There have always been two Freeports: the image presented to outsiders, and the vital, quirky life enjoyed by residents of this small town in Maine. Once part of ancient North Yarmouth, Freeport was "set off" and incorporated in 1789, making it the sixty-fourth town in what would become Maine in 1820. Photographs have chronicled Freeport's daily life, her changing images, and the milestones of transportation which have pushed her forward. From E.B. Mallet's manufacturing and retail empire to that of L.L. Bean, from South Freeport's shipbuilding and canning industries to the arrival of the summer visitors, there are vivid images which capture both the public and private lives of historic Freeport, and there are photographs of great beauty which chronicle the special character of beloved landscapes.
