Contemporary storefronts have replaced most of the original entrances to the buildings, but from the second floor up, the architecture is clearly nineteenth century.  In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, many of the buildings on this section of Water Street served as boarding houses for the working class.  These boarding houses were recognized businesses listed in the town directory.  These houses, the many “informal” boarding, and other boarding arrangements (seen in the frequency with which people identify their living situation as “boarding” in town directories) give us an understanding of the way many peopled lived in Augusta a hundred years ago.  Town directories suggest that even if a person stayed in their parents’ home, they paid a fee, and identified themselves as “boarding.”  The luxury of a private apartment, such as we know today, was virtually unheard of.

In the 1909/1910 town directory, there were 18 boarding house businesses listed for various parts of Augusta -ten were run by women.  In the 1919/1920 town directory, there were 10 boarding houses listed in the city directory, and 3 clearly had women proprietors. 

Mrs. Emma Coombs (spelled Combs in one source) was the proprietor for the boarding house at 154 Water Street.  She is listed in the directories for 1909/1910 and 1919/1920.  Mrs. T. M Baker ran the boarding house at 160 Water Street in 1909/1910, and Mrs. Belle Murray ran the boarding house across the road at 141 Water Street during the same time period.  Buildings at 164, 131, 62, and 53 (the Edwards House site) were also noted as boarding houses in these two time periods.  The boarders likely worked at the cotton mill, at printing establishments, the shoe factory, the paper mill, or local shops or homes, all within walking distance of Water Street.

 

Site #42.1 Sources:

Resident and Business Directory of Kennebec County, Maine: Including Cities of Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell, and Waterville. Auburn, ME: Merrill & Webber, 1909/10 & 1919/20.