The historic F. Shaw & Brothers Tannery Site is a late 19th-century tannery in eastern Maine, very close to the Canadian border. Ruins from the tannery operation are still visible, though overgrown.
The tannery was in operation from 1869-1896 and is one of the best preserved tannery in Maine and New Brunswick (just across the border.) Animal hides from as far as South America were shipped for processing at the tannery and then sent to Boston. More than 600 tons of leather per year were produced.
The F. Shaw & Brothers Tannery is featured in a short virtual site visit on YouTube. In it Eastern Regional Director Kelley Berliner shares more about the history of this late 19th-century tannery and how research could uncover new details about the workers and the once-bustling tanning industry in the region.
Watch the video here:
The F. Shaw & Brothers Tannery was featured in American Archaeology, Winter 2003-04 | Vol. 7 No. 4.
American Archaeology is available on Newsstands and at Bookstores, or become a member of the Archaeological Conservancy to subscribe.
