Wharf & Harbor

Wharf & Harbor

Wharf & Harbor: View of the Eastern Steamship Wharf at the foot of Commercial Street: In June, 1856, the new steamboat wharf which had been built by Captain James Miller, and which was later purchased and enlarged by the Sanford owners, was first used for their steamers. In 1867, during this season, the "Sanford" owners purchased Miller's Wharf, which they enlarged and added passenger and freight depots. In 1882 the name of the Sanford Steamship Company was changed to the Boston and Bangor Steamship Company. In 1888 an outlay of $10,000 was made on steamboat wharf and buildings. The wharf was 460 feet in length, and 165' wide across the outer end. Note: At first there was Simpson's wharf, closer to town. It burned in the 1873 fire and was closed to public use in 1880. This left Millers/Sanford's/Boston and Bangor wharf as the only steamboat connection. The Eastern Steamship Company was founded in 1901 by the Wall Street financier C. W. Morse by consolidating six small New England coastwise lines. The Eastern Steamship Lines wharf was located at the foot of Commercial Street and accommodated the various steam ships which serviced coastal Maine and Boston, Massachusetts. The ships provided overnight service between Boston and ports on Penobscot Bay from 1909 to 1935. Leo Lucky refurbished and opened the building on the pier as a dance hall and roller skating rink in 1949. Due to its deteriorating condition, it was intentionally burned in 1959. In the foreground the white building featured storage on the first floor and a jointer shop on the second. A number of small craft, including sloops, catboats and one small steamer can be seen in the bay as well as a few slops which have been hauled onto the beach.