Camden, Maine


Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 census. Located on Penobscot Bay at the mouth of the Megunticook River, Camden is one of the few places on the Atlantic seaboard where mountains meet the sea.
The town was incorporated in 1791 and named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, a supporter of American colonial rights. Camden developed as an industrial center in the 19th century, with mills along the Megunticook River supporting shipbuilding, textile manufacturing, and lime production. The local shipyards launched notable vessels including the first six-masted schooner ever built.
Beginning in the 1880s, Camden transformed into a prominent summer colony, attracting wealthy seasonal residents from northeastern cities who built elaborate mansions along the waterfront. The town has maintained cultural significance as the birthplace of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and home to institutions including the Camden International Film Festival. Camden's scenic harbor and historic architecture have made it a popular filming location for movies including Peyton Place, ''Casper and In the Bedroom''.

History

Pre-Settlement

The coastal region of Camden, situated on Penobscot Bay, offered rich resources and excellent geography for a future maritime community. While various regional Native groups historically utilized the coastal and forest resources, the beginning of its organized history and development started with the arrival of the first European pioneers.

Early settlement

Although the area was included in the Waldo Patent, European colonization did not begin until after the French and Indian War, around 1771–1772. James Richards led the first settlement effort, building a home at the mouth of the Megunticook River. Other settlers followed, establishing farms on the challenging mountainous terrain. The Conway House, a Cape Cod style home built in 1770, represents one of the earliest surviving structures from this period. The building was converted into a history museum in 1962.

Revolutionary War period

During the American Revolutionary War, Camden served as a strategic location. When Castine fell to the British in 1779 following the failed Penobscot expedition, Camden became a rendezvous point and encampment for American forces under Major George Ulmer. British forces conducted raids in the area, burning a local sawmill.

Incorporation and early 19th century

On February 17, 1791, the Massachusetts General Court incorporated Megunticook Plantation as the town of Camden, named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, a British Parliament member and advocate for civil liberties. During the War of 1812, local forces constructed a defensive battery atop Mount Battie, equipped with 12- and 18-pounder cannons. Despite lacking qualified gunners, the fortification's presence deterred British naval attacks.

Industrial development

Following the War of 1812, Camden experienced rapid industrial growth. The Megunticook River provided abundant water power for various mills, including sawmills and gristmills. By 1858, the town supported diverse manufacturing including carriage factories, sash and blind factories, and blacksmith shops. Six active shipyards launched ten to twelve vessels annually.
The town's industrial base expanded significantly by 1886 to include foundry products, railroad cars, woolens, paper mill feltings, anchors, maritime hardware, planking, powder kegs, excelsior, mattresses, tinware, oakum, textiles, boots, shoes, leather goods, flour, meal, corn brooms, and barrels. Camden became the second-largest producer of lime in the region after Rockland, with limestone quarried locally and processed in kilns before shipment to ports throughout the United States. This lime industry continued until 1891, when Rockport separated as an independent town.
The town's shipbuilding industry reached its peak in the late 19th century. The H.M. Bean Yard launched notable vessels including the Charlotte A. Maxwell, the largest four-masted schooner of its time, and the George W. Wells, the first six-masted schooner ever constructed.

Summer colony era

Beginning in the 1880s, wealthy "rusticators" and sportsmen discovered Camden's natural beauty as a summer destination. Literary works by Sarah Orne Jewett and paintings by Fitz Hugh Lane, Frederick Church, and Childe Hassam romanticized Maine's coastal scenery, attracting visitors to local accommodations including the Bayview House Hotel, Ocean House, and Mrs. Hosmer's Boarding House.
Edwin Dillingham constructed the first purpose-built summer cottages in 1880 on Dillingham Point, establishing Camden as a fashionable summer colony. Wealthy families from Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago built elaborate Shingle Style "cottages" along High Street, Bay View Street, and Beauchamp Point, rivaling similar developments in Bar Harbor. Summer residents typically arrived via Boston steamship lines or the Maine Central Railroad through Rockland. This seasonal influx transformed the local economy, as former mariners found employment as caretakers, gardeners, cooks, and carpenters serving the summer community.

The Great Fire and reconstruction

In November 1892, a devastating fire driven by strong easterly winds destroyed Camden's business district. The community responded immediately, with local businessmen investing in the construction of twelve large brick buildings, including the Camden Opera House and the controversial Masonic Temple. Rather than deterring development, the Great Fire preceded a period of increased summer colony growth.
Infrastructure improvements followed, including a road to the summit of Mount Battie in 1897 with an accompanying inn. In 1898, Philadelphia summer residents established the Megunticook Golf Club on Beauchamp Point. The Whitehall Inn opened in 1901 in a converted sea captain's mansion on High Street, catering to affluent visitors.
Prominent summer families including Curtis, Bok, Keep, Gribbel, Dillingham, and Borland contributed significantly to Camden's civic infrastructure through donations that funded the public library, an amphitheater designed by Fletcher Steele, Camden Harbor Park designed by the Olmsted Brothers, the Village Green, and renovations to the Camden Opera House.

20th century development

World War II and Eleanor Roosevelt's visit

During World War II, Camden contributed to the war effort through shipbuilding. The Camden Shipping & Marine Railway Company was formed to build wooden barges for the military. On February 9, 1943, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Camden to christen the launch of the 194-foot barge Pine Tree, one of four barges built at the Camden shipyard. The launch was a major event, drawing large crowds, press, and film crews. Mrs. Roosevelt broke the traditional champagne bottle across the bow and was splashed with champagne in the process. During her visit, she was presented with traditional Native American gifts by members of the Penobscot tribe, including a beaded headband and receiving the name "Ow-Du-Sees-Ul".

Maritime recreation

Philadelphia publishing magnate Cyrus Curtis established the Camden Yacht Club in 1912, responding to the growing number of private yachts in Camden Harbor. The club celebrated its centennial in 2006 with the publication of "From Steam to Sail: 100 Years of the Camden Yacht Club." Captain Frank Swift initiated Camden's cruise schooner industry in 1936, establishing the windjammer fleet that continues operating today.

Arts and literature

Camden's cultural reputation was enhanced in 1912 when Edna St. Vincent Millay first recited her poem "Renascence," written from atop Mount Battie, to guests at the Whitehall Inn. A patron's offer to fund her education at Vassar College launched her career as a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and prominent figure of the Roaring Twenties.
French harpist, composer, and conductor Carlos Salzedo founded the internationally recognized Salzedo Summer Harp Colony in Camden, hosting annual Harp Festivals in the library amphitheater. The town became home to Bay Chamber Concerts and regular theater productions at the Opera House and Shakespeare performances in the amphitheater.
During the 1950s, Camden attracted notable artists and writers, leading to the establishment of Maine Coast Artists in nearby Rockport. Wayne Doolittle launched Down East Magazine in 1954, further promoting Maine's cultural image.

Film industry

Camden's picturesque setting attracted Hollywood productions beginning with Carousel and Peyton Place. Later productions included Stephen King's Thinner and Casper, and Todd Field's In the Bedroom. The soap opera Passions used Camden locations to represent the fictional town of Harmony.

Modern cultural institutions

Contemporary Camden supports various cultural activities including the Camden Shakespeare Company's summer festival in the library amphitheater and the annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships at Camden Snow Bowl each February. The town served as the location for the 2001 HGTV Dream Home.
The Points North Institute, established in Camden and Rockport, founded the Camden International Film Festival in 2005, focusing on documentary filmmaking. The festival expanded to include the Points North Forum, the Camden/TFI Retreat in partnership with Tribeca Film Institute, and various professional development programs.

In popular culture

  • The 2001 Best Picture Academy Award nominated film In the Bedroom had scenes that were shot in Camden. Specifically, the historic welcome arch, the bar where Tom Wilkinson's character goes looking for his son's friend, the Camden Harbor Park and Amphitheatre where Sissy Spacek's character directs the Balkan Girl's Chorus in an outdoor concert, the exterior of the bar where her son's killer is working, and the shots of the town at dawn from the summit of Mount Battie for the film's finale
  • The majority of the 1995 film Casper was filmed in Camden, though the story takes place in Friendship. The production crew chose Camden, citing it to be "more authentic". In the film, Friendship is home to a fictional Art Nouveau mansion called Whipstaff Manor, which is haunted by four ghosts. However Whipstaff Manor is not a real mansion located on the sea front of Camden. The lower exterior and interior of the mansion was built on a set.
  • Other movies shot in Camden include Captains Courageous, Carousel and Peyton Place and Head Above Water.