The Laconia Co.
⎯⎯⎯
La Compagnie Laconia

Biddeford, Maine

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The Museum in the Streets®

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Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 12, 2021

1. The Laconia Co. / La Compagnie Laconia Marker

The first mill in Biddeford was the Laconia Compny founded by Samuel Batchelder in 1841. Production of cloth began in 1845. Some twelve million bricks were used in the construction. A large machine shop and foundry were constructed to build the machinery for the mills. Building dams and digging power canals through solid rock provided hundreds of jobs and tremendous growth. Cotton mill employees were mostly local farm girls who lived in the company's boardinghouses. Four rows of such housing were built for the Laconia. The bottom photograph shows boardinghouses and the entrance to mill #3. Cloth was inspected in the cloth halls" as the women are doing in the large photograph.

La première filature à Biddeford, la Compagnie Laconia, fut fondée et organisée par Samuel Batchelder en 1841. La fabrication de toile débuta en 1845. Un gros atelier d'usinage et une fonderie connus soul le nom de "Petee Work Shop," qui devint à la longue la "Saco Lowell Shop," furent construits afin de produire la machinerie des "moulins." La construction de barrages et le creusement de canaux de puissance à travers le roc fournirent

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des centaines d'emplois. À la filature on employa surtout des jeunes filles qui venaient des fermes; elle étaient logées dans les pension de la compaignie. Quatre rangées de pensions furent construites pour la Laconia. La deuxième photo démontre deux pensions et l'entrée du "moulin" numéro 3. La tile fut inspectée dans les salle de toiles comme le révèle la grande photo.
 
Erected 2006 by The Museum in the Streets®. (Marker Number 5.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels • Women. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets: Biddeford, Maine series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1841.
 
Location. 43° 29.561′ N, 70° 27.21′ W. Marker is in Biddeford, Maine, in York County. It is at the intersection of Main Street and Laconia Street, on the right when traveling west on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 110 Laconia St, Biddeford ME 04005, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Southern Maine Coast. It is also in the American Northeast,

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 12, 2021

2. The Laconia Co. / La Compagnie Laconia Marker

in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Alfred Street / La Rue Alfred (within shouting distance of this marker); Biddeford's La Justice / La Justice de Biddeford (within shouting distance of this marker); Honor Roll (within shouting distance of this marker); The I.O.O.F. Block / Le Bloc I.O.O.F. (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Shevenell Park (about 300 feet away); A Stone Fort (about 400 feet away); Fort Saco in 1693 / Le Fort Saco en 1693 (about 400 feet away); Biddeford Maine Veterans Memorial (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Biddeford.

 

 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 18, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 553 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on November 18, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.