City/Town

Newcastle and Damariscotta (1878)

Map Title

Bird's Eye View of The Villages of New Castle & Damariscotta Lincoln Co. Maine 1878

Artist

Albert Ruger

Preview

Publication Date

1878

County

Lincoln

Artist

Albert Ruger

Publisher

J. J. Stoner

Dimensions

38 x 61 cm

Owner

Maine Historic Preservation Commission

Additional Institutional Copies

Library of Congress

Population of City/Town at Time of Publication

Newcastle: 1,729 ; Damariscotta: 1,232

Description of City/Town

Newcastle was incorporated June 19, 1753….Being between two rivers, it has naturally divided into two villages, one on the Sheepscot and the other on the Damariscotta side. The latter is the largest and contains several stores, ship yards, an academy, bank, printing-office, and public-house. A free bridge connects it with Damariscotta….Newcastle formerly furnished large quantities of lumber and ship-timber for market, but since the scarcity of these materials, attention has been turned more to farming and ship-building….A considerable business has also been done in brick making.

A History and Description of New England, General and Local, A. J. Coolidge and J. B. Mansfield, 1859

Damariscotta is situated near the centre of Lincoln County, on the eastern side of a river of the same name….The centre of business is Damariscotta Village, at the lower falls and head of navigation on the river. A free bridge of 175 feet in length connects Damariscotta Village with Newcastle, near which is a station of the Knox and Lincoln Railroad….The manufactories consist of two saw-mills,—one run by steam-power — a match factory, several brickyards, a tannery, etc. The town-hall of Damariscotta is a large and elegant building of brick of three stories, containing in the second story an excellent hall. The town is thrifty, and the houses in the village and the country are alike in excellent repair. The inhabitants are largely a seafaring people. The river forms a good harbor; and its shores near the village usually present a busy and cheerful aspect, from the shipbuilding that is almost constantly going on in the warmer season.

A Gazetteer of the State of Maine, George J. Varney, 1881, 1886

Historic Newspaper References

Lincoln County News, Waldoboro, April 18, 1878

I was agreeably entertained for a few minutes this morning in the examination of a “proof in pencil” of this village – Damariscotta and Newcastle – presented by Mr. Joseph Warner, canvassing agent, who told me that the sketching was the work of Mr. A. Ruger, he having executed it last fall, and that should encouragement warrant it, the sketch would be lithographed and sold to subscribers. Mr. Warner brings ample credentials and references of ability and experience in the work from many cities and villages throughout the Union, and verified by the parchment laying before me, although I have no claim as an art critic. Few localities can lay claim for an equal display of the beautiful in nature. The valley, the river with its falls and many dam sites, the village plot and its tree-girt streets, all environed by its grand amphitheater of hills, substantiate the claim, and this work of Prof. Ruger’s freshens all to memory. It is the village home, with its streets, its churches, cemetery, schoolhouses, academy, - in fact the very cot where I was born. The whole is to be finished in such a manner that it will be used both as an ornament and chart, alike for the parlor and the businessman’s office, while as a gift for former citizens it would prove a most valuable keepsake.

The Village Herald and Lincoln Record, April 18, 1878

We have examined a pen drawing representing a bird’s eye view of our two villages, showing the locality of every street, building, cove, and object of interest in the village proper. Mr. Joseph Warner is canvassing for lithograph copies of this picture, which will be a very desirable one for the drawing room and a very acceptable present to a former resident. We hope that enough subscribers may be obtained to insure its publication.

The Village Herald and Lincoln Record, April 25, 1878

Mr. Warner remains in town canvassing for the “Bird’s Eye View of Damariscotta and Newcastle,” and needs about twenty more names to enable him to publish the picture.

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.