Historic Hallowell

Cotton was delivered to the Cotton Mill on the Kennebec river to Hallowell by sailing ship. Once the ship was at the dock, the cotton was brought up to the mill by horse and wagon. When the cotton was shipped out, they were brought to other places by railroad. This began starting in 1852-1853, seven years after the cotton mill was established. There were some winter obstacles involved getting cotton to the mill, such as ice on the river, making it hard to get the cotton delivered.

There were steamships that transported people between Hallowell and Chelsea. Small streamers, named the Clarion and Della Collins, carried townspeople between Hallowell, Gardiner, and Augusta. The Hallowell Eastern Steamboat Wharf was located at the bulkhead, which is a dividing wall between compartments in a ship. Also, there was a commuter train called the Dummy. There was regular scheduled trips between Augusta and Gardiner that helped people get around town when ice was on the river.