Updates October 2025

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Don Taylor

Articles

Rum Running in Scarborough – 1925

A look back at Prohibition-era Scarborough, when resident Ralph Woodward had his car seized for rum running. A 1925 Portland Press Herald article reveals how the national struggle over alcohol even reached Scarborough.

Library

Videos

Trolleys in Scarborough by Phil Morse.

Phil Morse of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport presents an illustrated program on the Portland Railroad and the era of electrification (1891–1941). He focuses on the years when Scarborough enjoyed trolley service—where lines ran, where riders could travel, and how trolleys shaped daily life for work, school, and leisure. This presentation brings to life a time when electric cars connected Scarborough residents to greater Portland and beyond.

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Rum Running in Scarborough – 1925

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Don Taylor

A century ago, Prohibition was the law of the land, but Maine—with its long, rugged coastline and proximity to Canada—was an ideal haven for smugglers. Vehicles used to transport illegal liquor were often seized, libeled in civil court, forfeited, and later sold by the government.

1920s Vintage Sedan
(Image courtesy of ChatGPT)

An article in the Portland Press Herald dated November 18, 1925, reported that Ralph Woodward of Scarborough had his sedan seized by federal authorities for use in rum-running. Along with Woodward’s car, a touring car and a truck were also forfeited, according to the report.

Today, one hundred years later, it’s difficult to imagine the days when “rum running” was part of local life—when a person could lose their car for defying the dry laws of the Prohibition era. Yet, these stories remind us that even in quiet towns like Scarborough, the national struggle over alcohol left its mark.

Originally published in the November/December 2025 edition of Owascoag Notes, the Scarborough Historical Society‘s monthly newsletter.

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Updates September 2025

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Don Taylor

Library – Education – Grammar Schools

Dunstan

Class of 1940 – Dunstan Class Photo – 15 November 1939.

Library – Middle Room – Tax Valuation Books

Our thanks to the Prouts Neck Historical Society for their work digitizing many of the Scarborough Tax Valuation Books. Newly digitzed are the following:

By the way, the tax books were indexed using 3″x5″ cards many years ago. Those cards are digitized and are available here.

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Faces from the Past – Scarborough High Students at the White School, c. 1921

Posted on September 26, 2025 by Don Taylor

In 1905, Scarborough built the White School at Oak Hill, a two-story building that became the town’s first true high school. The upper floor housed high school classes while the lower floor served grammar grades. For more than twenty years, this little schoolhouse educated Scarborough’s older students before the town constructed a dedicated high school on U.S. Route 1 in 1926. When the new building opened in 1927, the White School transitioned into Oak Hill Primary.

The photograph shown here captures a group of Scarborough High School students assembled in front of the White School, likely taken between 1918 and 1921. The young women wear long skirts, high-collared blouses, and lace details typical of the late 1910s and early 1920s. The young men are dressed in suits and ties, reflecting the formality of the era. Behind them, the clean lines and balanced windows of the White School provide a classic backdrop for this moment in Scarborough’s educational history.

This image offers us not only a glimpse of student life during that era, but also a reminder of how central the White School was in the lives of Scarborough families. Today, the building, at 225 US Route One, is home to Cumberland Tile Services and MackAirPro.

Photo showing students at Scarborough High School, circa 1920, sitting and standing in front of the White School (Oak Hill).
Scarborough High School Students – White School (Oak Hill)— used 1905–1926.
Do you recognize any of these faces?

People Tentatively Identified

NameLocationClass or Note
Elwood BesseyBack, middle of 3 in front of right door.Principal
Leon LaryBack row, third from right 
Norman Webster LaughtonBack row, far right.(died May 1921)
Arthur Pillsbury2nd Row, 4th from left,Tall boy in dark suit.
Gerald “Jerry” Pillsbury2nd row, 2nd from right –Lighter color suit, darker hair.
Martha PillsburyFront row, 6th from left,Light colored dress with sweater

This post written using the aid of AI (ChatGP) and edited using Grammarly.

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Remembering Scarborough’s Forgotten Neighbors

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Don Taylor
Site for future Dunstan Memorial.

The Scarborough Historical Society is undertaking a meaningful project to remember and honor the men, women, and children who lived and died at Scarborough’s Town Farm—also referred to as the Poor Farm and the Alms House.

Many of these townspeople passed away without family, friends, or the means to purchase a burial plot or headstone. Their remains were interred at Dunstan Cemetery beginning in the 1890s; some were remembered by name, while many others were lost to time.

Proposed Dunstan Memorial Inscription.

To ensure their lives are not forgotten, we are raising funds to place a permanent monument at Dunstan Cemetery. The stone will recognize and honor all those buried there, known and unknown, and serve as a reminder to future generations of this important chapter in our community’s history.

We invite you to join us in preserving this legacy. Donations of any size will help cover the costs of the monument and its installation. Checks may be made payable to the Scarborough Historical Society; please include a note, “For Dunstan Memorial Project,” on your check. Alternatively, donations can be made via credit or debit card through our PayPal link.

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