highway to the world
The Kennebec River was crucially important to Hallowell for most of its existence since 1762. The earliest settlers, Deacon Pease Clark and his family arrived sailing up the Kennebec from southern Massachusetts.
All the goods manufactured and grown in Hallowell and anywhere along the Coos Trail inland from Hallowell were shipped out of Hallowell’s port to cities down the coast
For 8 months of the year from spring, ice out to the next winter’s freeze, ships would make their way the 46 miles upriver from the Atlantic to the harbor at Hallowell:
…bringing Pennsylvania flour, West India sugar, and English cloth and hardware, returning with shingles, clapboards, hogsheads and barrel staves, white oak capstan bars destined for Boston or Bristol or Jamaica.
For the 100 years of the ice industry‘s huge importance in the area ice was cut from the river and area lakes and shipped down the river to many southern ports. One account states that “Kennebec ice” was much sought for its clarity and clean flavor.
Alewife fishery on the Kennebec was big business for many decades.
And until the 1950’s logs from the forests of Maine were sent down the Kennebec to Hallowell for sorting and milling.
One man noted that in Hallowell at the time “Every boy who had arrived at the age of eighteen and who had not been on a voyage to the East or West Indies, was looked upon as ‘non compos’, and every man over thirty who was not called Captain had forfeited the respect of the community.”
There were several boatyards in Hallowell, building schooners for the river trade.
far reaching trade
There were three icehouses in Hallowell located on Summer Street, the Vaughan Stream, and where the Hallowell boat landing is today.
Once in the Willemstad, Curacao history museum I saw an article that Leonard B Smith, the consul of the US in Curacao had made his start with his own schooner hauling Maine ice to Curacao to provide cold drinks to the island people.
artist, Chris Cart
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