Best Kept Secret

Liberty, Maine, located in the southwest section of Waldo County, is a small rural community. Incorporated in 1827, Liberty  has a population of about just over 900.Liberty's land area covers nearly 26 square miles. Numerous hills, mountains and lakes are located throughout the town.

In the early 19th century, mills in Liberty produced materials for the shipbuilding industry that thrived in nearby coastal towns during the early 19th century. But in the mid 19th century, declines in shipbuilding also brought a decline in the population and good produced.

This old postcard shows a view of Main street and a building  described as a Masonic Temple.

Years later, the same building was being used as a Hudson auto dealership and gas station.Currently, the building  houses an outlet store for Liberty Graphics.  This locally based community of artists was established in 1970 who sought a means of support that would not disturb the natural beauty of their rural setting.

The top floors of Liberty graphics house the Davistown Museum, which features an extensive hands-on tool exhibition of New England’s maritime and industrial history.

Check out this similar looking building located directly across the street and currently the home of Liberty Tool – New England's largest secondhand tool store.   This place is a tool collector’s delight and Grenville covered the entire place from basement to attic as well as the annex across the street in the old Mobil station. See his post for details of his visit. Liberty’s most unusual building is the old octagonal post office, the only octagonal post office in the United States. The Old Octagonal Post Office, was built in 1870 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The building, which has all its original equipment now houses the Liberty Historical Society. The post office is open to the public on Saturdays during the summer.We passed through town before finding it, but here’s an old postcard view.

Other buildings in Liberty include the Ivan O. Davis Library which was closed the day we visited the town.

It was a rainy, overcast day when we visited Liberty  which proved the perfect weather to spend several hours stepping back in time. Here’s the view leaving Liberty.

Compared to an old postcard street view.