City/Town

Gardiner and Pittston (1878)

Map Title

Bird's Eye View of Gardiner and Pittston Kennebec Co. Maine 1878

Artist

Albert Ruger

Preview

Publication Date

1878

County

Kennebec

Artist

Albert Ruger

Lithographer

D. Bremner Co.

Publisher

J. J. Stoner

Dimensions

52.1 x 76.2 cm

Owner

Maine Historic Preservation Commission

Additional Institutional Copies

Maine Historical Society
Library of Congress

Population of City/Town at Time of Publication

4,497

Description of City/Town

Under the leadership of Robert Hallowell Gardiner, Gardiner developed as a major nineteenth century industrial center on the Kennebec River. Flowing into the river, the Cobbossee Conte Stream provided the waterpower for sawmills, a woolen mill, a paper mill, a foundry, and various factories. The commercial centers of Gardiner and Pittston were connected by a nine-hundred-foot long wooden bridge that spanned the Kennebec. The principal business of the village of Pittston was ice. Large wooden structures were built on the riverbanks for the harvesting, storage, and shipping of ice by several local and out-of-state companies.

Historic Newspaper References

Gardiner Home Journal, December 5, 1877

We examined one day this week a very perfect and handsome drawing of the business portion of this city and Pittston, made by Mr. A. Ruger and now in the hands of Mr. J. Warner, who is agent for the work, and who will canvass this city for subscriptions for the picture, which will be lithographed from the drawing. The streets and buildings of each place are all brought distinctly to view, and are so familiar that those acquainted with the places will at once recognize its accuracy. It seems to us that every one who takes any interest in the city will feel willing to subscribe for such a plan, for more reasons than one. In order to have it a success, however, it will be necessary to have at least 150 subscribers, and the lithograph will cost about $2.50 per copy. It would be a valuable picture both for ornament and practical purposes, and has many advantages over any map of our city we have ever seen. The work of canvassing has commenced, and we hope the project will not fail for want of a liberal response.

Gardiner Home Journal, March 20, 1878

The lithographer announces that the Birds-eye View of Gardiner is ready, and is a very fine picture, and subscribers in this city may expect them next week.

Usage Rights

As a publicly supported institution, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for the use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. The copyright and related rights status of the items in this collection have not been evaluated. While many of these images may be in the public domain, it is up to you to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in this collection. You are free to use an item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

Recommended Citation

Courtesy of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.