Home > Scarborough, Maine

1 History

Early in the 17th century, John Stratton opened a trading post on Stratton Island, just offshore. Soon after the Massachusetts Bay Colony began expanding, he attracted settlers both to the island and the nearby mainland. On July 14, 1658, Massachusetts granted them a town charter as Scarboro. By 1676, the town had over a hundred houses. But then a series of Indian attacks killed many settlers and destroyed the town. After several attempts at rebuilding and more attacks, the survivors abandoned the site in 1680 and moved to Portland or back to Boston.

Resettlement started in 1702 and several forts and blockhouses were built. Despite some attacks, the second settlement succeeded. By 1730, the area was economically prosperous. Cattle and timber were important local products for export, and available water power encouraged the opening of several saw mills.

2 Education

• Eight Corners Elementary School
• Pleasant Hill Elementary School
• Blue Point Elementary School
• Wentworth Intermediate School
• Scarborough Middle School
• Scarborough High School

3 Sports

• Red Storm (formerly the Redskins)

4 Famous People

• William King, first governor of Maine
• Rufus King, U.S. Senator from New York and U. S. Ambassador to Great Britain
• Winslow Homer, noted artist lived and had his workshop here. Many of his paintings depict the scenic rocky beaches in the area.
• Richard deCostaRichard deCosta is a composer at the forefront of opera produced with samplers, synthesizers and computer graphics. His company, is currently producing his opera, Kai, Death of Dreams. The production uses Machinima ( video game engine) to display the sets, composer, oneironaut

5 External links

• Scarborough's Town Web Site
• The Scarborough Public Library Web Site