Boothbay
A British fishing station was established on nearby Southport Island in 1623 and a few families settled on the mainland in the area now known as Boothbay. The settlers were driven out during King Philip's War and returned the following year only to be driven out again in 1689 during King William's War. This time they stayed away. In 1730 Colonel David Dunbar laid out a town called Townsend and he persuaded a number of Scots-Irish Presbyterian families to settle in the town. This time the settlement survived, becoming an incorporated town in 1764. It was renamed Boothbay in 1842 after the hamlet of Boothby in Lincolnshire, somehow gaining an ‘a’ in the process. In 1889 the port area split away and became incorporated as Boothbay Harbor. Like many Maine towns, shipbuilding was a major industry here but unusually it continues to this day. Luxury yachts, tugs, daysailers, and lobster boats are still built in Boothbay Harbor.
Locomotive 'Stettin' at Freeport Station Station, Boothbay Railway Village
North of the centre of Boothbay is a 4 hectare (10-acre) re-creation of an historic New England town. Historic buildings surround a village green, and a narrow gauge coal-fired steam train transports you between Freeport Station and the village. Boothbay Railway Village was started by George McEvoy who had over time cluttered his mother’s house with railroad memorabilia. His purchase in 1964 of the 1912 Freeport Train Station was the (rather large) straw that broke the camel’s back, there was no room for such a large structure at his mother’s house. George found a plot of land north of Boothbay and moved the station there. He added 610 mm (2 foot) gauge track, German-built Henschel steam locomotives and replicas of Maine narrow gauge rolling stock to create a railway museum.
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Stanley Steamer, Boothbay Railway Village
In addition to the railway and historic village, the Railway Village has an Antique Automobile Museum with more than 60 vehicles on display. The picture shows a 1912 Model 63 Stanley Steamer. This is not listed in the current museum inventory, but there are two other Stanley Steamers on the list.
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Waterfront, Boothbay Harbor
Although Boothbay Harbor still has a shipbuilding industry but don’t expect its waterfront to be a hive of industry. The shipyard is to the west of he main waterfront so most visitors will be unaware of it. While this is still a working harbour, in season the waterfront is very busy and lively with tourists.
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Boothbay Town Hall, Boothbay Railway Village
Seventeen historic buildings have been moved to the Ralway Village. The oldest of the buildings is Boothbay Town Hall which was built in 1847 by Ephram Pinkham. It was built in the Greek Revival style, with large corner pilasters and broad cornice mouldings outside, and a vaulted ceiling inside.
Tugboat Inn, Boothbay Harbor
We liked the waterfront with its many quirky buildings. This looks a bit like a tugboat that forgot to stop at the beach, but in reality is a typically American way of advertising a waterfront hotel and restaurant. Since the 1970s the Tugboat Inn has had the the former working tugboat ‘Maine’ parked outside to help draw in customers. Click Tab 2 to see the harvest display outside nearby McSeagulls restaurant.
© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2023
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