Author Archives: Don Taylor

A Glimpse of the Southgate House in Dunstan Village

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Don Taylor

The Southgate House has been a landmark of Dunstan Village, Scarborough, Maine, since the early 1800s. Built around 1805–1810 by members of the Southgate family, the house served as an inn and tavern for travelers along the Portland Road—today’s U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Dunstan, Local Landmarks | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Glimpse of the Southgate House in Dunstan Village

Knight’s Furniture: A Dunstan Village Landmark

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Don Taylor

Knight’s Furniture was once a beloved family-run business at the heart of Dunstan Village in Scarborough, Maine. Located on U.S. Route 1, the store served generations of local families with quality furniture and home goods, all within a converted barn … Continue reading →

Posted in Businesses, Dunstan, Local Landmarks | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Updates June 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Don Taylor

Library Middle Room Tax Valuation Books “Explore the Scarborough Valuation Books to uncover property and personal wealth details of residents and non-residents from Scarborough’s past. A valuable genealogy and local history resource, fully indexed for easy searching; many of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Updates June 2025

Scarborough Town Farm Cemetery

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Don Taylor

Ron Romano’s The Graves of Scarborough’s Paupers: The Town Farm Cemetery, 1867–1891 offers a moving, thoroughly researched account of Scarborough’s 19th-century approach to caring for its poorest citizens. When the town purchased the Brackett Farm in 1867, it became a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cemeteries, History, Notable Papers & Presentations, Scarborough History, Social Welfare & Poor Relief | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scarborough Town Farm Cemetery

Letting Out the Poor

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Don Taylor

Ron Romano’s Letting Out the Poor uncovers the mid-19th-century system of poor relief in Scarborough, Maine, through the logbook of Ebenezer Libby, Overseer of the Poor from 1857–1867. The paper explains how impoverished residents were “let out” to townspeople—essentially placed in homes where … Continue reading →

Posted in 19th Century Maine, History, Notable Papers & Presentations, Presentations, Scarborough History, Social Welfare & Poor Relief | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment