Past roadside cabins of Scarborough. courtesy photo/ Scarborough Historical Society
A collaboration between the Scarborough Historical Society and the Scarborough Public Library brings history to life through a series of programs. Among these, the upcoming event “The Roadside Cabins of Scarborough” is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. at the Scarborough Public Library. Rodney Laughton, the speaker for the day, will utilize numerous slides to illustrate the history of the former roadside cabin businesses that once lined the bustling Route One in Scarborough.
The emergence of roadside cabins in the 1920s marked a significant shift in the way Americans traveled. In the pre-automobile era, visitors primarily arrived in Scarborough via trains, ships, or horse-drawn carriages. Once in town, they typically stayed for the entirety of their vacation at accommodations like Prouts Neck or Pine Point. However, the 1920s saw the rise of family travel by car, leading to a demand for convenient and affordable lodging options along Route One. To meet this need, local residents with available land quickly constructed rustic cabins, giving birth to these fascinating roadside cabin businesses.
An iconic example of such early motor camps is the Boothby Motor Camps, founded by Irving Boothby in the 1920s when Route One was nothing more than a two-lane dirt road. Boothby himself remembered the modest beginnings of the camps, which offered little more than a bed and a chair, leaving travelers responsible for bringing their own linen and other necessities.
Skillings Cabins Rte. 1 courtesy photo / Scarborough Historical Society
The Roadside Cabins of Scarborough is just one of the many programs offered by the Scarborough Historical Society. This non-profit organization, founded in 1961, has a mission to collect, preserve, and exhibit items of historical significance to Scarborough, ensuring that these valuable artifacts remain accessible to the public.
The society’s collections are extensive and diverse, featuring farming equipment and tools from bygone coopers and cobblers, quilts, clothing, class pictures, and other objects from early school days, as well as photographs of people, homes, buildings, and related documents, including bibles and family genealogies. These artifacts provide a captivating window into Scarborough’s rich and vibrant history.
The Scarborough Historical Society and Museum, where much of this history is preserved, is housed in a building with its own rich history. Constructed in 1911 as a generator house for the Portland Railroad Company, it was one of three buildings on the site that served the trolleys. Over the years, it has had various uses, including housing the Dunstan Fire Company and the Police Association. Finally, in 1961, it became the home of the Scarborough Historical Society and Museum. Carefully planned renovations have ensured that the building retains its historical character. In recognition of its historical significance, the Museum building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Mar. 22, 1991.
For those interested in learning more about Scarborough’s past, the Society’s free historical museum, located at 647 U.S. Route One in West Scarborough, welcomes visitors on Tuesday mornings and the second Saturday of each month from 9-12.
In addition to “The Roadside Cabins of Scarborough,” the Scarborough Historical Society has a lineup of other intriguing events scheduled for 2023-2024: Mapping Scarborough & Prouts Neck by Philip Von Stade on Dec.3, Prominent diseases in early Scarborough by Stephen Spaulding, M.D on Jan. 7, 20234, Pine Point, then & now by John Thurlow on Feb. 4, 2024, Slavery in Maine by Alicia Harding on Mar. 3, 2024, Maine’s Logging Heritage by Mary Morton Cowan on Apr. 7, 2024, Looking at the past for Scarborough’s land conservation future by Andrew J. Mackie on May 5, 2024 and Farming in Maine at the time of statehood by Neil Piper on Jun. 2, 2024.
These programs offer a diverse and comprehensive exploration of Scarborough’s history and heritage. Each event promises to provide valuable insights into different aspects of the town’s past, making them not only educational but also engaging for local residents and history enthusiasts. The Scarborough Historical Society’s dedication to preserving and sharing the town’s history is evident through this lineup of programs.
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