Freeport, ME

Located just miles from the island-dotted waters of Casco Bay, Freeport is best known for the numerous stores, boutiques, and restaurants that make it one of the most popular shopping destinations in eastern New England. The downtown commercial core is anchored by the flagship store of L.L. Bean, an apparel and sporting goods company that was established in 1912.  An avid hunter, founder Leon Leonwood Bean hated when his feet got damp on trips through the woods. His design for a rubber boot—the “Maine Hunting Shoe”—launched what is today a billion dollar company and a major local employer. A large scale version of Bean’s boot sits outside the store and is a popular background for photos. 

Although settlement began in the late 17^th century, Freeport was not incorporated until 1789 when it gained its own church. Accounts vary, but it seems that the town’s name was chosen in recognition of the fact that its harbor remained free of ice during the winter. Freeport developed as four complementary villages, with the three by the sea focused on shipbuilding and fishing activities. Saw, grist, and fulling mills were constructed along a portion of the harbor. 

The inland village of Freeport Corner found itself thrust into a new role as the area’s commercial hub when the Kennebec and Portland Railroad arrived in town in 1849 as part of a project to link Portland and Augusta. In 1874, the line was purchased by the rival Maine Central Railroad (MEC) and permanently absorbed into a system that covered most of southern Maine while also extending into neighboring states and Canada.

With rail access to national markets, Freeport developed a manufacturing sector centered on shoe production. Referred to as the “Pine Tree Route” after the region’s dense forests, the MEC further opened the state to tourists who came to spend the summer in seaside cottages and resorts. Passenger service ended in 1960, and the fate of Freeport’s depot remained unclear until it was purchased by the Boothbay Railway Village Museum in 1964 and moved to its campus in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. In 2010, the state of Maine received $35 million under the federal High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program. It will be used to extend Amtrak Downeaster service more than 30 miles from Portland to Brunswick, including a new station stop in Freeport.