Working Waterfront
A fishery transformed by canning
Men handled the heavy lifting and soldering of cans, while women cooked, processed, and packed the meat in addition to labeling cans. SEE MORE
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Category: In Plain Sight
Working Waterfront
A sardine-packing plant’s 20th century history
The epicenter for the Maine sardine business at the turn of the 20th century was Downeast in Eastport and Lubec, but 50 years of heavy fishing pressure coupled with intense competition between packing companies in the area forced some of the companies to look for new opportunities down the coast.… SEE MORE
Working Waterfront
Sliding into history: The tradition of the launch
The accompanying images show the September 1901 launch of the USS Cleveland at Bath Iron Works. Spectators packed the yard, standing shoulder to shoulder among scaffolding and shipyard debris to witness the Navy cruiser’s christening and launch. SEE MORE
Working Waterfront
‘Put your scissors where your mouth is!’
It was the summer of 1970 when Rita Willey won the first sardine packing contest at the Maine Lobster & Seafood Festival in Rockland. She was 31 years old and had been packing sardines for 14 years. SEE MORE
Working Waterfront
Our social insurance has maritime origins
Social welfare programs are subject to frequent criticism on the national and local levels and are usually associated with numerous 1930s policies enacted to respond to social hardships highlighted by the Great Depression. In actuality, the first government-managed social insurance program dates all the way back to the 18th century… SEE MORE
Working Waterfront
Capturing the kill
He used a polarizing filter to help lessen the glare on the surface so the swordfish could be clearly seen; those preparations, coupled with some savvy darkroom work, produced the cover shot. SEE MORE
Working Waterfront
Ice made historic floods worse
During flooding events, ice floes can collide with structures, causing additional damage. This was notably the case during the historic Great Flood of 1936. SEE MORE
Working Waterfront
A misheard word led to iconic photo
A working waterfront is loosely defined as critical access to coastal waters for people engaged in commercial and recreational fishing, seafood processing, boat building, aquaculture, and other water-dependent businesses. The accompanying photograph of the pier on Louds Island pushes that definition a bit, but it was in fact a water-dependent… SEE MORE
Working Waterfront
Former federal buildings are maritime commerce relics
Scattered across the coast of Maine are the remnants of a network of federal buildings that were once the center for documenting maritime commerce. The activities of custom houses included recording the arrivals and clearances of vessels, examining cargoes, collecting duties, and listing passengers and crew. For a large chunk… SEE MORE
Working Waterfront
What created Maine’s brief whaling industry
Menhaden, also referred to as pogies or mossbunkers, are currently one of several species of bait fish used in the lobster industry. Historically, these fish were harvested for entirely different purposes: leather production and agriculture. By the mid-19th century, numerous oil processing plants were established in Maine to refine menhaden… SEE MORE
