Industry, culture, and civic life
By 1847, a wood-products mill was operating on the Crooked River. The complex now associated with Scribner’s Mill became one of Harrison’s most important surviving links to small-scale rural industry.
Harrison’s village institutions also reflect the community’s educational, agricultural, and cultural history. A former library, a rustic summer theatre, a grange hall, and an unusual metal truss bridge are among the properties recognized for their historical importance.
Caswell Public Library (Former)
Built in 1908–09, the former Caswell Public Library is a one-story Romanesque Revival stone building near the village center. The Harrison Public Library Association formed in 1906 after a literary society brought together two local book collections. The building was completed in 1908 and later carried the Caswell name.
After discussion of overcrowding and accessibility, the collections moved into the nearby former town office in August 2004. The original stone building continued to serve community purposes.
Barrows–Scribner Mill
The Scribner Homestead, built about 1849, housed generations of the family associated with a sawmill on the adjoining Crooked River for more than a century. The Greek Revival house, connected barn, corn house, and chicken house help illustrate the relationship between a rural household and a small industrial operation.
The mill was listed in the Historic Register in 1976 but removed ten years later after portions collapsed or were dismantled. A restoration effort was underway in 2012.
Deertrees Theatre
Built in 1935–36, Deertrees Theatre is a notably intact rustic wooden theatre. It was erected for opera singer Enrica Clay Dillon, who established Harrison’s summer theatre company, the Deertrees Players.
Construction began in the fall of 1935, and the theatre was dedicated on August 15, 1936. Its early programs included dramatic and operatic work. The repertory later broadened, and the building passed through several periods of operation, closure, and revival.
Lakeside Grange No. 63
Constructed in 1905 near the village center, the Lakeside Grange served social and commercial purposes as Harrison’s agricultural economy changed. The hall has accommodated fairs, performances, meetings, and recreation. It also survived the destructive village fire of 1907.
Ryefield Bridge
Built jointly in 1912 by Harrison and Otisfield, the Ryefield Bridge crosses the Crooked River. It is identified as Maine’s only double-intersection Warren through-truss bridge and as one of the state’s relatively few surviving pre-1916 rivet-connected Warren trusses.
The Warren truss design uses repeating triangular members. The second set of diagonals in this bridge increased rigidity. The bridge was designed and manufactured by the American Bridge Company and constructed by the United Construction Company.
