Shortly after moving to Maine, I noticed the Biddeford Mill Clock Tower. It stood out from all of the development going on in Biddeford, this beautiful piece of 1853 architecture sitting abandoned. I eventually learned it was cut down from the Lincoln Mill over 10 years ago.

I also learned that in 2014, Maine Preservation named it one of the most endangered historic structures in Maine – inspiring Biddeford High School students to make repairs and move it to the spot where it now sits near the Pepperell.

Joining the Friends of the Historic Biddeford Mill Clock Tower, my husband and I spent weekends this summer working on the structure to preserve and restore it. Working up close to it, I realized even more just how magnificent it is. It’s the only mill clock tower of its kind in New England – with eight sides and four clock faces. Surprisingly, it’s still very structurally intact.

This is a community preservation story: from the person who saved it from a dumpster, and the high school students who worked on it, to the mill owners who allowed it to remain on their land until our group got it ready for its next move.

We are moving the clock to a new location on Dec. 18. There, the Biddeford Mill Clock Tower will be restored before its final move, to the RiverWalk, where it can be honored and admired as an enduring symbol of Biddeford industrial innovation.

Sandra Schuld

Biddeford