Sheepscot General Store in Whitefield is hosting the Penobscot Marine Museum photo exhibit, “Lincoln County Through Eastern’s Eye” during the month of July.

During the height of the postcard craze which swept Europe and North America during the early 20th century, a local entrepreneur saw opportunity and founded the Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Company in Belfast, Maine. For more than 40 years, EIP capitalized on the niche created by Herman Cassens by producing “real photo” postcards featuring views of small towns and rural byways throughout the eastern United States.

Eastern photographers roamed the countryside throughout the warm months every year, each photographer well-versed in his sales region. Though they remain largely anonymous, their work, consisting of tens of thousands of large format negatives, has been preserved at Penobscot Marine Museum and has become a peerless photographic survey of small town America in the northeast during the first half of the 20th century.

Sheepsoct General Store in Whitefield, Maine is a funky revival of a classic American institution, offering a variety of local goods and delicious prepared food. It’s also a venue for community activities and music. Sheepscot General is a perfect setting for this exhibit of historic photos of Lincoln County. Sheepscot General is located at 98 Town House Rd, Whitefield. For more info, call (207)549-5185.