All of the positive developments underway in York County’s former mill buildings are encouraging signs that this area can respect and remember its history while growing toward a prosperous future.
Three proposals have been made recently to reuse these buildings: A museum documenting the textile industry that once filled the Biddeford and Saco mills; a housing and retail development in the Number Four mill in Sanford; and a space for non-profit organizations to share in the Biddeford’s North Dam Mill.
All of these plans have merit, and those who are planning them will help reinvigorate the downtowns of their respective towns.
For Sanford, having the Number Four building renovated by a private company with a proven track record of success in similar efforts is a dream come true. A mix of housing and retail will create revenue for the owners and give life to the area from both residents and visiting shoppers. The town should be commended for paving the way for this project by investing in a new roadway for the millyard that was a major draw for the developers.
In Biddeford, several representatives of area non-profits met recently to discuss using space at the North Dam Mill to consolidate some of their efforts and expenses. Mill owner Doug Sanford has been very community-minded in redeveloping his property and this effort is another example of that. If he is willing to provide the space, these agencies should definitely move in together, thereby eliminating multiple budget lines for heat, hot water, rent, insurance and perhaps even some management capacities. If these agencies can narrow their focus, rather than stressing about overhead costs, they will be better able to provide services and those who donate will be assured that their money has a more direct impact on those they serve.
The proposed mill museum is also an exciting effort, one that would be a gem in these communities, which were built on so many looms. The artifacts still in hand must be preserved before they are lost forever to history ”“ and what better place to display them than the actual buildings in which they were once used?
Nearly everyone who now considers themselves a native of this area has ties to the mills somewhere in their family history, as they were the driving industry of Biddeford-Saco, Sanford and beyond. A museum would be a perfect place to show younger generations the reality of what it was like to work in the mills during different periods of their operations, and allow everyone to understand the impact they had on this area.
It’s hard not to feel some connection to the past when you walk through one of those old brick buildings, particularly in the areas that have yet to be renovated. The giant sliding metal doors, the seemingly endless rooms that now sit empty but for their columns, all of the ambiance easily conjures images of the past.
Only in a place like this, where your feet trod on the same boards, can one almost feel the stuffy heat, imagine the deafening sound of hundreds of looms clanking away.
The museum should be developed now, before it’s too late to get first-person memories of the mills from different generations.
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Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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