Little Falls, Maine: A Historic Mill Village on the Presumpscot River
Tucked along the Presumpscot River in southern Maine, the village of Little Falls has been turning water into work for more than two centuries. Straddling the line between Windham and Gorham, it grew up around the river's falls, where generation after generation harnessed the current to run sawmills and pulp mills. Today its quiet streets and old brick buildings still tell the story of a classic New England mill town.
Where Is Little Falls?
Little Falls is a village in the South Windham area of southern Maine, on the Presumpscot River — the river that forms the boundary between the towns of Windham and Gorham as it flows from Sebago Lake toward Casco Bay. It sits just a short drive northwest of Portland, in a region shaped for centuries by the river and its falls.
Mills on the Presumpscot
There have been mills at Little Falls since before the American Revolution. The first was a sawmill run by William Knight — an early settler of New Marblehead, as Windham was then known — who worked it with his sons Joseph and Nathan. The Knight family operated the mill until 1832, harnessing the falls to saw lumber for a growing region.
From Sawmills to Wood Board
The 19th century brought bigger industry. In 1846, Ichabod Leighton and Freeman Hardy built a new sawmill on the site. By 1875, the Charles A. Brown Company owned the water power on both sides of the Presumpscot and put up a large brick mill that made wood board under the name Sebago Wood Board. At its peak the mill employed about 70 workers and turned out roughly ten tons of wood pulp and board a day.
Robert Gair and the Cardboard Carton
In 1899 the property was bought by New York businessman Robert Gair — famous as the man credited with inventing the mass-produced cardboard carton. A few years later, in 1906, the Androscoggin Pulp Company built an extensive brick addition in South Windham: a two-story mill nearly 300 feet long. For decades, paper and pulp making were the beating heart of the village.
“Red City”
Like many mill towns, Little Falls built housing for its workers. The company painted the mill-village dwellings a distinctive red, and locals came to call the little neighborhood “Red City.” One Windham resident remembered a cluster of about a dozen red houses in the 1930s — a small, close-knit community that grew up in the shadow of the mills.
The Presumpscot River Today
The mills have quieted, but the river endures. Today the Presumpscot is celebrated for its scenery and its comeback as a healthy waterway, with paddling, fishing, and riverside trails drawing people back to its banks. For history buffs, a visit to Little Falls is a chance to read the layers of southern Maine's industrial past written along a single stretch of river.
Visiting Little Falls
Little Falls makes an easy detour for anyone exploring the Sebago Lake region and greater Portland area, pairing local history with the natural beauty of the Presumpscot. If you are traveling from the Winslow–Waterville area in the Kennebec Valley, it is a pleasant stop on a southbound trip toward the coast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Little Falls, Maine?
Little Falls is a village in the South Windham area of southern Maine, on the Presumpscot River between the towns of Windham and Gorham, northwest of Portland.
What is Little Falls known for?
Its long history as a mill village on the Presumpscot River, with sawmills and pulp mills dating back before the American Revolution and a later wood-board and paper industry.
Who was Robert Gair?
Robert Gair was a New York businessman credited with inventing the mass-produced cardboard carton. In 1899 he purchased the mill property at Little Falls.
What was “Red City”?
“Red City” was the nickname for the red-painted mill-worker houses at Little Falls — a small mill-village neighborhood of about a dozen homes in the early 20th century.