To the editor:
Downtown Caribou. It covers a fairly small amount of area but has seen many businesses come and go over its 150-year history. You now have the opportunity to visually follow the development of this area through the years. For the remaining Saturdays of March and those of April, the Caribou Historical Center and Museum will be hosting a display featuring many of the stores which have led to the downtown being what it is today.
The first street In the community was Water Street. It was developed by Alexander Cochran as a road to transport the growers’ gains from the Aroostook River to his grist mill, which was located opposite the end of Fenderson Street. As time passed, this “road” became the principal location for many of the early Caribou businesses. As the need for more space to expand was needed, working north up the hill on Main Street became the logical site for new stores.
Further expansion took place into what is now High Street, down Sweden Street and on the south side of Herschel Street. It was only more recently that business expanded beyond the area of the Universalist Church on South Main Street, the Court House on Sweden Street and the Baptist Church on High Street.
The development along South Main Street, the Access Highway (Bennett Drive) to Limestone (Loring AFB), the By-Pass, the Mall off Bennet Drive and Urban Renewal all brought about changes to the downtown area. The area of Sweden Street beyond the Court House never did develop in a big way as an expansion area for businesses.
The Historical Center and Museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. every Saturday. Stop by to reminisce as you look through our extensive collections of materials of Caribou’s past and view our current display.
Caribou Historical Center
Board of Directors
