Mapping Franco History in Saco and Biddeford.

As promised, we present to you the first of a two-part series where we are joined by Dr. Libby Bischof and Emma Bouthillette at the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education to interpret maps ranging from the early 1800s to the turn of the century. We talked about name changes, industrial changes, property development, mill girls, so-called frivolous spending and how examining a map can give you surprising clues into the past.

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Photo by Alex Andrews on Pexels.com

_{Hi, intern Corra here, I just want to say I tried to make this post consistent with our episode, in hopes that you could have a seamless experience. But you may find that you will be needing to scroll up and down a little bit. Alternatively, you can click on the hyperlinks in the captions of each map, they will bring you to a high-definition representation of each map. Okay, merci beaucoup}.

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Map of the Villages of Saco and Biddeford York County, Maine from Original Surveys H.F. Walling, Civ. Engineer O. Harkness. Assist. Engr. 1851. Click here to view on the Osher Map Library’s website.

 View of Saco and Biddeford, Maine, from the west. The view shows the two towns and surrounding countryside along the Saco River, including farms, houses, loggers on the river, and the mill.
Click here to view on the Osher Map Library’s website.

Plan of lands of Saco Waterpower Co. at Saco & Biddeford, Me.
Click here to view on the Osher Map Library’s website.

 Map of the cities of Saco and Biddeford, Maine, showing each city’s ward boundaries. The map also includes building footprints.
Click here to view on the Osher Map Library’s website.

Map of York County Maine from Actual Survey
  Click here to view on the Osher Map Library’s website.

Plan of lands of Saco Waterpower Co. at Saco & Biddeford, Me. Published: 1848.
Click here to view on the Osher Map Library’s website.

Village of Biddeford, Maine 1835-1840 Click here to view on the Osher Map Library’s website.

Special thanks to Osher Map Library, Dr. Libby Bischof and Emma Bouthillette. As always, we’d love to hear from you: if you have any comments, critiques or corrections reach out to us.

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