The diary of a mill girl who lived much of her life in Biddeford Maine.
Biddeford High School, St. Andre, St. Louis, St. Joseph, Acadmie Marie Joseph, Biddeford Middle School, University of New England, St. Francis College
This collection also contains materials from the York Mechanic’s Institute, the Biddeford Public Library, and the Biddeford Library and Reading Room Association, precursors to McArthur Library. The majority of the collection though is from the 20th century, when the institution was known as the McArthur Library. This collection contains accession records, circulation records, financial records, correspondence and research of directors, communications created by the library or staff on behalf of it, scrapbooks and photos, as well as some digital photos.
The history of the textile industry that developed along the banks of the Saco River in Biddeford and Saco, Maine is complicated by a complex web of interconnectedness. A core group of businessmen show up repeatedly in the development of each of the various companies. None of these companies was completely separate from the others, from their incorporations forward – for example: Samuel Batchelder appears in the incorporation papers for all three Biddeford companies; William Dwight was the treasurer of both the Saco Water Power Company and the Laconia Company; York Manufacturing begat Saco Water Power Co. which begat Saco Water Power Machine Shop, Laconia Company and Pepperell Manufacturing Company; Pepperell later absorbed two of its predecessors.
Finding Aid contains histories of the following:
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Finding Aid
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Compiled by author and historian Joyce Butler of Kennebunk, Maine. It contains clippings, notes, and research materials, plus two drafts (one unpublished and one published) for a history of the Painchaud’s Band and its founder, Pierre Painchaud. The second draft was accepted for publication and appeared in the September 1977 issue of Down East Magazine.
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Glass lacquer record (broken) of broadcast “From Biddeford to Bideford” which aired March 12, 1942 over radio station WRUL in Boston. Recorded at WCSH studio in the Eastland Hotel, Portland, Maine on March 7, 1942. Folder which accompanies the record included the Biddeford Daily Journal article about the broadcast and correspondence between Dane Yorke (McArthur Library) and radio stations WGAN and WCSH for recording prices, and letters from WRUL asking Biddeford to participate and then the process of developing the program, from January 20, 1942 through March 26, 1942.
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Finding Aid
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Listen to the Broadcast
This is a collection of almanacs of various types, mostly farmers almanacs, from the New England region, from 1766 to 1935. The bulk of the almanacs are from the 19th century. The Almanac collection consists of 68 almanacs of various focus from 1766-1935. Several contain crop and other notations which show the different kinds of agricultural crops grown in the New England at the time.
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Cannonball, circa 1814. Very heavy metal cannonball (over 4 pounds) and 3″ in diameter. This cannonball was recovered from the Tarbox family pasture after shot there by the “HMS Bulwark” during Biddeford’s famous skirmish in the War of 1812.
Collected single issue and bound volumes of newspapers, spanning over 200 years of mostly local news. Most of the papers come from Biddeford and Saco, however the collection also includes papers from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and St. Paul, MN (bound in, probably by accident, with some other papers). There are also a large number of special commemorative papers for large fires, hurricanes, blizzards as well as local and state anniversaries.
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BIDDEFORD HISTORIC NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE
The Thacher collection consists of a folio album containing an account between George Thacher and his nephew, Silas Lee; one photograph of George Thacher’s portrait, painted by Henry Williams; and eighteen pieces of correspondence. The correspondence includes a letter written to Thacher by Squire Samuel Peirson of Biddeford, another of Biddeford’s founding fathers. ONLINE ACCESS: Finding Aid McArthur Library Catalog
Collection of amateur newspapers, the bulk produced between 1873 and 1874, from across the United States and Canada. They were collected by Walter E. Perkins of Biddeford, who at age 14 was producing his own paper “The Snow Flake”. Perkins exchanged his paper with other boys across the country and amassed an impressive collection of over 130 papers from 25 states and Canada in this manner. In 1878 Perkins left for Boston to pursue his dream of becoming a stage actor. He went on to great fame as a comedic actor, and performed across the country until his death in 1925.
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Perkins Collection Website
The Houle-Dubreuil-L’italien family were very representative of an average Franco-American family in Biddeford in the early 20th Century. Hervé was born in Canada, and grew up speaking French. Eventually he moved with his parents Biddeford Maine. He worked as a cook and eventually went on to own his own restaurant, Herve’s Lunch, in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
The Houle family is known for the first French speaking child born in Biddeford. Born Augusta Lafluer, her nice Lilly Houle went on to marry Hervé Dubreuil, and passed these stories on through the collection. She also collected many photographs of the family enjoying leisure time in in the 1920’s-1930’s, a look into the everyday life of a family in Biddeford. This collection also includes the journal of Louis Dubreuil, a family member who served in World War 1 and recorded his last few months of life in the fall of 1918.
Part of The McArthur Library Institutional Collection (MS 103)
For nearly forty years Joseph Jovite “J.J.” Salvas was actively engaged in the staging and direction of amateur theatrical productions. His companies were made up largely of Biddeford people, and they played to enthusiastic audiences in Biddeford and throughout New England. Felix Coulombe (his cousin, Conrad, as well as Mr. and Mrs. John B. Joncas), were amongst the many active members of this vibrant local theater community.
The photographs, posters and programs in the collection reveal some of the players and the well-known plays in which they appeared.
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Finding Aid
McArthur Library Catalog
The Library’s Miscellaneous collection – Small manuscripts includes a variety of materials relating to the history of Biddeford and environs, from colonial times to the modern era. The collection is a “catch-all” for the numerous single item and very small collections, which while important and informative, do not warrant their own singular collection. These materials include a large portion of the Library’s 18th century holdings, and are a rich source of local and regional historical material.
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Finding Aid
McArthur Library Catalog
To explore our complete collection of books, media, and resources, please check out the link below to access the full library catalog.
