Great Falls Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Great Falls Historic District
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Along Windham Center Rd., E of Presumscot R., Windham), Maine. |
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| Area | 21 acres (8.5 ha) |
| Built | 1798 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 94001541 |
| Added to NRHP | January 12, 1995 |
The Great Falls Historic District is a special place in Windham, Maine. It shows us what's left of a busy mill town from the early 1800s. Here, you can find old houses and the hidden foundations of mills. These mills once used the powerful Presumpscot River to make things. This district is important because it tells a story about how people lived and worked long ago. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
Contents
Exploring Great Falls History
The River's Power
The Presumpscot River flows from Sebago Lake all the way to Casco Bay in southern Maine. For part of its journey, it forms the border between the towns of Gorham and Windham. The Windham Center Road crosses this river. It's located just below a modern dam, where the river's "Great Falls" have always been.
The strong water power from these falls was first used in the 1780s. A person named Zebulon Trickey bought land and the right to build a mill there. By 1788, a bridge was built across the river. Mills were soon operating on both sides.
Growth and Decline of the Mills
The area grew even more when the Cumberland and Oxford Canal opened in 1830. This canal made it cheap and easy to move goods made in the mills to markets. This meant more factories and more jobs for people living there.
However, the area later faced tough times. In 1872, a big fire destroyed the mills and the bridge. Then, in 1882, the canal was no longer used. This caused the industrial activity in the Great Falls area to slow down.
Historic Homes and Hidden Remains
Today, the most visible parts of this early industrial history are three old houses.
- The Trickey-White House at 20 Great Falls Road is the oldest. It's built in the Federal style and was likely built by Zebulon Trickey himself. It has an addition that might be even older.
- The Peter Trickey House at 8 Great Falls Road is also in the Federal style. It was probably built around 1820. This house was owned by the Trickey family for many years. You can still see the cellar hole of a later house, once owned by Enoch White, just north of it.
- The Mayberry-Libby House at 4 Great Falls Road was built in 1847. It's a beautiful example of a Greek Revival style house. It has a special front design that looks like an ancient temple.
Other signs of the district's industrial past are along the riverbanks. These old factory remains are partly hidden by the modern bridge and dam that are there today.
