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History

To Quebec by Bateau

Quebec here we come: Recreating the 1775 Arnold Expedition up the Kennebec and through the Maine wilderness.

Way Back When — Issue 149

A look back at the St. Croix paper mill settlement of the early 1900s.

Ancient Swordfish Hunters

Thousands of years ago a mysterious people, known for the red powder found in their graves, lived on the Maine coast. An archeological site on North Haven provided clues about their culture.

Answering Lubec’s Fish Whistles

Old timers in Lubec remember the days when the coastal economy revolved around sardines.

30 Years of Innovation

A glimpse at just a few of the people, boats, and innovations along the Maine coast from the last 30 years.

Way Back When at MBH&H

30 years of chronicling the coast.

Way Back When 147 — Summer Colonies

Bayville in East Boothbay was one of many post-Civil War summer colonies in Maine.

Back When “Working Waterfront” Meant Just That

Photojournalists preserved these scenes from the midcoast Maine working waterfront during the 1940s through 1970s.

Summer Camp Life

Two early summer camps in Maine.

Touring Boothbay Harbor

Two vintage postcards from Boothbay Harbor, excerpted from the book Maine on Glass: The Early Twentieth Century in Glass Plate Photography.

Charting the Coast

Nautical charts of the Maine coast were first produced in the late 1860s. Since then, evolving technology has led to increasingly detailed knowledge of the ocean bottom.

Way Back When — Issue 143

An early-1900s view of the Penobscot River from the book "Maine On Glass," show an array of vessels.

The Revenue Man

Catching rumrunners during Prohibition was one thing, but convicting them was another, as a customs agent on Mount Desert Island learned, much to his frustration.

From Rum to Lobsters

The qualities that made them good for rum-running during Prohibition also made builder Will Frost’s boats good for lobstering. His semi-displacement hulls, renowned for maintaining speed at capacity, have influenced the design of lobsterboats ever since.

Remembering the Oakey L. Alexander

Sometimes when disaster strikes, the official rescuers need help. In 1947, a whole community came out to save a shipwrecked crew off Cape Elizabeth.