Mike Sanphy juxtaposed historic photos with his own personal photography in “Westbrook Remembered” to show the evolution of the city over the years. Sanphy, president of the Westbrook Historical Society, hopes the book will inspire more young folks to get interested in local history. Chance Viles / American Journal
City Historian Mike Sanphy’s new photo book focuses on history many people have lived through.
“Westbrook Remembered,” published by the Westbrook Historical Society, combines archival photos with Sanphy’s personal photography to compare Westbrook of decades past with the city today.
“This will bring back memories, maybe spark an interest in local history,” Sanphy said. “People can relate to this. They will see businesses they used to go to, or the downtown before urban renewal, with photos of now to bring it all together.”
Nostalgia is one way to cope with the pandemic, said Sanphy, a former mayor, the city’s first official historian and Historical Society president.
“People have been stressed and want to think of simpler, warmer times,” Sanphy said.
The photos, many of Sanphy’s never made public before, include original downtown businesses and old murals in shops. They include images of a man who used to dress up as Santa and landscape photos Sanphy shot from a helicopter in the 1970s.
A photo of downtown Westbrook taken by Mike Sanphy from a helicopter in 1973 is featured as the back cover art. Contributed / Mike Sanphy
One of his favorite spreads, he said, is of My Place Teen Center on Main Street as it is now juxtaposed with photos of the former church building before renovations. The nonprofit serves local youth with programs and meals.
“I grew up poor. I think what they are doing there for teens who need help is big, and it’s a deep part of our city,” Sanphy said.
This photo of the USS Westbrook is one of Mike Sanphy’s favorites. The USS Westbrook was one of two victory ships representing Maine in WWII; the other was the USS Biddeford. Used to transport goods during the war, the ship was scrapped in 1969, said Sanphy, who included the photo in the “lost history” section of his new book. Contributed / Mike Sanphy
The first printing of 50 books sold out on the first day, but 150 more are on the way. Before an interview Friday with the American Journal at the Historical Society, Sanphy was stopped by somebody in a rush looking to buy a copy for a Christmas gift.
The book, with more than 200 pages of photos and accompanying text, helps preserve the Historical Society’s photo collection, said member Mark Swett.
“I sat with Mike during his year-long efforts to sort through his thousands of photographs and negatives to scan them for publication,” Swett said. “It was an intense labor of love on his part, not only to publish a book, but to bring Westbrook’s rich history, landmarks and locations alive to the reader.”
The book’s legacy will be “an impact that will have an impact on people whose names we will never know,” Swett said.
Sanphy first started taking photographs for posterity in his early days on the Westbrook Police force. As a patrolman for 40 years, until he retired in 2008, he came to know the city well. Until now, the photographs were just packed away.
“My hope with it is that maybe some younger people get into the history, too, maybe see how things were before, and take photos themselves,” he said.
Copies of “Westbrook Remembered” will be available soon at the Westbrook Historical Society, located at the Community Center, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. The cost is $24.99 and proceeds will benefit the historical society.
Clockwise from top left: The Prides Corner Drive-In projectors, the drive-in’s entrance, an aerial shot and the snack bar. Contributed / Mike Sanphy
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