of Saco and Biddeford. Somersworth. NH. New Hampshire Publishing Co.; Portland: Maine Historical Society. 1975.

Guignard, Michael J. Ethnic Survival in a New England Mill Town: the Franco- Americans of Biddeford, Maine. 1976.

Guignard, Michael J. La foi, la langue, la culture: the Franco-Americans of Biddeford, Maine. New York?: M.J. Guignard. c1982.

*Maine. Historic Preservation Commission. Augusta, Me.   Text and photos from National Register of Historic Places: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/nrhp/text/xxxxxxxx.PDF and http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/nrhp/photos/xxxxxxxx.PDF

Marcil, George. Franciscans in Biddeford, Maine, 1933-1975. Montréal, Canada: Imprimerie des Franciscains, 1976.

O’Brien, Kerry A. Consuming Interests: Class, Ethnicity, and Consumption in Biddeford, Maine, 1890-1915. 1993. (Thesis (M.A.)–University of Southern Maine, 1993 )

Pepperrell Manufacturing Company. The Romance of Pepperrell: being a brief account of the career of Sir William Pepperrell, soldier, pioneer, American merchant and developer of New England industry, for whom the Pepperrell Manufacturing Company was named, and the towns of Saco and Biddeford in the state of Maine, wherein the first manufacturing unit of the Pepperrell Company was established. Boston, Mass. Pepperrell Manufacturing Company. c1943.

Scontras, Charles A. Two Decades of Organized Labor and Labor Politics in Maine 1880-1900. Orono, Me. University of Maine. Bureau of Labor Education. 1969.

Sylvester, Herbert Milton. The Sokoki Trail. Boston: W. B. Clarke. 1909.

Tatterson, Estelle M. Three Centuries of Biddeford: an historical sketch. 1916.

Varney, George J. A Gazetteer of the State of Maine. pp. 114-115, 117.

Yorke, Dane. A History and Stories of Biddeford. Biddeford, ME. McArthur Public Library. 1994.

National Register of Historic Places – Listings

Photos, and edited text are from nominations to the National Register of Historic Places researched by Maine. Historic Preservation Commission.
Full text and photos are at https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp 

Biddeford City Hall

Biddeford City Hall was designed by John Calvin Stevens (1855-1940) a leading Maine architect. Among Stevens’ major works were the Eastern Maine Insane Hospital (1888), now Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, the City Hall in Portland and the Sweat Mansion in Portland (1909).

The City Hall is a large 3½ story brick building with clock tower and belfry. The first floor is faced with granite. It occupies a central place in the community with its tower, along with the tower of the Biddeford Textile Mill, forming the skyline of the city. Both are symbols of late 19th century Biddeford.*

Biddeford Main Street Historic District

In 1846, the earliest surviving commercial building, the Thatcher Hotel, was built on Main Street. While the Free Will Baptist Church was built earlier in 1797, it was not moved to its current location on Jefferson Street until 1850. Construction in downtown Biddeford rapidly expanded in the 1840s due to the success of textile mills along the Saco River. Commercial and residential properties were in high demand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frame construction was common at this time, although brick and masonry construction were becoming popular. Buildings typically had first floor commercial uses with upper level residences. Storefronts housed groceries, department stores, restaurants, and other retail interests. Tenements and hotels were commonly located in the upper stories to accommodate the workers and visitors of the textile companies. Large, prominent buildings were of fire-resistant brick construction, and often had upper level offices and halls for the many social organizations and entertainment venues of Biddeford.

 

As the city grew in the late-19th century, buildings became larger and more ornate, and often included a name and date stone that announced the success of its owner. The frame buildings that originally lined Main Street were steadily replaced with larger brick blocks, and buildings such as the Marble Block were designed to stand out among their peers.

The mills remained successful into the mid-20th century, prompting ongoing expansion and adaptation of downtown Biddeford. Most of the current buildings in the district are brick and date from the mid-19th century into the early-20th century. While the district continues to serve as the central business district, its dominance diminished as the mills closed and development patterns moved away from the downtown. Few buildings were built or alterations made after 1952.*

Biddeford–Saco Mills Historic District

The Biddeford/Saco Mills Historic District was critical to the development of the region from a remote 17th-century maritime settlement to a major industrial center in the 19th century. Buildings from 1832 to 1958 are representative of the industrial development that fueled growth and expansion of Biddeford and Saco in the 19th century. The district has a cohesive collection of well-preserved industrial buildings represent the industrial architecture in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The earliest settlement in the area occurred around 1616 on the tip of a narrow peninsula at the mouth of the Saco River, several miles southeast of the current downtown. A small coastal village, known as Winter Harbor (Biddeford Pool today) formed what is said to have been the earliest permanent settlement in Maine. In 1678 the so-called Saco settlements (from Kennebunkport to Scarborough) became a province of Massachusetts. In 1718 the Saco settlements were incorporated as a single town (with the Saco River running through it) and adopted the name Biddeford.

By the 1750s significant growth of the towns on both sides of the river made it difficult to govern residents under a single municipality. The General Court permitted the east bank to form its own government in 1762, whereby the residents chose the name of Pepperellborough, after William Pepperell, the recently deceased landowner and developer of a large portion of the land that makes up Biddeford and Saco today. In 1805 Pepperellborough legally changed its name to Saco, which was incorporated as a city in 1867. Biddeford’s status was changed to that of a city in 1855.*

Dudley Block

[28-34 Water Street] The Dudley Block is significant for its architecture, and its impact on town planning and commerce. It is an example of a mid-19th century brick commercial building with granite pier and lintle construction on the lower story. The upper floors of tenement housing is similar to Lowell Massachusetts-type industrial communities. The development of brick buildings at the foot of Sullivan is part of land development directly associated with Samuel Batchelder, the founder and leading figure in the industrial development of Biddeford. Batchelder’s personal investment in the creation of the private residential sub-division is an example of mid-19th century speculative development common to many textile cities. Stores built by Benjamin Dudley along this section of Water Street continued earlier commercial use of the site opposite the river wharves. The later ownership of the Block by Abel Jellison, a prominent citizen, adds to the significance of commerce in the social and political history of Biddeford.* [Frank A. Beard photo, 1982]

Emery School, (Former)

The former Emery School was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in the areas of education and architecture. The School was built in 1912 as a “union” school, replacing four nearby public grammar schools that were consolidated into a single building. This was part of an effort to more efficiently educate a rapidly growing population of school age residents. The property is important for its role in educating Biddeford’s children, providing public education to the community for roughly 80 years. Physically, the school represents early 20th century changes in educational practices resulting from legislated reforms to improve sanitary conditions, update curriculum, and operate schools more cost effectively. The school building also is significant as a good example of a type and period of construction, namely a ‘modern’ 20th century high school. An important architectural landmark for the town, it is also an excellent and intact example of early 20th century Revival-style institutional design by the prominent Portland architectural firm of Miller & Mayo.

 

First Parish Meetinghouse

[Old Pool Road; N43° 28′ 30.17″  W70° 24′ 55.73″] The First Parish Congregational Church is the mother church of the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco and the United Church of Christ Congregation in Biddeford.

Town meetings were held here during the Revolutionary Period. On December 22, 1774, James Sullivan, a young Biddeford lawyer later to become one of the great Patriots of the period, was elected Moderator of the meeting that elected him as a delegate to the provincial Congress and to serve on the Committee of Inspection and Correspondence, and a committee to provide munitions for the militia. On July 30, 1774, a town meeting passed a resolution protesting the British blockade of Boston Harbor and stating their other grievances relating to unfair taxation and oppressive actions. Each inhabitant pledged his person and fortune in support, or be considered an enemy of his country.

In July of 1776, by order of the revolutionary Council of Massachusetts, the Declaration of Independence was read to the congregation in this Meeting House and recorded in the town records. During the war years of 1780 and 1781, many actions were taken in support of the War of Independence and the Continental  Army.

On May 2, 1793, a Heresy Trial, said to have been the only one held in Maine, was conducted in this Meeting House. James Sullivan played a leading part in deliberations at the Meeting House in the early days of the Revolutionary period. He  was well known to George Washington, John and Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, among others. He participated in framing the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As adviser to John Hancock he probably contributed in the framing of the Federal Constitution. He was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, became its Attorney General, and was elected for two terms as Governor.*

Flagg, James Montgomery, House

[St. Martin’s Lane] Built at his direction in 1910, this cottage on the north shore of Biddeford Pool, was the summer retreat for thirty years of the colorful and prolific illustrator, James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960). At least to 1980 it retained his presence through his extensive first floor murals of the local landscape and the sea views. Flagg was a friendly and popular man much in demand as a speaker because of his strong views on a number of subjects.

He lived with gusto and seemed to epitomize the handsome bohemian artist, surrounded by beautiful models, dashing off pictures with sheer exuberance of talent. The image was very nearly true in Flagg’s case. He worked rapidly and easily in all media and with any subject matter. Humor and satire were his special forte. His quick portrait studies and incisive caricatures were prized by many prominent sitters. His illustrations appeared with regularity for a period of over thirty years in such magazines as Judge, Life and Saint Nicholas.

Flagg was also a respected painter of serious portraits whose work was shown at the Paris salon of 1900, the National Academy of Design and the New York Water Color Club. Probably his best known illustration was the famous “I Want You” Uncle Sam recruiting poster over four million copies of which were printed and distributed throughout the country. Using himself as a model, Flagg created a new image for this national symbol, changing him from a gangling, humorous, star-spangled figure into a forceful, rather handsome, dignified man with only four stars on his hat.

 

St. Martin’s Lane area (2018)

His summer house at Biddeford Pool provided Flagg with an annual escape from the hurly-burly of his New York life, yet his irrepressible social energy kept it filled with guests and constant entertainment. In 2018 access to the house was limited by the discouraging “private road” sign. A golf course above and Biddeford Pool below, confirm the earlier description of the beautiful setting. [Frank A. Beard photos, 1980]

Fletchers Neck Life-Saving Station

Members of the U.S. Life-Saving Service wearing life jackets stand around a lifeboat at the Fletcher’s Neck Life-Saving Station, built in 1874, at Biddeford Pool. The Stick-style wood frame boathouse is ornamented in various manners, including carved dolphins in the lower corners of the gables. Biddeford Pool iBiddeford Pool is a small coastal community in Maine 5 miles north of Boston.

Image credit: Historic New England.
https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/capobject/?gusn=196003

Richard Vines Monument

This marker was designed and erected in 1909 by William E. Barry, an architect, researcher, artist and writer who lived in Kennebunk. Its location purports to be the site at which Richard Vines, agent of Sir Fernando Gorges in England, and his men spent the winter of 1616-1617 in order to test the climate in the “New World”. According to tradition, the company’s vessel spent the season in Winter Harbor (Biddeford Pool), within site of the encampment. Now owned by the Rebecca Emery Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Richard Vines Monument is important not just as a property that remembers past, but it gains significance when considered within the context of a persuasive historical trend that invested symbolism in objects, and relied on conceptions of the Colonial era to bolster American cultural identity in the early twentieth century.

 

St. Andrews Roman Catholic Parish

 

St. Andre’s Roman Catholic parish is a complex containing five buildings (church, school, convent, rectory and garage) just southeast of downtown Biddeford. The rectory, convent and church were built starting in1900. These three the rectory, convent and church are crucial to the historic district.

Stylistically the church is Romanesque, the rectory is Second Empire-style and the convent and former school were built in the Colonial Revival Style. St. Andre’s parish is significant in the area of Ethnic Heritage for its association with the French-Canadian community in Biddeford. The complex is also important in the area of Architecture as a collection of well-designed early 20th century buildings that collectively form a noteworthy example of a Roman Catholic parish complex. The church is also important as a local example of the work of Boston architects Chickering & O’Connell, representing an important component of the firm’s work.

Stage Island Monument

The Stage Island Monument is a Federal aid to navigation built in 1825 as a day beacon serving as a visual landmark for mariners. It marks the northern entry to Wood Island Harbor, a sheltered anchorage approximately midway between Portland and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The Stage Monument is one of two 19th century monumental day beacons in Maine. It exemplifies the Federal governments long-term program to enhance nautical safety in U. S. waters by building and maintaining aids to navigation.

The Stage Island Monument is a well-preserved example of design and engineering methods used in building early 19th century masonry towers. It is largely unchanged from 1825 and is at its original location. This property has been a significant feature in southeastern Maines maritime landscape and is widely recognized as a York County historic landmark.

St. Joseph’s School

[41 Birch Street; N43° 29′ 24.68″ W70° 27′ 32.25″]  St. Joseph’s School is an impressive example of the first series of large masonry school buildings built in Maine. It is one of the principal monuments of the French-Canadian immigration to the state, and to the City of Biddeford. In the post-Civil War era Biddeford, whose mills required labor to operate hundreds of spindles and looms. The shortage of local workers available from farms and outlying villages made it an attractive destination for immigrants. The city became the principal concentration point for French Canadians emigrating to the state. As a percent of Biddeford’s population, “Francos” increased from .004% in 1850 (28 out of 6,095) to 59.7% in 1900 (9,650 out of 16,145). The town retained the largest Franco population in the state until surpassed by Lewiston in 1895. In 1970, 61.4% of the Biddeford population considered French their mother tongue.

While sizable migrations from Quebec took place in the 1840s and 1850s to fill jobs in the newly built textile mills, the great migration began at the time of the Civil War. The Franch, having initially worshipped with the Irish in St. Mary’s Church, were prepared, by 1870, to found their own national parish. Three years later they began building St. Joseph’s Church. Of equal importance was the institution of a Catholic School with which to preserve the language, culture and faith of the French-Canadian community. Classes were begun in 1875 in the basement of the newly-erected St. Joseph’s Church. In 1882, teaching was taken over by six nuns of the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec, who emigrated specifically for that purpose. In March 1883, plans for a new school building were drawn. Classes moved into the new St. Joseph’s Sdhool during May 1888, and the building was dedicated by Bishop James A. Healey on September 7, 1888.

Bishop Healey was the first black American Roman Catholic Bishop and actively supported French-Canadian efforts to preserve their culture and language. St. Joseph’s served, with various ancillary structures, as the high school until St. Louis High School was built across the school yard in 1929. As late as the 1960s, half of the day’s instruction was conducted in French.

The building remains a monument to the industry of Franco American immigrants and the tenacity of their cultural ethnicity. In 2018 it served as residential apartments at 41 Birch Street.*

Tarr, John, House

[29 Ferry Lane] The earliest deed to this property is one of 1654 from the original proprietor, Richard Vines, to Jane Andrews. Later deeds carry the ownership to 1686 with William Dicer, father-in-law of Richard Tarr. A lapse in records occurs, coinciding with the depopulation of the area during the early French and Indian wars. The next deed is that from Richard Tarr to John Tarr in 1728, from which point the chain of title extends to the present. Evidence, indicates that this house was built by John Tarr shortly after his acquisition of the property, since it is mentioned in the next deed, dated 1730.

Although alterations and additions have taken place, the most significant feature, a very rare panel and stile fully wainscotted (wall and ceiling) room remains. Preliminary research indicates few other examples. One exists with paneled ceiling only in the Museum of the Concord Antiquarian Society, transplanted from Hampton, New Hampshire, and one is said to exist in the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, originally in a house in Kensington, New Hampshire. The panel and stile system and random width boards suggest an early date for the house.* [Frank A. Beard photo]

Timber Point

The Charles and Louise Parsons Ewing estate, commonly known as “Timber Point,” embodies the distinctive characteristics of its type and period, illustrating an impressive interpretation of the Maine coastal summer estate, which not only combined contemporary trends, but the personal taste of the designer, owner, and master architect. Charles Ewing approached the design with with an eye of a practicing artist with an appreciation of European and American traditions. At Timber Point, Charles Ewing established an estate in the style of those established during the late19th and early 20th centuries. Timber Point retains much of its architectural design and remains relatively unaltered from the time of construction. The Timber Point property includes ten buildings: the main house, a garage, a laundry house, a greenhouse/potting shed, a paint shed, a bath house and boat house, a pool changing house, a truck garage, and a hose shed as well as four structures: a tennis court, a concrete swimming pool, pool pump footings, the remains of a lifeboat.

There are two non-historic structures: a seawall and the foundation footings of an Alfred Shaker village barn moved to the property from Alfred in 1938 and more recently relocated off the estate. The main house, garage, and laundry clearly represent the work of a master and the contributing structures help to illustrate the range of outbuildings that comprise an unusually good example of a period summer estate. The historic period begins in 1931 when the earliest remaining structures were built and extends to 1954, the year of Charles Ewing’s death.

U.S. Post Office

[35 Washington Street] The 1914 U.S. Post Office building was the prototype quality federal buildings erected during the early part of the 20th Century. The building is a classic example of the period. The design and structure served as blueprint for post offices built during the 1920s and 1930s. The property was completely designed and built from plans prepared by the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department.  During the planning period from 1910 through the  construction, James Knox Taylor and other architects served the supervising architects. The modest 80 foot by 65 foot building encloses a floor area of approximately five thousand three hundred square feet. A loading dock, containing four hundred fifty square feet of floor space, replaced the original rear entrance in 1939.  The building was vacant  in 1973, and in 2017 contained commercial offices.* [James H. Mundy photo]

Wood Island Light Station

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[East side of Wood Island, Biddeford Pool] Wood Island Light Station was one of two lights established in 1808; the other being at West Quoddy Head in eastern Maine. Of the two, it is the only one that retains the original tower. Wood Island light was erected on a small shallow island located at the mouth of the Saco River. This location saw heavy maritime traffic in and around the commercial centers of Saco and Biddeford. Both communities had developed into important local trading centers during the 18th century, and their growth continued into the 1800s. Until the construction of Whaleback light in 1829, the station at Wood Island was the southernmost of the principal aids to navigation in Maine. West Quoddy Head is the easternmost light. [Roger G. Reed photos, 1987)