I scanned these photos taken by my grandparents in the 1950s. My grandparents lived in Camden and also owned camps in Lincolnville and Northern Penobscot County. My great-uncle Oscar owned a camp near East Millinocket. These photos were probably taken in or near Camden, Lincolnville, East Millinocket, T6R7, and Baxter State Park between 1955 – 57. The location and date of some of the pictures are unknown. I could probably track down this info from my family, but in the meantime, here are some photos. They are a reminder of the way Maine used to be.
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| Source: UNH Dimond Library |
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| A log drive – Spring 1957? |
Sawtelle Falls?
This was the Sawtelle Deadwater in front of my Grandparents’ camp. I remember it well.
Not sure where this was taken. It looks like it was taken from some kind of structure perched on the edge of this river.
Baxter State Park
(I think)
My grandfather – Laurence Dailey. He looks a bit like Bob Wagg in this photo.
Not sure where these photos were taken either. Maybe Shin Pond or somewhere in Baxter State Park?
I remember going fishing with my Grandfather once somewhere around here. As we were driving back to his camp we crossed an old rickety bridge. My grandfather told us the story of the time he had to shoot his horse because it fell through this bridge and broke its leg. I wonder if this was that same horse.
A man, his horse, and his truck. The only thing that’s missing is a dog.
How about two dogs and another truck.
East Millinocket?
I don’t recognize where these pictures were taken. It could be my great uncle Oscar’s camp or some other camp in Northern Maine. I remember a lot of abandoned logging camps along the Sawtelle – perhaps this was one of them.
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| Before the Skidder was invented |
I remember my uncle telling me a story about the time he helped his uncle Oscar build a garage at his camp. They cut down the trees and hewed them into beams, then built a timber frame structure. Perhaps that was when these pictures were taken.
Lincolnville
My grandfather built this camp in the 1920s. He had to sell it in the 1930s. He was able to buy it back again once he got out of the army after WW II. My uncle put an addition on this camp in the 1980s. He salvaged most of the building materials from the town dump in Camden. He finished it about 10 years ago. Now there’s indoor plumbing and a modern kitchen in the back of the camp.
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Camden
I’m not sure if these pictures were taken in Camden. My grandparents used to own a farm on the outskirts of town. After my great-grandparents died my grandparents sold their farm and moved to my great-grandfather’s mansion on Washington Street. I never saw their farm, but perhaps that’s where these pictures were taken.
I think the two kids in the bottom left of the below photo are my father, Tom, and my uncle, Jerry, aged 9 and 10.
A classic – a picture of someone else taking a picture. It would be interesting to track down the photo this person took of my grandmother.
These photos were taken when my father was between 9 – 11 years old. I’m amazed to see how different Maine was when my father was that age compared to when I was that age. It’s amazing to see evidence of the traditional way of life in Maine, such as the family farm, horses, log drives, and traditional timber frame construction, alongside the technology, such as the automobile, that has transformed the traditional Maine landscape and way of life.