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A recently donated photo album at the Scarborough Historical Society offers a rare look into the Oak Hill Grammar class of 1937-38. Inside, black-and-white images capture elementary students—faces full of hope and promise—yet not a single name can be found.
The album, a small yet significant piece of our town’s heritage, now presents a mystery: Who were these children?
This photo booklet from Oak Hill Grammar, a cornerstone of Scarborough’s educational past of the 1930s, features 29 thumbnail portraits.
Why does it matter to identify these students? Every name is a story, a connection to the broader tapestry of Scarborough’s history. A name added to a face is a family reconnected, a memory restored. These children may be remembered by relatives or friends still in our community.
We invite your help in restoring these identities. If you or someone you know have family archives from that era, please reach out. You may recognize a familiar face, a piece of clothing. Sharing these images with older family members could spark memories or stories that help us name these students. Any detail, no matter how small, may unlock an important piece of Scarborough’s past.
If you can confirm any of these photo identifications, please contact the Scarborough Historical Society. Let’s work together to ensure that these young faces from the “Class of 1937-38” are remembered as individuals and not lost to history.
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Scarborough’s 18th-century birth records can be challenging to locate, but many have been preserved thanks to the work of early genealogists. This post explains where to find these transcribed Scarborough records in the Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, how to access them online, and tips for searching them effectively.
Original town records from the 1700s can be scattered or hard to read. Fortunately, historian S. M. Watson transcribed many early Scarborough births and published them in the late 1800s. Today, these volumes are digitized, OCR-scanned, and freely available on the Internet Archive.
Scarborough birth records appear in three volumes:
• Volume V (1888) — Scarborough Town Records – Births, copied by S. M. Watson. See pages 56–60, 114–121, 134–138, and 214–220. Available at: https://archive.org/details/mainehistoricalg05port/page/n55/mode/2up
• Volume VI (1889) — Scarborough Town Records – Births, copied by S. M. Watson. See pages 302–310, 367–377, and 396–406. Available at: https://archive.org/details/mainehistoricalg06port/page/n301/mode/2up
• Volume VII (1893) — Scarborough Town Records – Births, copied by S. M. Watson. See pages 46–51. Available at: https://archive.org/details/mainehistoricalg07port/page/n45/mode/2up
Use the “Search Inside” box (usually in the top left corner of the Internet Archive page) to search for surnames. For example:
– A search for “Harmon” in Volume V brings up 27 matches.
– The first result is in the index.
– The fourth result (page 58) shows that Elizabeth Harmon, daughter of James and Elizabeth, was born November 28, 1764. Isaac, their son, was born March 31, 1770.
– Page 60 shows that John and Mary Harmon had eight children from 1747 to 1761.
This method saves time and can help you quickly find ancestors in these historic records.
Always cross-check transcriptions with any available original records to confirm accuracy.
Thanks to S. M. Watson’s dedication, these volumes remain a valuable resource for anyone researching Scarborough’s earliest families.
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. Route 1. The Southgates were an influential family in Scarborough’s early history, with Dr. Robert Southgate playing a prominent civic and religious role.
This aerial photo, likely taken in the late 1950s or early 1960s, shows the house’s distinctive wrap-around porch and the surrounding barns and outbuildings that once supported its use as both a home and a working farm. For generations, the Southgate House stood as a welcoming stop for locals and visitors alike, symbolizing the village’s long tradition of hospitality and community life.
The building remains a reminder of Dunstan’s rich past and the families who shaped Scarborough’s history.
Today, the historic Southgate House has been repurposed and now serves as affordable housing managed by Avesta Housing. The property—formerly including the original farmhouse and barns—was fully redeveloped between 2015 and 2018 into a 38-unit residence for individuals and families earning between 50%–60% of the area median income [Source].
The centerpiece, the historic 1805 brick farmhouse built by Dr. Robert Southgate, underwent internal renovation to include eight apartments, while additional apartment buildings were constructed on the surrounding three-acre parcel [Source]. This development was honored with a 2021 Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award for its successful fusion of historic preservation and affordable housing [Source]
The Southgate House no longer operates as a farm or inn. Instead, it provides community-focused, income-restricted rental housing, blending its rich history with meaningful contemporary use.
(This article was developed with the help of ChatGPT and edited using Grammarly.)
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 that became a familiar landmark.
At a time when Dunstan Corner was a bustling stop along the main coastal route, Knight’s was part of a thriving village economy that included small shops, gas stations, and restaurants. Many remember stopping in to browse sturdy bedroom sets, dining tables, and living room pieces.
As Scarborough grew and larger retail stores changed the furniture business, Knight’s eventually closed, but its barn and the memories live on in the stories of residents who furnished their homes through this trusted local store.
This aerial view, taken around 1960, shows Knight’s Furniture at its peak — a reminder of Dunstan village’s role as a vital hub in Scarborough’s commercial past.
Today, this area, 581 US Route 1, is home to Suburban Home Outfitters and Gurley Antiques Gallery, “A Quality Multi-Dealer Shop.”
(This article was developed with the help of ChatGPT and edited using Grammarly.)
