Many THANKS to all of the folks who responded to my request in late October for information about poorhouses in Maine. You sent in LOTS of information which has now been posted to The POORHOUSE STORY website (a clearinghouse for information about 19th century American poorhouses)at http://www.poorhousestory.com So I would like to invite you to return to the site where you can now find the following: --- Notes from Readers: about poorhouses in Boothbay [Lincoln County] and Presque Isle [Aroostook County] --- Sylvia Sebelist's wonderful photo scrapbook essay about Annual Town Meeting Records regarding the poor farm in Waterford [Oxford County] --- Jean F. Hankins' previously unpublished article -- "Over the Hill to the Poorhouse": The Otisfield Town Farm, 1865 - 1924. [CUMBERLAND County] This article gives perspective on historic poorhouse trends throughout the state, and it will be of interest to residents of other counties as well. --- Clayton Spencer's e-mail comments which (after we twisted his arm! <grin>)he allowed us to present as another article which we have titled: Historical Survey of Methods of Poor Relief in Maine. (This article has reference to the town of Machias in WASHINGTON County.) He explains more about the use of Annual Town Meeting Reports when doing poorhouse research. If you have been to our site recently, you will probably have to click REFRESH on your browser to see the new material. If you are new to the site, DIRECTIONS: at the homepage (link above)click on POORHOUSES BY STATE, then click on OTHER STATES, then click on MAINE on the table of states. Note: It appears that Maine did not have a system of COUNTY Poorhouses, but instead had many (Jean has told me that she found more than 30!) TOWN poor farms. We would welcome any further information you wish to share. Hope you enjoy the site! Linda Crannell (aka=The Poorhouse Lady)