Camden's harbor, "where the mountains meet the sea," is so old it probably was there after the last glacier. The harbor, along with Mount Battie and Mount Megunticook, were used by the early European explorers as landmarks.

The west side of the harbor shown in 1889 depicts the large number of lumber and coal yards. In the foreground, all those small logs were wood brought in to keep the lime kilns burning on the property where the Camden Yacht Club is today.

Looking across the harbor shows the Camden Anchor Works (near the falls) and the town clock had its steeple removed a few years earlier, because it was swaying in the breeze. Little activity is shown in our harbor.

The much later picture, looking at the head of the harbor, all the red boat sheds belonging to Wayfarer Maine are there. They were falling apart and rotting, so they preserved only one. The tower had been built on Mount Battie as a memorial to the World War II veterans, and was designed by Parker Morse Hooper. The windjammers are shown and Harbor Park had been built, cleaning up the head of the harbor. Our thanks for that go the Mary Louise Curtis (Bok) (Zimbalist).

The long picture is the way the very busy harbor looks today with the many sailing yachts, and Windjammers. The view is of the many "sticks" (masts) in the inner harbor. With the mountains in the background, it is a most beautiful sight for tourists. We residents get to enjoy it all the time.

Barbara F. Dyer is Camden’s official historian. She has lived in Camden all her life, so far.