01/17/2026
This map of Biddeford from 1835 to 1840 is from the Osher Map Library at https://oshermaps.org/map/45858.0001. You can download it for free. I have added place names in red to depict current locations for your reference.
The map notes that Biddeford’s population was 1,738 in 1820. Since this map depicts 1840, I found that the 1840 population had grown to 2,574. Biddeford was about to experience its largest ever population growth in the next 20 years due to the arrival of the textile mills.
School House Lane is Emery Street. Biddeford’s first school building was here, dating back to at least 1796.
The Charles Gould house that was built around 1830 and still stands today. It was the second brick house built in Biddeford. Its location near Birch Street isn’t considered the boonies today, but in the 1830’s, Gould’s friends teased him about his house in the woods since it was not accessible by horsedrawn cart or wagon. As you can see from the map, there’s nothing nearby.
Today’s section of South Street that goes from Jefferson St to Green St used to be a swamp and there was a brook that started there and crossed today’s Jefferson St, then Main St, then had a 30-foot waterfall near Lincoln St, and joined Gulley Brook, on its way to the S**o River.
Spring’s Island is the home of Deering Lumber. That building was built by Captain Seth Spring in 1798 and became known as Spring’s Tavern. Spring fought in the American Revolution. Spring entertained The Marquis de Lafayette here in June 1825 during his tour of the United States.
There were already dams on the river by 1840. Water power from the S**o River waterfalls was a big attraction to investors who built the textile mills. The S**o Manufacturing Company built the largest textile mill in the country in 1826. It measured 210 feet by 47 feet and was 7 stories tall. (See red rectangle). Production began in 1829. The wooden building burned down in 1830, after only a few months of operations. The map shows it burned in 1829 but I’m fairly certain that it was February of 1830.
There are various other types of mills along the river. Many are lumber mills.
There’s no longer a Gooch Island, so that portion of the river was must have been diverted and the area was filled in at some point. Gooch Street is now Upper Falls Road.
Fort Hill (See red rectangle) – a stone fort was built here in 1693 during the many wars with the Native Americans that occurred intermittently from 1675 to 1760.
The first bridge on Main St connecting Biddeford to Factory Island was built in 1767 and was a toll bridge. It was carried away by a freshet in 1785 and was quickly rebuilt. A freshet is a flooding event. The second bridge was wiped out around 1842.
The bridge in S**o where the railroad tracks are located was built around 1758 and was also carried away in the freshet of 1785. The subsequent bridge was a toll bridge. Can you imagine having to pay tolls to go between Biddeford and S**o today?
This next bridge surprised me. It’s at the bottom of Factory Island and connects to Front St in S**o near where the S**o boat launch is located. This one was wiped out around 1835 and there is no bridge at that location today.
