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About Bridgton
Product description In 1768, Jacob Kimball moved to the shores of Long Lake in North Bridgton, building a store and providing boat service from Standish, at the southern end of Sebago Lake. Jacob Stevens soon followed, building a sawmill and gristmill on what became Stevens Brook in the center village. Ten power sites on this short brook ran lumber, textile, and other mills, as well as a tannery. Bridgton became the area's commercial center as retail stores and businesses sprang up to support the many mill workers and farm families. The first train on the narrow-gauge Bridgton and Saco River Railroad chugged into town in January 1883. Tourists and artists soon discovered Bridgton, and today the town remains a diverse mix of creative, hardworking people. Review Title: Q & A - Ned Allen - Bridgton's past very much present Author: Julia Davis Publisher: Lakes Region Weekly Date: 12.24.08 Those interested in learning more about the history of Bridgton now have a new resource; Bridgton, a book written by Ned Allen, president of the Bridgton Historical Society. The book is one of thousands in Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series. It combines vintage photographs and illustrations with captions and an introduction with an overview of the town's history. Allen, 54, described pulling the book together as similar to putting together a museum exhibit, meant to be both entertaining and informative. He has been involved with the historical society since 1995. Q: What surprised you in your research?A: One of the things that I didn't find surprising because I pretty much knew it, but I think some people will be, is the industrial history of Bridgton, which is considerable. There were at least 10 power sites on Stevens Brook, which runs through town, and a lot of mills, textile mills, various types of lumber and woodworking mills. So there was all that industrial history going on, especially in the second half of the 1800s. Q: When did the mills start closing down? A: In the earlier part of the 20th century. A lot of them had converted from water power to steam. The automobiles and the trucks changed patterns of production and so on, that obviously spelled the demise of the railroad. And I guess the manufacturing was probably consolidated into bigger mills in larger cities. --Lakes Region Weekly About the Author Ned Allen is the president and former director of the Bridgton Historical Society. The society was founded in 1953 and operates a museum and research facility in downtown Bridgton, as well as the historic farmhouse Narramissic, also known as the Peabody-Fitch house. Many of the vintage photographs in Bridgton have been collected from the society's archives.
