A Brief History of Biddeford

Published by The History Press, an imprint of Arcadia Publishing, June 2017.

Captain Richard Vines founded Winter Harbor in 1616. The small coastal Maine village, now known as Biddeford, is the largest city in York County with more than 21,000 residents. During the nineteenth century, the city experienced a boom from the textile industry when textile magnate Samuel Batchelder established Pepperell Manufacturing Company, which rapidly became an international brand. The city suffered when textile manufacturing moved south in the mid twentieth century, abandoning its expansive infrastructure along the Saco River. In 2004, Mayor Wallace Nutting organized local residents in a revitalization effort for the downtown, and developers began renovating historic mill buildings into residential and commercial space. Join author and lifelong Biddeford resident Emma Bouthillette as she revisits the city’s early history and explores the recent rebirth.    

If you’re in southern Maine, Elements: Books Coffee Beer keeps A Brief History of Biddeford in stock and, with any luck, you can find a signed copy there. Or click the link below to purchase direct from Arcadia Publishing.