Biddeford attracts Stanford University tour‏

Biddeford, Maine - While the Biddeford Mills Museum holds regular tours throughout the month of September, this Saturday September 15th, former museum workers will be hosting a group of more than 40 Stanford University alumni and professors who eagerly await a glimpse into these historical treasures of Biddeford.

As part of a tour to the area that will include a visit to the Panorama display (100 Main Street, Biddeford) and a cruise that departs Portland Harbor later that day, the group will be visiting Biddeford, and accompanied by Biddeford Mills tour guides and Board members Dana Peck and Don Guillerault on the group’s bus from Portland.

The guides will provide background history for the West Coasters and effectively begin the tour before the group even gets to Biddeford and sets foot in the mill buildings. “The group is on a tight timeline, and we have a lot of information to share,” said Dana Peck, President of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.

Vice-President of the Museum Board Jeff Cabral was thrilled to receive the phone call last week from Travel Concepts, the New Mexico-based tour organization. “We are really on the map now, and thanks to the referral from Saco Museum, we are able to share our past with this group of historians and academics who are interested in the architecture, the mills, and the manufacturing history of our area.”

The tours are offered by proud former mill workers who are passionate about Pepperell and know the buildings’ history and importance, as well as hidden stories and secrets.

The Biddeford Mills Museum exists to preserve the historical and cultural mill heritage in Biddeford and the surrounding area, as well as to offer educational and community programs and events to the general public. The organization is a relatively new entity in the tapestry of important cultural organizations in Maine.

Regular tours are on Thursdays and Saturdays at 10 AM and depart from 100 Main Street (across from the Happy Dragon restaurant.)  They will be held until the end of September. There is free parking available on site.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. Reservations are required and available by calling the Heart of Biddeford at (207) 284-8520 by 2 PM on the day prior to the tour you wish to take. Group size is limited to 20 per tour, so it is recommended that individuals call well in advance.