72 Oak Street

P.O. Box 272

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

(207) 633-0820

brhs@gwi.net

Hours 10-2 Wed-Sat

Hodgdon Shipbuilding and Mills $15

by Barbara Rumsey

The East Boothbay Series, #1

Published in 1995

The growth of a nineteenth-century Maine coastal village unfolds in this detailed history of East Boothbay's Hodgdon shipyard and tidemill. Focusing on the early period, when the village was known as Hodgdons Mills, a wealth of information provides insight into a pioneer settlement as it evolved into a commercial center.

One man was crucial, and in profiling Caleb Hodgdon's enterprises—shipyard, mill, and real estate—the develop-ment of East Boothbay emerges. A family enclave of four houses in the 1820s became a booming shipbuilding village within twenty years, its residents drawn by the opportunities Caleb Hodgdon created after settling there in 1826. Commerce and community expanded with the appearance of homes, stores, roads, other shipyards, a ferry, a church, and a school. An influx of skilled men—sparmakers, blockmakers, sailmakers, blacksmiths, and shipwrights—with their families guaranteed a fortunate village.

Hodgdon shipbuilding, now owned by Caleb's great-great-grandson, has a 180-year record. The first one hundred years of the shipyard's activities and the accomplishments of the first two Hodgdon generations are profiled. All known vessels built by the Hodgdons from 1816 to 1996 are listed, and many previously unknown Hodgdon-built vessels have been identified. Though gathered from fragmentary sources, this history is a testament to an enduring work ethic whose monument is in wood.

•       Technical data on the Hodgdon village tidemill

•       Original sketches by Earle G. Barlow

•       60 illustrations, including photos, maps, documents, and drawings

•       Appendices: Hodgdon-built vessels, 1816-1996; vessel specifications, 1916-1996

•       Sources cited in footnotes; complete bibliography and  index

Contents

Maps

Illustrations

Preface

  1. Hodgdon Beginnings on Jeremysquam

                                1760-1814 

  2. Caleb Hodgdon, Jeremysquam Shipwright

                                1815-1823 

  3. The Creation of Hodgdons Mills

                                1824-1827

  4. Caleb Hodgdon, Boothbay Shipwright

                                1827-1829

  5. From Abigail to Veto

                                1830-1833

  6. A Thriving Shipbuilding Village

                                1834-1838

  7. The Texas, the Tiger, the Wellsman, and Eliza

                                1839-1844

  8. Boom and Panic

                                1845-1857

  9. C. & J. P. Hodgdon & Co.

                                1858-1874

10. The First Hodgdon Brothers

                                1875-1885

11. C. & G. M. Hodgdon Co.

                                1886-1900

12. The Yacht Years Begin for Hodgdon Brothers

                                1900-1911

13. The Third Generation

                                1912-1916

Appendices

                A. Deeds and Court Cases

                B. Vessel List, 1816-1996

                C. Vessel Specifications, 1917-1996

                D. Genealogy

Biography

Abbreviations

Index

Maps

Lincoln County towns                                                                                             

1772 Holland map of Jeremysquam and Boothbay                                   

1794 Beath map of Jeremysquam                                                                

1815 Rose map showing Sheepscot River Islands                                      

1856 map showing Boothbay place names                                                

1824 Boothbay purchases of Caleb Hodgdon                                             

1751 house sites of Miller, Montgomery, and Linekin                              

1823 highway district #5                                                                           

1825 purchases of Caleb Hodgdon                                                             

William McCobb's neighborhood                                                               

Hodgdons Mills in 1832                                                                             

Hodgdons Mills in 1836                                                                              

Hodgdons Mills in 1839                                                                             

Hodgdons Mills in 1856                                                                             

Hodgdons Mills roads, circa 1860