Wide field of potatoes with man in foreground

Maine Potatoes

Penobscot Marine Museum

Along Routes 163 and 164 in midsummer, tens of thousands of acres of pink and white flowers lightly perfume Aroostook County. This colorful blanket is the precursor to an agricultural product that is much plainer but for centuries was the county’s economic powerhouse: the potato.

Potatoes were introduced to North America in 1621 in the colony of Virginia, but the first known potato crop wasn't established until 1719 in New Hampshire. While families in Maine grew potatoes for home use, Aroostook County’s cool climate and fertile glacial soils made for ideal potato-growing conditions on a larger scale. The arrival of the railroad in the County in the late 1800s helped transform the region to one of the country’s top producers of potatoes.

During the peak production years, potato harvest was a time that required migrant workers and the entire community – schools shut down for “potato vacation” so children could help with the harvest. Mechanization and competition from other potato producers contributed to a contraction of the potato industry in Maine, but the state is still one of the country’s top 10 potato-producing states, with most of the crop grown in Aroostook County, where potatoes remain deeply tied to the County’s identity.

The importance of the potato crop is celebrated each July during the Maine Potato Blossom Festival. Begun in the 1930s, the festival has been held in Fort Fairfield since 1947. The weeklong festival features live music, competitions – including the traditional potato-picking contest – and one of the largest parades in the state.

Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum

Old poster for potato week encouraging readers to eat more potatoes — World War I poster entitled, "Maine Potato Week April 28 to May 3 inclusive Eat More Potatoes and save the wheat. Every potato you eat is a bullet fired point blank at a made-in-Germany peace." 1918. Maine Historical Society.

Two men in a farm field putting potatoes into tall wooden barrels — Workers Gathering Potatoes 1937. Maine State Archives.

Man pours potatoes into a sack held by two children — Tots- Potatoes: Grandpa Sears Pours Potatoes In Sack With Help. Maine State Archives.

Old farmhouse on river with pallets stacked around the outskirts — This black and white image shows loading potatoes into potatoe houses from horse drawn wagons in Soldier Pond. There are piles of wooden shingles on the ground. Penobscot Marine Museum.

Old wooden trailer caring comically oversized potatoes — This picture shows Maine several potatoes wired on top of a carriage. Most likely it was used to advertise Maine potatoes. Penobscot Marine Museum.

Huge potato on flat bed truck with man standing in front for perspective — This is a composite photograph showing a giant potatoe on a flatbed truck with a man standing in front of the truck. Most likely it was used in advertising Maine potatoes. Penobscot Marine Museum.

Barrels full of potatoes with sign in front — Display of several barrels of potatoes. Penobscot Marine Museum.

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