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History · Steep Falls

Steep Falls’ post office opened in 1850, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1920 on.

1850first post office
1on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Steep Falls’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Steep Falls began

When was Steep Falls founded?

1850

The Steep Falls post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,223176 years
Founding year: the first Steep Falls post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Steep Falls’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Steep Falls’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Steep Falls’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPierce Memorial Library: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Steep Falls, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Steep Falls yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Steep Falls is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Standish in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, Steep Falls had a population of 1,223. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is part of Maine School Administrative District #6, which includes Bonny Eagle Middle and High Schools.

Its first post office opened in 1850. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,139 to 1,223 (+7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Steep Falls, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item
Pierce Memorial Libraryc. 1920Pierce Memorial Library
1930s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
Steep Falls, Maine2013Steep Falls, MaineSteep Falls, Maine2013Steep Falls, MaineSteep Falls, Maine2013Steep Falls, MaineSteep Falls, Maine2013Steep Falls, MaineSteep Falls, Maine2013Steep Falls, Maine
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Pierce Memorial Library
Retake this viewPierce Memorial Library, c. 1920

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Steep Falls’ page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Steep Falls

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Steep Falls

Nobody well known was born in Steep Falls itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Ellen G. WhiteAmerican author, co-founder of the Seventh-day … · b. 1827
Edwin HallAmerican physicist · b. 1855
Scotty 2 HottyAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1973
John Albion AndrewMassachusetts governor during the Civil War · b. 1818
Jeff DonnellAmerican actress · b. 1921
Alpheus FelchAmerican politician · b. 1804
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Standish6 historic placesALimington4 historic placesB+Baldwin2 historic placesA−

Questions about Steep Falls’ history

What year was Steep Falls founded?

The Steep Falls post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.