Westbrook, Maine - History
 

Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 16,142 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Originally part of Falmouth, the settlement once known as Saccarappa was incorporated as Stroudwater in 1814, but soon changed its name to Westbrook, after an early settler Col. Thomas Westbrook. Westbrook was incorporated as a city in 1891.

The Presumpscot River flows through the center of the city, with two prominent falls (Saccarappa Falls and Congin Falls) providing an ideal location for early mills. The smaller Stroudwater River also flows through the southwestern part of the city.

The historic Oxford & Cumberland Canal, a primary commercial route for goods between the Lakes Region of Maine and Portland from the time it opened in 1829 to its discontinuation in 1871, also flowed through the city. Remnants of the canal can still be seen throughout the city, including Beaver Pond, along Stroudwater Street near the Maine Turnpike overpass, and in the woods between Westbrook High School and Oxford & Cumberland Canal Elementary School.

 

Westbrook Maine Old Pictures pictures from history photos on webshots

 

Main