Old Orchard Beach is a York County town on Saco Bay. Incorporated as Old Orchard on February 20, 1883, it took its present name in 1929. The community’s identity has long joined year-round civic life with a nationally known seaside resort.
Origins and name
The town was created from part of neighboring Saco. Its name recalls an orchard planted in 1638 that later became known as “Rogers’ Garden by the Sea.” Set on high land behind the shore, the old orchard became a useful landmark for sailors.
European settlement in the area began during the 17th century. Meetings connected with the government of Sir Fernando Gorges’ Province of Maine were held here, tying the place to the region’s early colonial administration.
From boarding houses to a resort
The roots of local tourism appeared early. A public house served coach travelers by 1820, and Ebenezer C. Staples began taking boarders at his farm in the 1830s. His enterprise developed into the Old Orchard Boarding House and helped establish a pattern of summer lodging.
Rail service transformed access to the shore. The Boston-to-Portland line passed near the community in 1842. The Grand Trunk connection to Montreal followed in 1853, bringing Canadian visitors, while the Boston & Maine reached the town in the 1870s. Electric trolleys later connected the beach with Biddeford and Portland.
An apple orchard is planted behind the beach.
Regional and international rail links make the shore more accessible.
Old Orchard is incorporated as a town.
A major fire destroys much of the beachfront district.
The town adds “Beach” to its official name.
The present pier opens after earlier structures suffered repeated storm damage.
The beach, pier, and transportation
The long beach and its amusement district turned the town into a recreational destination. The pier hosted popular performers, including leading jazz and dance-band musicians, while the waterfront developed a carnival atmosphere distinct from many of Maine’s quieter coastal resorts.
Aviation also entered the town’s story. In June 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis on the beach during his United States tour after his transatlantic flight. Fog had prevented his intended landing in Portland.
Storms damaged or partly destroyed the pier in 1909 and 1978. Its repeated rebuilding reflects the exposed shoreline’s influence on the community. Rail remains part of the town’s transportation identity, continuing a connection that helped establish the resort in the 19th century.
Pronunciation
The entry’s traditional pronunciation cue is “OR-chd,” with the middle syllable reduced in ordinary speech.
Population record
The historical figures below are retained as a record of growth from 1970 through the 2010 census. They should not be read as a current population estimate.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 5,404 |
| 1980 | 6,291 |
| 1990 | 7,789 |
| 2000 | 8,856 |
| 2010 | 8,624 |
Historic places and communities
Old Orchard Beach includes historic properties associated with early tourism, African American travel, religious summer assemblies, and resort architecture. These places help explain how the community served different groups of visitors over time.
Cummings Guest House
The guest house accommodated African American travelers when discriminatory practices restricted access elsewhere. It was included in The Negro Travelers’ Green Book and operated for decades as part of the town’s lodging network.
Related topic: African Americans in Maine.
Ocean Park buildings
Ocean Park began in 1881 as a family summer community with a religious and educational purpose. The Temple, bell tower, Porter Hall, and Jordan Hall form the center of its historic assembly grounds.
Staples Inn
Associated with pioneer resort keeper Ebenezer C. Staples, the property reflects the early practice of taking summer boarders. Its surviving early fabric is notable amid the beach district’s repeated rebuilding.
The Temple
Built in 1881, the octagonal Temple is the focal point of Ocean Park. Its unusual form can be compared with another octagonal religious building, later used as a library, in Andover.
Material on these properties has been associated with the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and National Register documentation.
Selected reading
- Peter Dow Bachelder, The Great Steel Pier: An Illustrated History of the Old Orchard Ocean Pier (1998).
- Daniel E. Blaney, Old Orchard Beach (2007).
- Alton Bryant Cole, A Biography of a Railroad: The Dummy Line of Old Orchard Beach (1969).
- Adelbert M. Jakeman, Centennial History of Ocean Park, Maine, 1881–1981 (1981).
- John Staples Locke, Historical Sketches of Old Orchard and the Shores of Saco Bay (1884).
- Jeffrey A. Scully, The Old Orchard (1995).