Full of History

Houlton's downtown Market Square and Main Street is registered with the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic Business District. This district consists of a cohesive grouping of 28 architecturally significant structures that date from 1885 to 1910. Although Houlton was settled in the first decade of the 19th century, it grew very slowly, and its population was less than 2,000 in 1870. In the 1890s, with the construction of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad to Houlton, a burst of business and building began in Houlton.

By 1910, Houlton's population had reached nearly 6,000. It is this period that is retained in the architecture of the business district today. Several structures in Houlton have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places - including the White Memorial Building (home of the Chamber of Commerce and the Aroostook Historical & Art Museum), the Black Hawk Putnam House, Cary Library and the County Courthouse building. Much of Houlton's history is preserved at the Aroostook Historical & Art Museum. Displays include a scale model of Hancock Barracks and artifacts from the barracks. The millstone from Joseph Houlton's grist mill on Cook's Brook is also held in the collection.