9 Historic Photos That Show Us What It Was Like Living In Maine In The Early 1900s
By Michelle|Published August 06, 2021
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Michelle
Author
Michelle's life is a colorful map of exploration and adventure. From the iconic streets of New York to the sunny shores of Florida, the jagged coast of Maine to the rugged terrain of Montana, she's been fortunate to call some of America's most beautiful states home. Beyond the U.S., Michelle's wanderlust has taken her on a motorcycle journey through India, led her to teach English in Hanoi, and saw her studying Spanish in Guatemala. Michelle graduated with a communications degree from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and in addition to a career in advertising has worked with OnlyInYourState since 2016, where her love for travel and storytelling converges. Alongside writing and exploring, Michelle finds joy in photography, staying active, and time with her family.
For questions, comments and inquiries please email: mstarin@onlyinyourstate.com.
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Hearing about life in Maine back before any of us were here is a great way to understand the state a little bit better. Whether listening to history lessons in school or sitting in rapt attention as our grandparents talked about their lives, we’ve always been fascinated by stories about the state. One of the best ways to get a sense of all that came before is to look at old photos. We’ve gathered a few here that we think do a great job of allowing you to imagine Maine the way she was just after the Great Depression.
1. Wharf, Portland, April 1936: We've all heard about Portland's working waterfront, but we don't often sit back and imagine what it might have looked like back when it was working its hardest!
3. Freeport, April 1936: The Hermit of Maine is one of the most fascinating stories coming out of the state. This sign, erected by the hermit, sat in Freeport. Can you imagine living without contact for this long?
4. The Hermit of Maine, Freeport, April 1936: There aren't a ton of photos of the hermit, but this one snapped by a Great Depression-era photographer is fascinating. It allows us to see just where he lived the majority of his contactless life.
5. Rockland, October 1937: In many of Maine's cities, the buildings that exist today are the same ones that stood nearly 100 years ago. This street corner in Rockland is still there! The man in the photo, however, is probably not.
6. Home, Winterport, April 1936: This large home was part of the Resettlement Administration program using resources from the Federal Land Bank. This was a large program implemented as part of the post-Great Depression New Deal to take struggling urban and rural families and provide them with homes in communities created by the Federal government.
7. Naples Casino, April 1936: Back in the mid-1930s Sebago Lake flooded causes all sorts of mayhem in the area. Can you imagine being here when this happened? In this photo, Naples Casino is overcome with water and all we can say is that we're glad we missed it!
8. Desert of Maine, Freeport, April 1936: This strange tourist attraction was recently sold and re-opened with improvements, but in this photo we can see what it looked like before the colorful camels and campground was added. The sand actually comes from years of over-use that caused a constant silt situation.
9. Trevett, September 1939: Located near Boothbay, this little general store was also the community's post office. Our favorite thing about this photo is that the building can still be found on this spot!
Do you have any stories you’ve heard about life back in the 1930s? If you have any you’d be willing to share, go ahead and leave them in the comments so we can all learn more about the state!
