A city of 8,300 plus residents, Yarmouth was settled in 1636 and first incorporated in 1680, becoming the eighth town of the province of Maine. Problems with the natives caused abandonment of the settlement until about 1722, when settlers returned to start again. After 1722 the town grew rapidly, becoming incorporated again in 1849.
Being on the Royal River (named for William Royall, who arrived in 1646, building on the river) and a protected bay, the town quickly became a shipbuilding centre, with the industry continuing here until the 1890s. Naturally, fishing was also a major industry which continues today, though to a lesser degree. Lumbering was a major employer, giving way to farming as the forest was cut down and the land cleared. Many small industries were developed, such as tanneries potteries and brickyards, with iron forges and various types of mills being build along the river, which provided power. Today the major employers in Yarmouth are more tech related, such as
Garmin,
DeLorme (home of the world's largest revolving and rotating globe), Hannaford Bros., NextEra and Tyler Technologies.
Though it looks somewhat antebellum in style, Yarmouth's city hall wasn't built until 1974, taking the place of a large school built in 1890. The large, hip roofed brick building was designed with a colonial styled portico over its front entrance and a broken ogee pediment over the doorway's transom, mimicking the appearance of colonial mansions of yore.
Yarmouth is home to North Yarmouth Academy. Of the many secondary education facilities established in New England in the nineteenth century, North Yarmouth Academy is one of the few which survive to this day. With its act of incorporation being signed on February 4, 1814, the academy opened its doors in 1815.
If you are a fan of clams, get to Yarmouth in July for the weekend-long
Yarmouth Clam Festival.
The entry from the American Guide Series book
Maine: A Guide 'Down East' follows.
Left on State 115 is YARMOUTH (alt. 80, Yarmouth Town, pop. 2125), 0.4 m.
This seaport town on Casco Bay was settled in 1658, laid waste by Indians in 1673,
and resettled in 1713. Fishing and crab-meat packing are the major industries,
which have supplanted the shipping and shipbuilding of the nineteenth century.
North Yarmouth Academy (R), on Main St., was founded in 1810.
At 66.8 m. is the junction with a local road.
From Maine: A Guide 'Down East', Page 213