John D Bardwell

Old York Beach John D Bardwell

Prior to 1860, York, Maine was simply a small coastal fishing and farming community . After the Civil War the beauty of this area began to attract summer visitors, and by the 1880s large summer hotels and private cottages began to line the beaches and bluffs. Thus the idyllic seashore community of York Beach was created between the Cape Neck peninsula and the Cape Neddick River. With the turn of the century, Victorian opulence gave way to bustling promenades and streets as motorized transportation increased the influx of tourists. Locals were quick to respond with cabins and cottages, ice and fresh fish, saltwater taffy and popcorn, as the community developed into the Atlantic resort
we know today. The history of York Beach began shortly after the invention of photography, and this fascinating collection draws upon the area's rich and varied legacy of images. Commercial photographers recorded decades of change in popular postcard scenes. Snapshots of holidaymakers at the beach, at the ballroom, or simply enjoying a cottage cookout filled the family albums that were left in cabins and cottages to be marvelled at by future generations.