Since the development of photography in the
mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been
used as a tool of both discovery and preservation.
Photographs bring alive our picture of the past and
can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or
inspire curiosity and a sense of history.
Both joined and separated by the Androscoggin
River, Brunswick and Topsham were carved
from the same land grant in 1715. Despite their
proximity, the towns developed separate identities:
Brunswick became a manufacturing, commercial,
and educational center, while Topsham combined
its farms with factories. This fascinating pictorial
history illuminates the daily lives of the residents
of the two towns, and reveals how life has changed
over the past 120 years.