THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WESTBROOK
We compile interesting facts about Westbrook! For instance, did you know that:

• Westbrook was named for Colonel Thomas Westbrook who came to Maine in 1727.
• The seal of the City contains a ship as a symbol of the ship on which Colonel Westbrook sailed from New Hampshire to Maine.

Click HERE to read additional interesting facts about the city.

VITAL STATISTICS
A record of Westbrook marriage intentions, marriages, births and deaths from as early as 1718 are in the library, as well as Westbrook City Directories starting from 1885 and Westbrook Annual Reports from 1876.  We are also fortunate to have the original copy of the Westbrook 1850 census. The census has been transcribed and is available on CD Rom. 

GENEALOGY
Alcorn, Babb, Batchelder Bixby, Cairns, Cote, Curran, Dana, Day, Delcourt, Joy, Gagnon, Gilman, Greep, Hawkes, Jensen, King, Kinmond, Knight, Lamb, Larrabee, Quimby, Proctor, Rathgeb, Roberts, Roma, Saunders, Smith, Spiller, Tourangeau, Trickey, Warren, Valentine, Westbrook, Woodbury and Wyer are just a few of the names found in our collection of local family genealogies. Native son, Rudy Vallée, has his own special spot in our collection with photos, records, books and movie posters. Our library also contains a large collection of local & regional reference books donated by Dorothy Kinmond LaChance.
The newest section in our genealogy is dedicated to Immigrants to Westbrook. It contains information on their countries of origin, reasons for immigration, photographs and family histories. Some family Bibles included in this collection are:
the Goss-Bachelder Bible and the Shubael-Tarbox Bible (click on the family name to access genealogy).

*****To access data on the Roberts family of Westbrook, click HERE
*****To access data about 'people of interest' buried in Saccarappa Cemetery, click HERE

	Rudy Vallée in Coast Guard Uniform		Other Rudy Vallée Memorabilia

CEMETERIES
23 Westbrook cemeteries were  transcribed stone by stone in 2001-2003; the information has been compiled into Westbrook Cemeteries, a book by Donna & Norm Conley.  The data is also available on CD Rom.  A current listing of all Westbrook deaths and obituaries are kept on file at the Society.

Westbrook Cemeteries: (click on cemetery name to obtain transcriptions)

1. Cobb Cemetery – 551 Methodist Rd  (1832 – 1995)
2. Cobb Family Burial Ground – Methodist Rd; privates, non-accessible (1882)
3. Col. Westbrook Burial Ground – 781 County Rd  (1744)
4. Conant Burial Grounds – 105 Conant St  (1765 – 1992)
5. Gowen Cemetery – 622 Duck Pond Rd  (1814 – 1920)
6. Grant Family Cemetery – 772 Cumberland Street (in woods)  (1815 – 1897)
7. Hale Cemetery – 222 Duck Pond Rd  (1850 – 1898)
8. Hardy Cemetery – 138 Hardy Rd in woods; graves moved to Highland Lake Cem
9. Haskell Family Cemetery – was on Walker Street; bodies moved to Woodlawn Cem in 1905
10. Highland Lake Cemetery – 1235 Brigton Road (US Rte 302) - active cemetery
11. Jameson Cemetery – deep in woods behind Prides Corner fire station on Bridgton Road   (1837 – 1887)
12. Johnson Cemetery – 630 County Road (1817 – 1913)
13. Knight Cemetery – in woods across from 386 Duck Pond Road  ( 1825 – 1909)
14. Larrabee Cemetery –off Liza Harmon Drive  (1800 – 1847)
15. Lord Cemetery – behind 680 Duck Pond Rd (1826 – 1885)
16. Lunt Burial Grounds – behind 6 Lunt Road (1837)
17. Lunt Cemetery – 355 Bridgton Road (1858 – 1871)
18. Pride Family Cemetery – deep in woods behind 547 Brook Road (1830 – 1895)
19. Proctor Cemetery – 670 East Bridge Street (no remains of cemetery found)
20. Saccarappa Cemetery – Off Church Street – active cemetery
21. St. Hyacinth Cemetery – 295 Stroudwater Street – active cemetery; site of Rudy Vallee’s burial
22. Woodbury Cemetery – on Bridgton Road beside Highland Lake Church  (1839 - 1901)
23. Woodlawn Cemetery – 380 Stroudwater Street – active cemetery
    
    

    	Woodlawn Cemetery

Conant Burial Grounds	Cobb Cemetery

SCHOOLS
Westbrook High School yearbooks from 1906 to the present, as well as photographs of most graduating classes, are an integral part of our collection.

Original photos of Forest Street, Prides Corner, Rocky Hill, Warren, Saco Street, and Valentine Street grammar schools decorate a collection of old school desks and black boards. Many donated scrapbooks of school sporting events round out this area.

NEIGHBORHOODS
As with most cities, Westbrook consisted of specific neighborhood areas: Cumberland Mills, Scotch Hill, Saccarappa, Duck Pond and Prides Corner. Photographs and original remembrances of these areas are contained in our Communities of Westbrook notebooks.

BUILDINGS
The Historical Society is fortunate to have a large collection of original photographs of Westbrook homes, buildings and businesses. We also have a collection of turn of the century photos that were made from glass lantern slides from the Ernest Rowe slide collection and donated to the society by the Warren Library.

In the 1970s Westbrookhouse surveys were done by Portland Landmarks on 50 year old homes. Although the information on each house is limited, it is available and the Society and is trying to increase it data by requesting Westbrook citizens to submit information and photos of their homes.  (Click HERE to access a Building Survey Form) Information on individual houses is the 2nd most requested information from the Society…after genealogical information.

THE PHILIP LaVIOLET MILITARY COLLECTION

The dedication of The Philip LaViolet Military Collection was held on May 7, 2008. Phil has been a member of the Westbrook Historical Society for over 25 years and is now an Honorary Member. He has dedicated his life to preserving the history of Westbrook’s military veterans. Although the collection contains donations from many Westbrook families; it was Phil who organized seven volumes of histories and obituaries of Westbrook’s War Veterans. These volumes cover Westbrook veterans from the Revolutionary War up to present day conflicts. Most importantly they contain items about the actions on the home front, such as the article about Earle Stanley a local barber who gave free haircuts to all military personnel during WWII and the Bernier and Caron families who had 5 and 7 sons, respectively, serving in the war. The Historical Society is proud to have this collection honoring a deserving Westbrook citizen.
Our vast military collection also consists of uniforms, medals, equipment, photographs, and other military memorabilia.

To access a list of Westbrook's Revolutionary War veterans click here
To access a list of Westbrook's Civil War Veterans click here

CLOTHING
Thanks to the family of the late John & Effie Hay, the Society has a large collection of vintage clothing from the early 1900s.