For the past four decades, the mill in this small, inland town has churned out wooden building materials used to construct homes around the world — and a substantial recent expansion equipped the plant to make enough siding for 100,000 more homes each year. Outsize industriousness is nothing new in these parts. Settlers arrived in the late 18th century, naming the place after a southern Maine town they left behind, and by the early 19th century, four blacksmiths, four furniture makers, four shoemakers, two hatters, and two harness makers had set up shop. In 1875, a father and son from Dexter opened a tannery that came to process nearly 1,000 tons of leather a year, with hides shipped in from as far away as South America. And though the town has long been characterized by its smokestacks, you only need to spend an afternoon on one of its two largest lakes, both fringed with rolling hills, to see there’s more to the skyline.
If you can name this little mill town, submit your answer below. We’ll feature our favorite letter in an upcoming issue — and send the winner a Down East wall calendar.