The Historical Society recently received this sepia-colored, cardboard-backed 8 X 10 photograph of the old Davis & Baxter corn shop of Cumberland Mills. The original owner of the picture was Samuel B. Ingersoll of 126 Forest Street.  Mr. Ingersoll had been employed as a sealer at the shop for many years and  he had made notes on the back of the picture... ”all cut by hand; women employees; now swim pool...”

An old newspaper article in the Society's collection shows the same photograph with the following inscription:

“...the corn shop, owned by Davis & Baxter, was located in Cumberland Mills on the    present site of the swimming pool...In those days the corn was cut by hand, women being employed for this task. On the opposite bank of the Presumpscot River on the present site of the “Elms”, ...stood the corn shop of J. Winslow Jones, believed to be the first man to pack corn in this vicinity.”

Westbrook's corn shop history is also  referenced in Fabius Ray's Story of Westbrook :

“...to Nathan Winslow...belongs the credit of having inaugurated what is now a colossal industry in most parts of the United States and Canada, the preservation of food products in cans by what is known as the process of hermetically sealing. In this connection it is worthy to mention that the first sweet corn ever canned for the market, was so canned by Mr. Winslow in what was then a woodshed at Cumberland Mills...”