Rural York County

Journey to picturesque York County's past in this photographic history.

Rural York County, with its charming historic towns and villages, has long been one of the most delightful areas of Maine. While tourists from the nineteenth century onward sought out the high life that made Maine's coastal areas so famous, the residents of the more peaceful, pristine countryside kept the serenity of their backyard a secret. The fascinating selection of images that make up this visual history have been carefully selected as a journey into the past, a journey from Kittery up the coast to Saco; through the Berwicks and Lebanon; to Alfred and Springvale, and Sanford close by; around Acton, Shapleigh, Newfield, and Waterboro; then on to Parsonsfield, Porter, Kezar Falls, and Cornish.

With this book open in front of a roaring fire in the city or in the countryside, the reader is reminded of a gentler time, a time of barn raisings and fairs, of buckboard rides to church and school. In a time of flux and change, the wonderful variety of photographs and postcards featured here help us to appreciate the security, peace, and the proud sense of identity found in country living, and give us an insight into how much, and yet how little, has changed over the years in rural York County.