Last week we posted a mystery photo of a family fishing wharf. That wharf, located on the Van Horn Road at Ocean Point, was owned by Chester E. Tibbetts in the 50s and 60s for lobster operations. Prior to that, in the 1940s and early 50s the Tibbetts family had a restaurant there called the Lobster Pool. 

In the 1890s, the property was the site of a Pogy Factory. There were several pogy factories in the region including one at Dogfish Head, Southport, one near the Southport bridge, four at Linekin, one at Ocean Point, and one at Spruce Point. Pogies were cooked and pressed for their valuable oil, what was left was used for fertilizer. The peak of the pogy industry was from 1866 to 1878. According to a Portland Press Herald article from June 30th, 1966, after the Civil War the demand for and the price of fish oil increased dramatically. This was great news for Mainers and oil factories “went up like mushrooms, almost overnight”. In 1876, over two million gallons of oil was produced along the Lincoln County shores alone. By 1906 local factories were closed or refitted for other purposes.

Visit the Boothbay Historical Society to see photographs on this subject. Digital copies of these photos are part of the Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation Research Collection located online at https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/boothbay-region-maritime-foundation-research-collection/

The Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation Research Collection

A Community Sourced Digital Archive

The Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation Research Collection is a community sourced digital archive of commercial fishing and working waterfront photos from the Boothbay Region's past and its present.

It is a collaboration among the Penobscot Marine Museum (PMM), the Boothbay Region Historical Society (BRHS), and BRMF. Contributors loan their photos for digitization by professional archivists at the Penobscot Marine Museum. Digital copies are added to an online collection that is accessible to the public FREE of charge. Donors include the Department of Marine Resources, the Boothbay Register, and the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library as well as individuals from the region. This is an ongoing project. 

Add Your Photos to the Collection

Please contact us if you have photos you would like to be included in this collection or if you have any information about photos that have been collected. We can be reached at BRMaritimeFoundation@gmail.com. These photos and others can be viewed from the BRMF website, https://www.boothbayregionmaritimefoundation.org/heritage-history/boothbay-region-fisheries-photo-collection or at the PMM website, https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/boothbay-region-maritime-foundation-research-collection/ 

The PHOTO SHOW

Visit the Photo Show at the Boothbay Harbor Opera House during the months of August and September. There will be a reception on August 19th from 5-7 PM. The Opera House gallery is open Wednesday-Friday from 10-2, in addition to being open for ticket holders on the evenings of performances.