HISTORIC PICTURES OF
OLD ORCHARD BEACH
MANY OF THESE PICTURES ARE FROM POSTCARDS OR BOOKS WHICH ARE PART OF MY COLLECTION
POSTCARD OF THE BEACH IN THE AREA WHERE THE PIER WAS EVENTUALLY BUILT IN 1898HERE IS A TURN OF THE CENTURY PICTURE LOOKING DOWN OLD ORCHARD ST FROM THE TOP OF THE HILL. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE RIGHT CORNER STILL STANDS, CHANGED ONLY SLIGHTLY FROM THAT TIME.THIS SHOWS A SMALL MERRY-GO-ROUND SET UP ON THE BEACH, PRIOR TO THE MORE PERMANENT AMUSEMENTS WHICH WERE EVENTUALLY BUILTTHE SQUARE PRIOR TO THE GREAT FIRE OF 1907. SHOWS THE HOTELS ALBERTA AND VELVETTHIS PICTURE SHOWS A SMALL LOG CABIN BY THE CASCADE FALLS, LOCATED OFF THE CASCADE ROADNOAH'S ARK WAS A WELL KNOWN AMUSEMENT IN OLD ORCHARD BEACH FOR MANY YEARS, IT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN JULY 1969BOTTOM OF OLD ORCHARD STREET PRIOR TO 1907. THE TROLLYS SEEN TRAVELED TO PORTLAND AND SACO/BIDDEFORDTHIS TROLLY PICTURE IS ON WASHINGTON AVENUE BY THE CAMPGROUND SIGNA WINTER SCENE ON THE BEACH NEAR THE PIER AND GRAND HOTELSANOTHER ICE FORMATION NEAR GOOGINS ROCKS LOCATED NEAR THE END OF UNION AVENUEVIEW FROM STAPLES ST OVER OLD ORCHARD STREET TO THE WATER FRONT IN EARLY 1900'STOP OF OLD ORCHARD STREET SHOWING TROLLIES IN FRONT OF THE TOWN HALLANOTHER PICTURE OF THE SQUARE AREA OF A YOUNG BUT GROWING OLD ORCHARDTHE FIRST PICTURE WAS DURING THE DEVASTATING FIRE IN 1907 OF THE HOTELS IN THE SQUARE BURNING, THE SECOND PICTURE WAS TAKEN THE FOLLOWING DAY SHOWING THE MASS DESTRUCTION OF NEARLY A FOURTH OF THE TOWNHERE ARE TWO MORE PICTURES OF PART OF THE DESTROYED AREA FOLLOWING THE MAJOR FIRE OF AUGUST 1907EARLY PICTURE OF ST. MARGARETS CHURCH AT THE CORNER OF SACO AVE AND OLD ORCHARD ST. THIS CHURCH IS AS MUCH A LANDMARK IN THE TOWN AS ANY OTHER STRUCTURE. THE DIRT ROAD IN THE FOREGROUND OF THE PICTURE IS ADELAIDE RDHERE IS A PICTURE LOOKING DOWN PORTLAND AVE NORTH OF THE TOWN HALLTHREE PICTURES OF THE AREA OF THE OCEAN PARK SQUARESMALL CARTS PULLED BY DOGS, DONKEYS, AND THEN HORSES WERE DRIVEN ON THE BEACH SELLING A PEANUT CONFECTION MADE BY THE PEANUTINE COMPANY ON OLD ORCHARD ST. HERE IS A PICTURE OF ONE OF THE CARTS ON THE BEACHVIEW LOOKING WEST ALONG THE BEACH FROM THE PIERVIEW LOOKING EAST ALONG THE BEACH FROM THE PIERHERE IS A PICTURE OF PORTLAND AVE (NOW SACO AVE) SHOWING SAINT MARGARETS CHURCH AND THE OLD ORCHARD HOUSENICE PIC FROM THE END OF THE PIER SHOWING THE SQUARE AND GRAND HOTELS....AND ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE PIERHERE IS AN INTERESTING VIEW OF THE BACK OF THE PIER ENTRANCE, AN ANNEX TO THE FOREST PIER HOTELHERE IS A PICTURE OF THE "DUMMY" TRAIN WHICH RAN FROM DOWNTOWN OLD ORCHARD TO CAMP ELLIS IN SACO1920'S - 1930'S VIEW OF THE SQUARE AREA LOOKING UP TOWARD THE OLD ORCHARD HOUSEVIEW OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE PIER, SHOWING THE MERRY-GO-ROUND & NOAH'S ARKTHE JACK RABBIT ROLLER COASTER AND "BIG ELI" FERRIS WHEEL IN A PICTURE WHICH ALSO SHOWS A SQUARE FULL OF 20'S & 30'S AUTOMOBILESSEASIDE PARK FEATURED THIS "SCENIC" COASTER TYPE RIDE WHICH INCLUDED RIDING THROUGH TUNNELS WITH LIT UP PICTURESTOP OF THE SQUARE PICTURE CIRCA 1940'S1950'S TO 1960'S SHOWS THE ENTRANCE TO THE WHITE WAY, NOAH'S ARK, AND THE JACK & JILL SLIDESAME ERA PICTURE OF THE SQUARE AREATHE MERRY-GO-ROUND AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE PIER1960'S VIEW OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE PIER. A FIRE IN 1969 DESTROYED ALL THAT CAN BE SEEN IN THIS PICTURE. IT WAS REPORTED TO HAVE STARTED IN THE MERRY-GO-ROUND ON THE LEFT OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE PIERPICTURE OF THE AMUSEMENT AREA FROM THE BEACH PRIOR TO THE 1969 FIRETHIS SHOWS THE AFTERMATH OF THE JULY 18, 1969 FIRE. LITTLE ON THAT SIDE OF THE STREET WAS LEFT. ACROSS THE SQUARE CAN BE SEEN THE PALACE PLAYLAND ARCADE INCLUDING THE FUNHOUSE ENTRANCE (THE LARGE CLOWN HEAD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ARCADE)ANOTHER PICTURE OF THE AREA BURNED IN THE 1969 FIRETHE SQUARE AND PIER ENTRANCE AS IT APPEARED IN THE 1980'SPICTURE OF THE SQUARE AS IT LOOKS NOWHERE IS A RECENT VIEW OF THE PIERDURING THE 1980'S, A BUILDING SPREE OF LARGE CONDOMINIUMS CHANGED THE LOOK OF THE BEACHFRONT AT OLD ORCHARD BEACHHERE IS A RECENT VIEW OF THE WATERFRONT LOOKING FROM THE EAST. THE WATER AND MARSH AT THE RIGHT OF THE PICTURE IS A POND AT LITTLE RIVERPICTURES TAKEN DECEMBER 14, 2001 OF THE INAUGURAL RUN OF THE NEW "DOWNEASTER", THE PASSENGER TRAIN WHICH WILL RUN BETWEEN BOSTON AND PORTLANDSEPTEMBER 15, 2006 PICTURES OF THE ANNUAL CLASSIC CAR SHOW ON OLD ORCHARD STREET
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