Mills and Main Street Walking Tour
1. Yarmouth History Center, 118 East Elm Street: Start here to learn about Yarmouth’s past! Yarmouth History Center was built in 2012 on the site of the 1923 Yarmouth water district building, pictured below. The stone walls inside the History Center are original to the water district building and were preserved and incorporated into the new museum building, which also includes a program room, archives, and office space. At the Center, visitors can view some of the collection’s thousands of objects, archival materials, and photographs that document Yarmouth’s history. In addition to local history displays, the Center also hosts exhibitions of regional contemporary art, a full slate of engaging programs, and a Yarmouth-themed gift shop. The Center is open free of charge Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. From the History Center, cross the street into Royal River park and follow the path along the river. An interpretive sign marks the site of the Forest Paper Company at third falls.
2. Forest Paper Company at Third Falls, Royal River Park: Yarmouth’s largest mill produced wood pulp for the paper industry. Growing from a modest cluster of wood frame buildings established in 1864, the mill quickly expanded under the ownership of S.D. Warren, producing high quality soda pulp for use in the paper making industry. At its height around 1910, the Forest Paper Company was the largest mill of its kind, employing 250 workers who daily produced 80 tons of poplar pulp which was shipped to paper mills all over the world. The mill closed in 1923 and burned in a spectacular fire in 1931, leaving the 10-acre site in ruins. Following a massive clean-up effort in the early 1980s, the former mill site is now part of Royal River Park, one of Yarmouth’s most popular parks and the site of many community events. Continue along the river path to Bridge Street. Turn left onto Bridge Street to check out the mill.
3. Royal River Manufacturing Company, 80 Bridge Street: At the Royal River’s Second Falls, near Bridge Street, stands the Sparhawk Mill. In 1847, Eleazer Burbank opened the North Yarmouth Manufacturing Company on this site; the company made cotton yarn and cloth. Successive owners from 1855 onwards expanded the business and replaced the wooden mill with a brick structure. Operating under the name of Royal River Manufacturing Company, the mill found great success spinning cotton yarn and producing seamless cotton grain bags. At its height, the Royal River Manufacturing Company employed 60 men, women, and children, many of whom came to Yarmouth from Prince Edward Island to work in the mill. In the late 19th century, a weaver at the mill could earn $1.40 to $1.50 per day, but the days were long with shifts running from 6:00 am until 6:00 pm, with a 45-minute lunch break. Mill employees might choose to live just up the street from the mill in one of the two boarding houses constructed for this purpose. Room and board ranged from $2 to $3 per week. In the mid-20th century, the mill was bought and sold repeatedly but the Royal River Manufacturing continued to operate until 1951, with a brief interruption during the Great Depression. In the early 1950s the Old Sparhawk Mills Company moved into the mill and focused its production on braided rugs. In 1957, Sherman O. Yale took over the space to produce braided twine for lobster traps and yachting cord under the name Yale Cordage. In 1991 the mill was developed into a rental space for businesses. Head back along Bridge Street towards Main Street. Turn left onto Main Street to see the Central Parish Church.
4. Central Parish Church, 97 Main Street: Now known as the First Universalist Church of Yarmouth, the Central Parish Church was built in 1860. Members of Yarmouth’s original Congregational Church formed the Central Parish when the church’s congregation split around 1860 over philosophical and social disagreements. The church was designed in the Italianate style by architect Thomas Holt and is one of his four known church commissions in Maine. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The Universalists later established themselves here in 1886 and the Unitarians joined in 1920. Before the church was constructed, this site was the location of Jenks Tavern, a stage coach tavern. Cross Main Street to see First Parish Church.
5. First Parish Church, 116 Main Street: Today’s First Parish Church was built in 1867-68, but the congregation dates back to the early 18th century when it worshipped at the Meetinghouse Under the Ledge, pictured below. The original meetinghouse was built in 1730 near the intersection of today’s Gilman Road and Lafayette Street (Route 88). It was town down in 1836, after the congregation had moved to a new church on Main Street. As the town grew throughout the 19th century, Yarmouth’s First Parish relocated to Main Street, keeping the Church at the heart of the expanding town. The “Old Sloop” Church, pictured below, served the congregation from 1818 until 1868. From 1868 until it was torn down in 1878, the building operated as Union Hall. The current First Parish Church was designed by architect George M. Harding in a rich Italianate style, full of ornament and and detail. It was built in 1867-68 and cost about $35,000 to build. The church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Continue northwest along Main Street towards North Yarmouth Academy.
6. North Yarmouth Academy, 148 Main Street: North Yarmouth Academy, incorporated in 1814 when Yarmouth was still known by its original name of North Yarmouth, is one of the oldest private schools in Maine. Although today its campus spans both sides of Main Street, the oldest original campus buildings are clustered on the north side of Main Street. Academy Hall, a classroom building, was constructed in 1847-48 and Russell Hall, a dormitory, was built in 1841. Both buildings are now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Curtis Hall, pictured below, was built in the 1930s and initiated the school’s expansion into more modern facilities on the south side of Main Street. Continue northwest along Main Street towards Merrill Memorial Library.
7. Merrill Memorial Library, 215 Main Street: Merrill Memorial Library occupies a central spot in an area known as Brickyard Hollow. Yarmouth-born Joseph Merrill donated the funds for a new Yarmouth library in 1903. Two years later, the completed building was dedicated to the memory of his parents, Ezekiel Merrill and Sarah Hobart Lewis. The architect of the building was Alexander W. Longfellow, nephew of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Library’s construction in a part of town known as Brickyard Hollow marked a new local effort to develop the area which had historically been hindered by frequent floods due to its low-lying position and proximity to a stream. The area became more usable after tons of black ash, a byproduct of the soda pulp process of the Forest Paper Company, were piped in to level the ground. Across the street from the Library, on the site of today’s town hall, were the Grammar and High Schools, built in 1890 and 1900, respectively. The town grew rapidly around the turn of the 20th century and made good use of the land in Brickyard Hollow for new civic projects. Continue along Main Street to the Grand Trunk Depot, now the location of Gorham Savings Bank.
8. Grand Trunk Depot, 288 Main Street: The St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad (later Grand Trunk) arrived in Yarmouth in 1848. The Grand Trunk Railroad Station was completed in 1906, replacing a previous structure built shortly after the railroad’s arrival. The current station’s elegant roofline, delicate brackets, and semicircular northern facade distinguish the building as a wonderful and unusual surviving example of mid-19th century station design. It was saved from demolition by Yarmouth’s Village Improvement Society in 1968 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Continue along Main Street towards the corner of East Elm Street.
9. Brick Block, 357 Main Street: The Brick Block has anchored commercial activities in Yarmouth’s upper village since 1862. Samuel Fogg and Ansel Loring built the Brick Block in Yarmouth’s Upper Village in 1862. From 1878-1916 L. R. Cook’s apothecary shop was on the right side of the building. Cook’s carried a “choice assortment of fine drugs and chemicals.” On the left was Marston’s Dry Goods. Marston’s store did business at this location for over 100 years! Turn down East Elm Street to walk back to the History Center.
