Old Orchard Beach has long been a vacation spot. The first hotels date back to the 1820s, but the area became more popular for vacationers after the Civil War. The first pier, a massive 1700 foot steel structure, was built in 1898, and severely damaged by the sea six months later. The first amusement park there was built in 1902.

On Wednesday, August 4, 1909, Lewis Baker Mayo, Jr (1880-1950) paused at Old Orchard Beach on his way up the Maine coast. It appears Lewis stopped by early in the morning. The photographs he took show just a few folks on the streets and beaches. Just two years earlier, in 1907, a third of downtown Old Orchard Beach had burned down. Most of what is visible in these pictures is brand new construction.

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Old Orchard Street looking at the pier	Northeast from the Pier toward Scarborough Beach	Southwest from the pier toward Ocean Park

July 31, 2002
by Chad Gilley

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