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54-726: A charter for the Atlantic Shore Line Electric Railroad was first issued in March 1893 by the Maine legislature. The charter allowed for the building of an electric railroad from Biddeford , through the towns of Kennebunkport and Wells , to York Beach . In October 1899, articles of association were filed for the Atlantic Shore Line Railway by a group which included officers of the Mousam River Railroad and

108-498: A lighthouse located about a mile offshore from Biddeford Pool. This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen climate classification , Biddeford has a humid continental climate , Dfb on climate maps. At the 2010 census , there were 21,277 people, 8,598 households and 4,972 families residing in

162-709: A European antedates the Mayflower landing in Plymouth, Massachusetts, (located 100 miles to the south) by about four years, a fact overlooked in much of New England lore. In 1630, the Plymouth Company granted the land south of the River Swanckadocke to Dr. Vines and John Oldham. In 1653, the town included both sides of the river, and was incorporated by the Massachusetts General Court as Saco. Biddeford

216-492: A customized jig ("Alaskan sawmill"), with similar horizontal operation. Before the invention of the sawmill, boards were made in various manual ways, either rived (split) and planed , hewn , or more often hand sawn by two men with a whipsaw , one above and another in a saw pit below. The earliest known mechanical mill is the Hierapolis sawmill , a Roman water-powered stone mill at Hierapolis , Asia Minor dating back to

270-405: A motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ( dimensional lumber ). The "portable" sawmill is simple to operate. The log lies flat on a steel bed, and the motorized saw cuts the log horizontally along the length of the bed, by the operator manually pushing the saw. The most basic kind of sawmill consists of a chainsaw and

324-527: A stone fort was built a short distance below the falls, but it was allegedly captured by Native Americans in 1703, when 11 colonists were killed and 24 taken captive to Canada . In 1688, Fort Mary was built near the entrance to Biddeford Pool. The town was reorganized in 1718 as Biddeford, after Bideford , a town in Devon, England , from which some settlers had emigrated. After the Fall of Quebec in 1759, hostilities with

378-539: A working sawmill comes from a Roman poet, Ausonius , who wrote a topographical poem about the river Moselle in Germany in the late 4th century AD. At one point in the poem, he describes the shrieking sound of a watermill cutting marble . Marble sawmills also seem to be indicated by the Christian saint Gregory of Nyssa from Anatolia around 370–390 AD, demonstrating a diversified use of water-power in many parts of

432-524: Is a city in York County, Maine , United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census . The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Pool and Fortunes Rocks . The town is the site of the University of New England and the annual La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival . First visited by Europeans in 1616, it

486-422: Is headquartered in the city. The city also possesses a wide array of community facilities including public beaches, an ice arena, a full-service YMCA , and one school which has been recently recognized as a National School of Excellence . Anchoring Biddeford's historic downtown are McArthur Public Library and Biddeford's City Theater . Biddeford has a number of properties and two Historic Districts entered into

540-529: Is located two miles south of the central business district . The Saco Transportation Center Amtrak stop serves downtown Biddeford. Local bus service in Biddeford is provided by Biddeford-Saco-Old Orchard Beach Transit , connecting the city to destinations in Saco and Portland . Sawmill A sawmill ( saw mill , saw-mill ) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber . Modern sawmills use

594-430: Is one example of this movement offering retail stores, art studios, cultural events, and upscale housing. Biddeford is home to large institutions including MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Biddeford and the University of New England , a fast-growing school located along the coast which includes Maine's only medical school, the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine . Telecommunications company GWI.net

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648-567: Is the site of one of the earliest European settlements in the United States. It is home to Saint Joseph's Church , the tallest building in Maine. Biddeford is a principal population center of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan statistical area . The first European to settle at Biddeford was physician Richard Vines in the winter of 1616–1617 at Winter Harbor, as he called Biddeford Pool . This 1616 landing by

702-526: Is the small portable sawmill for personal or even professional use. Many different models have emerged with different designs and functions. They are especially suitable for producing limited volumes of boards, or specialty milling such as oversized timber. Portable sawmills have gained popularity for the convenience of bringing the sawmill to the logs and milling lumber in remote locations. Some remote communities that have experienced natural disasters have used portable sawmills to rebuild their communities out of

756-732: The National Register of Historic Places . The newest addition is the Main Street Historic District, entered into the National Register on December 24, 2009. Other downtown National Register properties include the Biddeford-Saco Mills Historic District, Biddeford City Hall, Dudley Block and the U.S. Post Office. National Register properties outside of downtown and in the Biddeford Pool area include

810-687: The Pee Dee River from as far as the edge of the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina . A restoration project for Sturgeon's Mill in Northern California is underway, restoring one of the last steam-powered lumber mills still using its original equipment. In the twentieth century the introduction of electricity and high technology furthered this process, and now most sawmills are massive and expensive facilities in which most aspects of

864-631: The Roman Empire ), dating to the second half of the 3rd century, is the earliest known sawmill. It also incorporates a crank and connecting rod mechanism. Water-powered stone sawmills working with cranks and connecting rods, but without gear train , are archaeologically attested for the 6th century at the Byzantine cities Gerasa (in Asia Minor) and Ephesus (in Syria ). The earliest literary reference to

918-487: The Roman Empire . Sawmills later became widespread in medieval Europe , as one was sketched by Villard de Honnecourt in c. 1225–1235. They are claimed to have been introduced to Madeira following its discovery in c. 1420 and spread widely in Europe in the 16th century. Prior to the invention of the sawmill, boards were rived (split) and planed, or more often sawn by two men with a whipsaw , using saddleblocks to hold

972-526: The Seacoast Region of New Hampshire and to northern Massachusetts. In recent years, strip malls have developed along the State Route 111 corridor. In late 2006, a 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m ) shopping center known as The Shops at Biddeford Crossing opened, with 20 stores and five restaurants. Recent interest in revitalizing the downtown area has brought new life to the old mills. The North Dam Mill

1026-636: The sawfiler . Sawfilers were highly skilled in metalworking. Their main job was to set and sharpen teeth. The craft also involved learning how to hammer a saw, whereby a saw is deformed with a hammer and anvil to counteract the forces of heat and cutting. Modern circular saw blades have replaceable teeth, but still need to be hammered. The introduction of steam power in the 19th century created many new possibilities for mills. Availability of railroad transportation for logs and lumber encouraged building of rail mills away from navigable water. Steam powered sawmills could be far more mechanized. Scrap lumber from

1080-403: The whipsaw to mechanical power, generally driven by a water wheel to speed up the process. The circular motion of the wheel was changed to back-and-forth motion of the saw blade by a connecting rod known as a pitman arm (thus introducing a term used in many mechanical applications). Generally, only the saw was powered, and the logs had to be loaded and moved by hand. An early improvement

1134-513: The 3rd century AD. Other water-powered mills followed and by the 11th century they were widespread in Spain and North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, and in the next few centuries, spread across Europe. The circular motion of the wheel was converted to a reciprocating motion at the saw blade. Generally, only the saw was powered, and the logs had to be loaded and moved by hand. An early improvement

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1188-740: The ASL right-of-way between Town House Square and Biddeford off Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport have been preserved by the Seashore Trolley Museum . The museum has developed its demonstration railway upon 2 miles (3 km) of the old right of way. The museum has also completed the restoration of electric locomotive ASL #100, the only remaining original piece of rolling stock from the Atlantic Shore Line Railway system. Biddeford, Maine Biddeford ( / ˈ b ɪ d ɪ f ər d / BID -if-ərd )

1242-632: The Gulf of Maine, Biddeford is drained by the Little River and the Saco River . The city proper has very diverse geography, from inland rolling hillside, to urban settlement, to coastal sprawl. The city is crossed by Interstate 95 , U. S. Route 1 , and state routes 5 , 9 , 111 , and 208 . It is bordered by the city of Saco to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the towns of Dayton and Lyman to

1296-699: The John Tarr House, First Parish Meetinghouse , Fletcher's Neck Lifesaving Station and the James Montgomery Flagg House. There are also many festivals and concerts held around the city. Biddeford was the eastern terminus of the now-defunct New England Interstate Route 11 , which ended in Manchester, Vermont . State Route 111, which travels through Biddeford's main commercial corridor, is now numbered in Old Route 11's place. Biddeford Municipal Airport

1350-948: The Sanford & Cape Porpoise Railway. The charter of the railroad was approved on February 9, 1900, following a hearing at the State House in Augusta. From the Town House Square carbarn in Kennebunkport (the site currently across the street from the Kennebunkport Historical Society), ASL trolley service connected Cape Porpoise , Kennebunkport, Biddeford, Kennebunk , Alfred , Sanford , Springvale , Wells, Ogunquit , York , York Beach, Kittery , Eliot and South Berwick . The line also connected with Dover, New Hampshire , through South Berwick and with Portsmouth, New Hampshire , via ferry service from Kittery (the ASL ferry "Kittery"

1404-428: The age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in

1458-580: The availability of ships transporting cargoes of logs to the sawmill and cargoes of lumber from the sawmill. The next improvement was the use of circular saw blades, perhaps invented in England in the late 18th century, but perhaps in 17th-century Netherlands. Soon thereafter, millers used gangsaws, which added additional blades so that a log would be reduced to boards in one quick step. Circular saw blades were extremely expensive and highly subject to damage by overheating or dirty logs. A new kind of technician arose,

1512-399: The city was 38.3 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 15.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. At the 2000 census , there were 20,942 people, 8,636 households and 5,259 families residing in the city. The population density

1566-476: The city. The population density was 707.1 inhabitants per square mile (273.0/km ). There were 10,064 housing units at an average density of 334.5 per square mile (129.2/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 94.8% White , 1.0% African American , 0.5% Native American , 1.7% Asian , 0.4% from other races , and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 8,598 households, of which 27.3% had children under

1620-495: The fallen trees. Technology has changed sawmill operations significantly in recent years, emphasizing increasing profits through waste minimization and increased energy efficiency as well as improving operator safety. The once-ubiquitous rusty, steel conical sawdust burners have for the most part vanished, as the sawdust and other mill waste is now processed into particleboard and related products, or used to heat wood-drying kilns . Co-generation facilities will produce power for

1674-411: The forest, where a temporary shelter was built, and the logs were skidded to the nearby mill by horse or ox teams, often when there was some snow to provide lubrication. As mills grew larger, they were usually established in more permanent facilities on a river, and the logs were floated down to them by log drivers . Sawmills built on navigable rivers, lakes, or estuaries were called cargo mills because of

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1728-441: The growth of a frontier community. The Dutch windmill owner Cornelis Corneliszoon van Uitgeest invented in 1594 the wind-powered sawmill, which made the conversion of log timber into planks 30 times faster than before. His wind-powered sawmill used a crankshaft to convert a windmill 's circular motion into a back-and-forward motion powering the saw, and was granted a patent for the technique. Early mills had been taken to

1782-616: The indigenous people ceased. During King Philip's War in 1675, the town, once again, was allegedly attacked by Native Americans. In 1762, the land northeast of the river was set off as Pepperellborough, which in 1805 was renamed Saco. The first bridge to Saco was built in 1767. The river divides into two falls that drop 40 feet (12 m), providing water power for mills. Factories were established to make boots and shoes. The developing mill town also had granite quarries and brickyards , in addition to lumber and grain mills. Major textile manufacturing facilities were constructed along

1836-534: The largest sawmill in the world was operated by the Atlantic Coast Lumber Company in Georgetown, South Carolina, using logs floated down the Pee Dee River from the Appalachian Mountains . In the 20th century the introduction of electricity and high technology furthered this process, and now most sawmills are massive and expensive facilities in which most aspects of the work are computerized. Besides

1890-512: The last remaining textile company in the city, WestPoint Home, closed. The property occupying the mill has been sold and is being redeveloped into housing and new businesses. The last log drive down the Saco River was in 1943, with the last log sawed in 1948. Biddeford's name is engraved near the top level of The Pilgrim Monument , in Provincetown , Massachusetts , along with the names of some of

1944-408: The log, and a saw pit for the pitman who worked below. Sawing was slow, and required strong and hearty men. The topsawer had to be the stronger of the two because the saw was pulled in turn by each man, and the lower had the advantage of gravity. The topsawyer also had to guide the saw so that the board was of even thickness. This was often done by following a chalkline. Early sawmills simply adapted

1998-536: The mill provided a ready fuel source for firing the boiler. Efficiency was increased, but the capital cost of a new mill increased dramatically as well. In addition, the use of steam or gasoline-powered traction engines also allowed the entire sawmill to be mobile. By 1900, the largest sawmill in the world was operated by the Atlantic Lumber Company in Georgetown , South Carolina, using logs floated down

2052-670: The mouth of the Little River, and is accessible at low tide from Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport. The island and most of adjacent Timber Point became part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in December 2011. The city has almost 15 miles (24 km) of frontage along the Saco River, and an Atlantic coastline on which the seaside neighborhoods of Hills Beach , Biddeford Pool, Fortunes Rocks and Granite Point are located. Biddeford includes Wood Island Light ,

2106-775: The oldest cities and towns in New England. During World War II , the Biddeford Pool Military Reservation was established from 1942 to 1945, on what is now the Abenakee Golf Club. It had four circular concrete platforms called " Panama mounts " for 155-mm guns , three of which remain today. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 59.08 square miles (153.02 km ), of which 28.99 square miles (75.08 km ) are covered by water. Situated beside Saco Bay on

2160-478: The operation and may also feed superfluous energy onto the grid. While the bark may be ground for landscaping barkdust , it may also be burned for heat. Sawdust may make particle board or be pressed into wood pellets for pellet stoves. The larger pieces of wood that will not make lumber are chipped into wood chips and provide a source of supply for paper mills. Wood by-products of the mills will also make oriented strand board (OSB) paneling for building construction,

2214-434: The population. There were 7,636 households, of which 28.4 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4 percent were married couples living together, 12.2 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1 percent were non-families. 29.7 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

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2268-573: The riverbanks, including the Laconia Company in 1845, and the Pepperell Company in 1850. Biddeford was incorporated as a city in 1855. The mills attracted waves of immigrants, including the Irish , Albanians , and French-Canadians from Quebec . At one time, the textile mills employed as many as 12,000 people, but as happened elsewhere, the industry entered a long period of decline. As of 2009,

2322-451: The saw blade is in the topmost position it drops by its own weight, making a loud knocking noise, and in so doing it cuts the trunk. A small mill such as this would be the center of many rural communities in wood-exporting regions such as the Baltic countries and Canada . The output of such mills would be quite low, perhaps only 500 boards per day. They would also generally only operate during

2376-436: The sawn timber, use is made of all the by-products including sawdust , bark , woodchips , and wood pellets , creating a diverse offering of forest products . A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago: a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end. The Hierapolis sawmill , a water-powered stone sawmill at Hierapolis , Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey , then part of

2430-642: The west, and the towns of Kennebunkport and Arundel to the south. The Little River forms a portion of the border between Biddeford and the Goose Rocks neighborhood of Kennebunkport, in Biddeford's most southerly region (Granite Point). East Point, located on the peninsula of Biddeford Pool, is the easternmost point in York County. Timber Island, the most southerly point in the City of Biddeford, lies in Goosefare Bay at

2484-581: The winter, the peak logging season. In the United States , the sawmill was introduced soon after the colonisation of Virginia by recruiting skilled men from Hamburg . Later the metal parts were obtained from the Netherlands, where the technology was far ahead of that in England , where the sawmill remained largely unknown until the late 18th century. The arrival of a sawmill was a large and stimulative step in

2538-440: The work is computerized . The cost of a new facility with 4,700-cubic-metre-per-day (2-million- board-foot -per- day ) capacity is up to CAN$ 120,000,000. A modern operation will produce between 240,000 to 1,650,000 cubic metres (100 to 700 million board feet) annually. Small gasoline-powered sawmills run by local entrepreneurs served many communities in the early twentieth century, and specialty markets still today. A trend

2592-447: Was $ 37,164 and the median family income was $ 44,109. Males had a median income of $ 32,008 versus $ 24,715 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 18,214. About 8.6 percent of families and 13.8 percent of the population were below the poverty line , including 19.8 percent of those under age 18 and 10.3 percent of those age 65 or over. Biddeford is one of Maine's fastest-growing commercial centers, due to its close proximity to

2646-409: Was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.88. 22.1 percent of the population were under the age of 18, 11.1 percent from 18 to 24, 29.5 percent from 25 to 44, 21.8 percent from 45 to 64, and 15.5 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males. The median household income

2700-448: Was 697.8 inhabitants per square mile (269.4/km ). There were 9,631 housing units at an average density of 320.9 per square mile (123.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 96.65 percent White , 0.64 percent African American , 0.40 percent Native American , 0.99 percent Asian , 0.03 percent Pacific Islander , 0.18 percent from other races , and 1.12 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65 percent of

2754-551: Was built in Kennebunkport in 1900). Electricity was provided from a power plant at Kittery Point , which was originally built by the Sanford Power Company. Electric freight service continued until June 1949, when a small diesel locomotive replaced the electric locomotives. In 1939 the Seashore Electric Railway was formed with the intent to preserve electric cars for future operation. 4 miles (6 km) of

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2808-467: Was first incorporated as the Town of Saco in 1653. Roger Spencer was granted the right in 1653 to build the first sawmill . Lumber and fish became the community's chief exports. In 1659, Major William Phillips of Boston became a proprietor, and constructed a garrison and mill at the falls. Settlers withdrew to Winter Harbor for safety, and their homes and mills upriver at the falls were burned. In 1693,

2862-409: Was the development of a movable carriage, also water powered, to move the log steadily through the saw blade. A type of sawmill without a crank is known from Germany called "knock and drop" or simply "drop" -mills. In these drop sawmills, the frame carrying the saw blade is knocked upwards by cams as the shaft turns. These cams are let into the shaft on which the waterwheel sits. When the frame carrying

2916-609: Was the development of a movable carriage, also water powered, to move the log steadily through the saw blade. By the time of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the circular saw blade had been invented, and with the development of steam power in the 19th century, a much greater degree of mechanisation was possible. Scrap lumber from the mill provided a source of fuel for firing the boiler. The arrival of railroads meant that logs could be transported to mills rather than mills being built beside navigable waterways. By 1900,

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