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Main Street is a historic street in
Yarmouth, Maine Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, twelve miles north of the state's largest city, Portland. When originally settled in 1636, as North Yarmouth, it was part of Massachusetts, and remained as such for 213 years. In 1849, ...
, United States. It is part of the State Route 115 (SR 115), the eastern terminus of which is in Yarmouth at the intersection of Marina Road and Lafayette Street ( SR 88), at
Yarmouth Harbor Yarmouth Marina is a natural harbor and estuary of Casco Bay, and is located adjacent to the town of Yarmouth, Maine, United States. It is situated on the Royal River, around southeast of the town center, in an area known as Lower Falls. Today ...
in the Lower Falls area. Its western end is a merging with Walnut Hill Road in
North Yarmouth North Yarmouth, officially the Town of North Yarmouth, is a town in Cumberland County, Maine. The population was 4,072 at the 2020 United States Census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...
, at which point SR 115 continues west. As it crosses Elm Street, Main Street continues as West Main Street into North Yarmouth. It is East Main Street, meanwhile, from Lower Falls to Granite Street, to the north. Between Lower Falls and Upper Village, Main Street is about long and sits about above sea level. The annual Yarmouth Clam Festival attracts around 120,000 people (around fourteen times its population) over the course of the three-day weekend and is centered on Main Street. In 2022, the town began seeking feedback on a streetscape plan for the intersection of Main Street and Railroad Square, as part of the larger Main Street Sidewalk and Streetscape Master Plan and Design Recommendations program.


Architecture


Lower Falls

19th- and 20th-century homes and business that existed on Main Street in Yarmouth's Lower Falls (also ''Falls Village'' or ''The Falls'') section are listed below, roughly from east to west.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Hall, Alan M., Arcadia (2002)


East Main Street

East Main Street (which joins State Route 88 at the foot of the hill) crosses the East Main Street Bridge at the First Falls and has been a route to the northeastern part of Yarmouth (and into Freeport) since the founding of the town. Henry Bailey Hitchcock lived at 30 East Main Street, built in 1870. 35 East Main Street was built in 1848. Its brick basement was once used as a store by Nathan Oakes and Daniel Mitchell. Shipbuilder Jeremiah Baker lived here between 1857 and around 1871. 38 East Main Street was built by shipbuilder Albion Seabury in 1844. Directly opposite, number 43 was originally owned by Johnathan True in 1780, a clothier who owned a store at Lower Falls. It was later associated with Dr. David Jones and David Pratt, one of Yarmouth's earliest shipbuilders."Project Report Reconnaissance-Level Architectural Survey of Yarmouth, ME MHPC Project ID# YPI2018 Phase One – 2018"
- Town of Yarmouth website
Number 49, built in 1779, was moved here in 1817 by Major Daniel Mitchell and later expanded by Daniel L. Mitchell. As of 2018, the nine-over-six windows, entry door and surround, trim and siding are all original. 51 East Main Street was built in 1810 and was once the home of
William Stockbridge William Reed Stockbridge (June 29, 1782 – January 3, 1850) was an American merchant, ship owner and town treasurer who was active in coastal North Yarmouth, Massachusetts (now in Maine), in the 19th century. Life and career Stockbridge was bo ...
, a prominent merchant, ship owner and town treasurer. After Stockbridge's death in 1850, many of the facilities he owned in the area were sold. These included his home, his wharf, shipyard and a large parcel of riverside land. His former home was operated as the main building of the Royal River Cabins until the 1940s. Number 56 was built, likely by clockmaker
Lebbeus Bailey Lebbeus Bailey (May 12, 1763 – December 6, 1827) was a noted American clockmaker, prominent in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. After setting up his first business in Massachusetts, he came to prominence after moving to North Yarmouth in ...
(1763–1827), in 1792. It was also associated with Albion Seabury. Next door, at 64 East Main, is a home built by Augustus True in 1865. Known locally as Stockbridge Hall, number 68, at the corner of East Main and Yankee Drive, was built around 1725. Close to the East Main and Spring Street split, number 96 was likely built by Samuel Buxton and later occupied by Nathaniel True. 100 East Main Street was built in 1810. Around twenty years later it became Asa Bisbee's blacksmith shop. Next door, number 112, was built by Jacob Jones around 1818. Just beyond the junction with Willow Street stands number 129, which was built by Madison Northey around 1865. Samuel Kinney lived at number 148 around 1813. It was built in 1810. File:30 East Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, Henry Bailey Hitchcock built today's 30 East Main Street in 1870 File:55_East_Main_Street,_Yarmouth.jpeg, 35 East Main Street, built in 1848. Behind it is number 43, which dates from 1780 File:38 Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, 38 Main Street, originally the home of shipbuilder Albion Seabury File:51_East_Main_Street,_Yarmouth.jpeg, The three-storey 51 East Main Street, built in 1810.
General Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...
once stayed here File:56 East Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, The Lebbeus Bailey House, 56 East Main Street File:64 East Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, 64 East Main Street, the Augustus True House


Main Street

Nicholas Grant built the main building of the since-expanded Greek Revival house at 37 Main Street, on the hill down to the harbor, around 1844. Henry Rowe (1812–1870) was the architect of the pink Gothic Revival house at 49 Main Street, the Alfred Seabury House, which was built in 1845. Rowe also designed The Gothic House in Portland. 50 Main Street, the three-storey old Hose No. 2 at the Main Street and Marina Road split (formerly known as Staples Hill), was built for the fire department around 1889. Back on the northern side of the street, number 57 was built around 1813. Next door, number 63, was built for Bethiah Staples around 36 years later, in 1849. 76 Main Street, set back from the road, adjacent to Torrey Court, was built in 1792. The home has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, and sits on 1.6 acres. 73 Main Street, the left elevation of which faces the street, was once the home of Jacob G. Loring. In the building at 82–84 Main Street was W. N. Richards & Co. (owned by William Richards), established in 1864;''Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine'', Volume 13 (1901), p. 19 in the 1960s, Vining's
delicatessen Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...
and, beside it to the west, George Soule's ice cream shop and pool hall. Soule died in 1923, from paralysis, aged 79. Across the street, the brick building at 85 Main Street currently occupied by Svetlana was erected around 1848. 90 Main Street, built in 1875, was Barbour's
hardware store Hardware stores (in a number of countries, "shops"), sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing suppli ...
; later Goffs hardware (1969–2015). Manley E. Bishop's grocery store stood to the east of the present-day Goffs building. Englishman James Parsons' (1811–1876)
grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...
, "a two-story building standing on the lot adjoining that where stood for so many years the little old post office". It was here that "dignified citizens like Doctor James Bates, L.L. Shaw and Barnabas Freeman often assembled for an evening's chat".''Reminiscences of a Yarmouth Schoolboy'', Edward Clarence Plummer (Marks Printing House, 1926) Parsons came to Yarmouth around 1860 and wed a wealthy local girl. Upon Parsons' death in 1876, his son, Alvarado H. (1848–1915), took over the business.''Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine'', Volume 13 (1901), p. 18 The
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
until around 1905. The first
postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
was Payne Elwell (1744–1820) in 1793. (He lived in the building that is now 162 Main Street, which stands on the former site of the Knights of Pythias Hall, Westcustogo Lodge, No. 33)''Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine'', Volume 13 (1901), p. 13 He was succeeded in 1803 by Samuel P. Russell, David Drinkwater in 1804, John Hale in 1810, Daniel Mitchell in 1816, James C. Hill in 1834, Jacob G. Loring in 1842 and Reuben Cutter in 1845. When the town split occurred, the office name was changed in 1852 to Yarmouth from North Yarmouth. Reuben Cutter resumed the role, and was followed by Otis Briggs Pratt in 1861 and Nicholas Drinkwater in 1866. Lucy V. Groves was appointed in 1868, becoming the first woman named or elected to an official position in the town of Yarmouth. Lucy Q. Cutter succeeded her in 1887, Melville C. Merrill in 1898, Frank Howard Drinkwater in 1911, Frank O. Wellcome in 1914 and Ernest C. Libby in 1936.''Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine 1636-1936: A History'', William Hutchinson Rowe (1937) Cornelius Shaw's Cash Market (1899). The plural version, Shaws', appeared on the sign, indicating it was a family business. At today's 91 Main Street is the former Captain Thomas Chase Store, built around 1819. Between 1895 and 1929 it was Leon Doughty's stove and hardware store, L.A. Doughty & Co. It is now Snip 'N Clip Hair Designs, still with the windows that were installed in 1932. Doughty moved across the street, into the building to be later occupied by L. R. Doherty's hardware store, Barbour's and Goffs, when his business expanded. William H. Freeman's hairdressing salon (located above Doughty's before its move).''Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine'', Volume 13 (1901), p. 20 Freeman lived on Lafayette Street. He had at least two children: William and Jennie.
Cyrus Curtis Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis (June 18, 1850June 7, 1933) was an American publisher of magazines and newspapers, including the '' Ladies' Home Journal'' and ''The Saturday Evening Post''.Ingham, John N. Biographical Dictionary of American Busines ...
' ''
Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' publishers. The
millinery Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...
shop of Susan Kinghorn (located at the eastern corner of Main and Portland Streets in the building now occupied by Rosemont Market); between 1942 and 1953 arold B.Allen's Variety Store, then Daken's, Romie's, Lindahl's, Donatelli's Pizza, Denucci's Pizza (briefly) and Connor's. Elder Rufus York's general store, located in the brick building now occupied by Runge's Oriental Rug store at 108 Main Street, on the western corner of the Portland Street intersection. York ran the store with his wife, Zoa. In 1874, the Lower Falls near the harbor was crowded with the homes of sea captains, merchants and shipbuilders. An ornate, circular
horse trough A watering trough (or artificial watering point) is a man-made or natural receptacle intended to provide drinking water to animals, livestock on farms or ranches or wild animals. History In Australia, the watering trough is established so ...
resembling a water fountain existed at the intersection of Main and Portland Streets in the early 1900s; it now stands behind the Merrill Memorial Library. The
parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...
for the Universalist church was the brick building at 89 Main Street, now occupied by Plumb-It, et al., to the east of Snip 'N Clip. It was built around 1845 by Bradbury True, whose sons owned the neighboring houses. 95 Main Street, a high-style Italianate, is now owned by the First Universalist Church. On the other side of the church, at number 109, just to the east of where ''Old Sloop'' (later known as Union Hall) once stood, is an 1850-built Italianate house that was formerly the home of Edward J. Stubbs, one of Yarmouth's most prolific and successful shipbuilders.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.16 Lyman Walker (1814–1906) and his son,
Lyman Fessenden Walker Lyman Fessenden Walker (1836–1920)''Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine 1636-1936: A History'', William Hutchinson Rowe (1937) was an American shipwright during a prolific period at Yarmouth Harbor in Maine Maine () is a state in ...
, owned a general wood and coal business in the lower village.Portland Board of Trade Journal, volume 3
/ref> 124 Main Street, which faces the Bridge Street intersection, is the circa-1825 John Sargent House. Next door, at number 128, is a 1925-built house now used as the NYA admissions office. File:49 Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, 49 Main Street was built in 1845 File:Goffs Hardware Store, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, Goffs hardware store, at the eastern end of Main Street, closed in 2015 after 46 years in business File:Junction of Main and Portland Streets, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, The intersection of Main and Portland Streets, looking west. The site of Susan Kinghorn's millinery is now a Rosemont Market & Bakery. The
steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...
belongs to the First Parish Congregational Church File:63 Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, Bethiah Staples House, 63 Main Street File:73 Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, The former Jacob G. Loring home at 73 Main Street File:Yarmouth, Maine - 8190087702.jpg, 85 Main Street was built around 1848 File:95 Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, 95 Main Street File:Edward J. Stubbs House.jpg, The Edward J. Stubbs House, 109 Main Street, built in 1850


Brickyard Hollow

The section of town between the Upper Village and Lower Falls was known as Brickyard Hollow, named for the brick-making business that was located across the street from the Masonic Hall (now the restaurant Gather) at 189 Main Street, which was built in the 1870s. A muddy valley up until the beginning of the 20th century, the Hollow was eventually reclaimed as a civic center by laying down a two-foot layer of black ash, from Forest Paper Company, to level it out. After constructing two new schools, the Merrill Memorial Library and a war memorial, town officials also decided to rename the area Centervale in order to improve its image. The name did not last, however. Sylvanus Blanchard lived in the brick building at 158 Main Street around 1847, before moving to number 317. As of 2018, the original barn is still attached. The cape at 163 Main Street was built around 1843. 171 Main Street, on the eastern corner of the York Street intersection, dates from about the same year. Across the intersection, at 179 Main Street, is a Greek Revival cape built in 1842. A
lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
from 1851, depicting the area of Main Street serviced by York Street, shows the home of George Woods and, next door, the Yarmouth Institute, which he established as direct competition with North Yarmouth Academy. Although it attracted students from as far afield as
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, his institute lacked an
endowment Endowment most often refers to: *A term for human penis size It may also refer to: Finance *Financial endowment, pertaining to funds or property donated to institutions or individuals (e.g., college endowment) *Endowment mortgage, a mortgage to b ...
and closed after five years. Woods sold the building to Paul Blanchard in 1853. It was torn down in 1930. In 1859, while serving in his new role as
chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
, a lawsuit involving his dispute with NYA precipitated the split in Yarmouth's First Parish Church. In 1890, Yarmouth built a large new school building on the site of the present, 1975-built town hall. Grades 5 to 8 were on the first floor; the high school occupied the upper level.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.39 A three-storey high school was constructed next to this in 1900. When all of the high-school students were sent to North Yarmouth Academy in 1930, the building became another elementary school. In 1974, both buildings were demolished to make way for the current construction. In 1903, six years before his death at the age of 76, Joseph Edward Merrill donated the funds to build a new library, while George W. Hammond donated the land from his Forest Paper Company.Yarmouth History Center
– Newsletter, Fall 2017
The architect was Alexander Longfellow, a nephew of the poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
. Also involved in the library's construction was John Coombs, father of George and Albert. Despite the occasional flood, town offices were eventually established in the library's basement. The flooding was partly caused by the blockage of Cleaves Brook (to the left of the town hall) — which formerly drained the whole center of town — when Brickyard Hollow was filled in. Directly across the street from the library stood the Dumphy house and barn. These were auctioned off in 1921, creating more public space in Centervale. In 1904, the town's
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
veterans sought permission to place a soldiers monument in front of the new schools. With funds lacking, it was put off until after
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(during which 106 Yarmouth residents served),''Yarmouth Revisited'', Amy Aldredge when the project was completed in tandem with a board of trade plan to erect a
bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...
. The resulting octagonal structure, in the
Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...
, was adorned by a plaque to the veterans. The words "Memorial To Men of Yarmouth in War Service" appeared just below the roof line. The structure was inadequately maintained, however, and had to be removed when rotting floorboards resulted in injuries. In 1929, a new centralized post office was built to the east of the present 1932-dedicated Anderson-Mayberry
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
Hall (named for servicemen Edgar Anderson and Edwin Mayberry, who died from the Spanish flu while based at
Fort Devens Fort Devens is a United States Army Reserve military installation in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Due to extensive environmental contamination it was li ...
). On the left side of this building was the Fidelity Trust Company. The bank failed early in the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
of the 1930s.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.38 To the east of the post office stood the
Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...
Hall. It became the Pastime Theatre in the 1920s, then Yarmouth Theatre between 1942 and 1956. Harriman's IGA Foodliner moved here in the late 20th century from its Main and West Elm Streets location. A
KeyBank KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States. Key's customer base spans retail, small b ...
(formerly Casco Bank) and the parking lot for NYA's Priscilla Savage Middle School now stand in its place. During the middle of the 20th century, in the plaza across Cleaves Street that formerly housed a
7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...
and, until 2017, Anthony's Dry Cleaners & Laundromat, was the Dairy Joy ice-creamery, in front, and the Korner Kitchen (formerly the Snack Shack) behind it. Across the street, at the intersection of Main and School Streets (in the building filled by People's United Bank), the post office occupied its final location before its move to Forest Falls Drive. Ship owner Cyrus Foss Sargent's home stands at 251 Main Street. It ran as the Village Inn between 1916 and 1920. In 1867, the building at 261 Main Street (across from Hancock Lumber) was built for Sylvanus Cushing Blanchard. Later owners of the house include
Joseph York Hodsdon Joseph York Hodsdon (October 20, 1836 – February 24, 1901) was an American businessman and politician from Maine. A resident of Yarmouth, he was a Republican state senator from 1899 to 1901 and a shoe manufacturer. Early life Hodsdon was born ...
, proprietor of Hodsdon Shoe Company, and Dr. Fiore Agesilao Parisi. 273 Main Street, which stands at the entrance to Camp Hammond, is a "highly-altered former church" built in 1880. In November 1900, the saw mill of W. H. Walker and A. H. Cleaves was established across from where the Grand Trunk depot stands today. On January 2, 2009, twenty-six businesses located at 500 Route 1 were destroyed in an
arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
attack. The entire block, located near to the point at which Route 1 passes over Main Street, was pulled down shortly thereafter. Damage was estimated to be between $2 million and $4 million. Everett Stickney, of
Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...
, was convicted of starting the fire, along with another one in
York, Maine York is a town in York County, Maine, United States, near the southern tip of the state. The population in the 2020 census was 13,723. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort town. It is home ...
, later that evening. On November 12, 2009, Stickney was sentenced to an eleven-and-a-half-year
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
term and ordered to pay $3.7 million in compensation. The building was replaced in 2008 and several businesses have moved in. U.S. Route 1 arrived in town in the late 1940s, shortly after the conclusion of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. File:Yarmouth, Maine - 8190086064.jpg, Former Masonic Lodge, 189 Main Street Brickyard Hollow, around where the town hall now stands, looking east towards NYA File:Yarmouth, Maine - 8190086320.jpg, 179 Main Street, built in 1842 File:261 Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg, This house, at 261 Main Street, was built in 1879 as the home of Sylvanus Cushing Blanchard. Camp Hammond is visible in the background on the left. The carriage house on the right is now the parking lot of InterMed File:261_Main_Street_2019.jpg, The much-altered building in 2019


Upper Village

Businesses and residences in the Upper Village and the area around the intersection of Main and Elm Street, which officially became known as Yarmouthville in 1882, are listed below, roughly from west to east. A house that stood at the corner of Main and East Elm was moved to 45 Baker Street around 1890.Architectural Survey Yarmouth, ME (Phase One, September, 2018
- Yarmouth's town website)
In the mid-to-late 1870s, diagonally across from where Handy Andy's now is, was Jeremiah Mitchell's "Temperance House"
tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...
. Mitchell died in 1869, aged about 31. The inn's location later became the site of Wilfred W. Dunn's house, then, between 1959 and 1972, Norton's
Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Indepe ...
gas station. It is now Latchstring Park.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.33 After his death in 1811, the family of Dr. William Parsons moved into a
colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...
home, built around 1790 by its first occupant, Ebenezer Corliss, where the single-storey building now stands at the corner of Main and West Elm Streets. The house was torn down in 1950.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.32 The existing building, at 366, constructed in 1945 but since widened, formerly housed a pool hall, Edgar Read Smith's grocery store, Harriman's IGA Foodliner, and Turner's Television sales and service business. Sam York's grocery store, located to the east of the Parsons residence, was built in 1890. Like the Parsons' residence, it is now gone. Adelaide Abbott's millinery shop, located to the east of York's. The building that housed George H. Jefferd's harness shop (today's 358 Main Street) was built in 1890. Isaac Johnson's barbershop was located above Jefferd's. The post office, opened in May 1882. Its first postmistress was W. L. Haskell, followed by Joseph Raynes in 1886. He remained in the position for 28 years, leaving the post in 1914 to Beecher True Lane. Anna Tibbetts Douglass followed in 1919. This branch was closed in 1928, and a village carrier system began at the central office. At the corner of Main and East Elm Streets stood a nail mill in 1807. (East Elm Street was known for a period as Mill Street, before today's incarnation was given its name.) In 1891, what was then Nathaniel Foster's pottery was torn down, after about fifty years in existence, and a new building was constructed. Since then, more than thirty different business or owners have set up here, including, between 1906 and 1935, Arthur and Harry Storer's hardware store, Storer Bros.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.31 It was later John Ambrose Griffin's hardware store,''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.30 and became Andy's Handy Store – named for proprietor, Leland "Andy" Anderson. In 1935, a 31-year-old Anderson combined the two wooden buildings of Griffin's and an adjacent grocery store (which sold produce "at Portland prices"). Colloquially named ''Handy Andy's'', it became occupied by OTTO Pizza in 2014. Thoroughfare have occupied the entire building since early 2022. William Marston's
dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and forme ...
store (founded in 1859; closed circa 1968). It occupied the Brick Store for around a century.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.21 Located next door to Marston's was Leone R. Cook's apothecary, where Frank Bucknam was an apprentice. Cook arrived in Yarmouth around 1880.''Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine'', Volume 13 (1901), p. 16 Harold Roy "Snap" Moxcey's barbershop, which he ran with his father Clarence ("Pop"), was located at the corner of Main and Center Streets, across Center Street from the Baptist church.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.27 The building was moved around 1990 and now stands on the property of 463 Lafayette Street, across from the Ledge Cemetery. Ernest C. Libby was an employee with the Moxceys for thirteen years before opening his own barber shop on Center Street. To the right of the barbershop was Claude Kingsley's candy-distribution business. A barber shop, beside the Baptist church, was owned by Charlie Reinsborough. The Italianate number 347 is significant for its association with Captain Richard Harding, a sea captain, town clerk and state representative. 343 Main Street was the home of Smith's General Store for "much of the 1900s". It also had a couple of
American Oil Company Amoco () is a brand of fuel stations operating in the United States, and owned by BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a refinery in Whiting, Indiana, an ...
gas pumps just off the sidewalk. 339 Main Street was the home of local miller Amassa Baker, built in 1800. Coombs Bros. (Albert and George)
candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...
and grocery store (located at 298 Main Street in the building between Railroad Crossing and South Street in a different construction than what is standing today). Bert set up the town's telephone service in 1895. Elmer Ring's " washerette" later stood in the Coombs location, and it was he who changed the roofline and façade of the building. He also ran a hardware store, a heating and plumbing service, and a coal yard. In 2020, the town gave permission for developers to tear down the historic building. Captain Eben York's mansion at 326 Main Street (occupied since 1910 by the Parish Office of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church next door). Father Joseph Quinn held services in the barn until it burned in 1913.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.25 Where Peachy's Smoothie Cafe stands today at 301 Main Street was, from 1905 until 1913, Bernstein's Department Store. Robert Bernstein, born in Germany, saw his business burn down in July 1913. He reopened the store in a new location across the street. St. Lawrence House – a hotel built, where the
Mobil Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999. ...
gas station near Camp Hammond stands today, to take advantage of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroads coming through town. Circa 1872, it was renamed the Baker House, after its owner Jeremiah Baker (he previously lived at what is now 35 East Main Street, overlooking his shipyard, between 1857 and around 1871). It was the first of several name changes, including Royal River Hotel (when owned by O.E. Lowell in the late 19th century), U.S. House, Westcustogo House and Yarmouth Hotel. The expected tourists never materialized, and the hotel burned down in 1926. Grange Hall stood behind the hotel. Lowell Hall was in the second storey of the stable. James O. Durgan's
daguerreotype Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre an ...
salon (located just to the east of the hotel; later Gad Hitchcock's coffin and casket showroom).''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Hall, Alan M., Arcadia (2002) Alson Brawn's jewelry shop (at what was then 73 Main Street; formerly Sidney Bennett's Yarmouth Market, now Hancock Lumber). 309 Main Street, at the eastern corner of Mill Street, is an 1850s–1880s house. An elm tree in front of Marston's store had a bulletin board nailed to it, upon which local residents posted, as early as 1817, public notices, circus posters and satirical comments about town affairs. Like almost all of Yarmouth's elms, it became afflicted by Dutch elm disease and was cut down in 1980.


West Main Street

West Main Street (still Route 115) leads into North Yarmouth. The original owner of number 5, the first house on the northern side of West Main, was Captain Samuel Drinkwater in 1803. It later passed to his brother, Captain Joseph Drinkwater. A hospital, run by Mrs Gilbert, was on the site now occupied by Coastal Manor nursing home at 20 West Main Street. One of the two buildings dates to around 1860; the other around 1835. A 1973 survey dates number 17, a duplex, to 1807; however, a town assessor says 1860. 27 West Main Street, the Louis P. Pomeroy House, is circa 1890. In 2009, the owner found a shingle signed by Mr. Pomeroy confirming he was the home's builder (additional marking discovered in 2020 on the house front with date May 25, 1889),
John Calvin Stevens John Calvin Stevens (October 8, 1855 – January 25, 1940) was an American architect who worked in the Shingle Style, in which he was a major innovator, and the Colonial Revival style. He designed more than 1,000 buildings in the state of Maine ...
and Albert Winslow Cobb are confirmed architects via house plans on file at Yarmouth Historical Society. Mr. Pomeroy grew up across the street and eventually built the house. He is also credited with several other projects including the original Town Hall and schools and Main Street Baptist church. The cape at number 43 was built for yeoman Matthias Storer around 1802. The Alexander Mills House, at number 54, is circa 1796. Cyrus Kingsley lived at number 57 around 1865. A 1973 survey suggests number 60 was built in 1790. 65 West Main Street originates from around 1800. Deacon Jacob Mitchell lived at number 89. It was later owned by Henry Barbour, who operated a dairy farm. There are two brick schools at 117 and 121 West Main, just beyond the Sligo Road intersection. The first, the District Number 4 school, was built around 1841 and repaired in the 1890s. In 1847, teacher William Osgood had 74 students; as such, a second school was built beside the original soon after.''Images of America: Yarmouth'', Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.36 The second building was likely built around 1856. Both schools closed in 1992, when Harrison Middle School opened. A large wooden building located at the intersection of West Main Street and Sligo Road, next to the old brick schools, served as the town hall between 1833 and 1910. It was here that the 1849 debates took place that led to Yarmouth's secession from North Yarmouth. 124 West Main Street, which is turned sideways to the road, dates to 1810. William M. R. Lunt was the original owner of number 139, circa 1856. Number 154, at the eastern corner of Bates Street, dates to around 1880. John Cutter, yeoman and grandson of Ammi, was the original occupant of number 163, circa 1795. The house sits at the top of a small hill. 190 West Main, a cape, dates to the early 19th century. A 1973 survey indicates number 195 was constructed in the 1870s. 233 West Main Street is an imposing three-storey, fifteen-room Italianate mansion that was built for ship captain
Reuben Merrill Reuben Merrill (December 2, 1818 – June 16, 1875) was an American merchant sea captain. A native of Cumberland, Maine, he lived the latter part of his life in nearby Yarmouth. His house there, now known as the Captain Reuben Merrill House, was ...
(1818–1875) in 1858. The home is one of three known surviving works of Portland architect Thomas J. Sparrow. It was built by John Dunham, a local master builder. In 2011, the Merrill family leased the home to Maine Preservation, a historic preservation organization."The house that Reuben built"
- ''Portland Press Herald'', July 1, 2011
At the eastern corner of the intersection with Fieldstone Drive, number 284, stands a circa-1792 cape. Formerly the home of Nathan Safford.


References

{{Streets of Yarmouth, Maine Streets in Yarmouth, Maine