The Last Sardine Cannery - Prospect Harbor, Maine

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Keith Ludden

  • Through the middle of the 20th century there were as many as 75 canneries up and down the coast of Maine, providing employment and an abundant food source for Maine and the nation. That included feeding American troops through World War I and World War II. At the sound of the factory whistle, cannery workers came and packed fish, staying on the job until an entire boatload of fish was processed. By the 1970's the canneries we declining, and the last sardine cannery in the U.S., at Prospect Harbor, ME closed in April of 2010. Between 2011 and 2013, Keith Ludden interviewed over a dozen cannery workers who worked in the industry. These interviews can also be found on Oral History & Folklife Research's website - oralhistoryandfolklife.org.

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Interviewee Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Susan Knight Calder The Last Sardine Cannery - Prospect Harbor, Maine

Susan grew up in an Irish Catholic family. She started working in canneries when she was 16 years old.

 Keith Ludden Whiting, ME Oral History & Folklife Research, Inc.
Cary Lewis The Last Sardine Cannery - Prospect Harbor, Maine

Cary Lewis captained a sardine carrier, delivering sardines to the canneries on the Maine coast.

 Keith Ludden Southwest Harbor, ME Oral History & Folklife Research, Inc.
Jeanne and Robert Peacock The Last Sardine Cannery - Prospect Harbor, Maine

Robert Peacock's family operated canneries in Eastport, Lubec and Portland, Maine.

 Keith Ludden Eastport, ME Oral History & Folklife Research, Inc.
Charlie Stinson The Last Sardine Cannery - Prospect Harbor, Maine

Charles Stinson was the owner of the Stinson Cannery in Prospect Harbor, which was established by his grandfather.

 Keith Ludden Prospect Harbor, ME Oral History & Folklife Research, Inc.
Clarence Suddy The Last Sardine Cannery - Prospect Harbor, Maine

Clarence "Buck" Suddy helped operate Raye's Mustard Mill in Eastport for many years.  The mill provided the mustard many of the canneries used to can sardines. 

 Keith Ludden Eastport, ME Oral History & Folklife Research, Inc.
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