The Old Free Meeting House, founded in 1836, is on Old Church Street, right where you'd expect it.
And the town's proudest landmark catches you right before you head out of town on Route 201. Thompson's Restaurant with its family-friendly awning is unmistakable.
Thompson's opened in 1928 and became known for homemade doughnuts as well as plenty of other fare.
"They have always been known for home-cooked food. And the doughnuts are world-known. They're mailed to people all over the United States," said Jessy Jacques, a former selectman.
The cozy diner is a place to exchange news among residents. Its homeliness also has made it a popular stop for rafters and outdoor folk heading to Moosehead Lake, to Jackman, to Quebec ... and, more and more, for those staying to raft, fish, canoe, ski and snowmobile in Bingham.
These days what's changing the face of Thompson's and all of Bingham is the changing economy in this former wood manufacturing town.
When the Quimby Veneer Mill closed down, leaving as many as 300 people out of work in the mid-1970s, many of those residents tried to stay, said Robert Hunnewell, a former selectman. Many people commuted to North Anson, Skowhegan, even Fairfield, 50 miles away.
Eventually, when mills and lumberyards in those towns closed, Bingham natives were forced to move, and the town shrank.
Then Bingham began to change as rafting companies discovered its old-time feel and more snowmobilers began to use it as a place to convene.
Eco-tourism is now the buzzword in Bingham as town leaders try to diversify the economy. The outdoor offerings have been discovered by retirees and those looking for an alternative to Moosehead Lake and the Rangeley lakes.
"We get a lot of retirees who come in from New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts. They buy homes. They're getting a lot of homes that are smaller, older homes. People use them just for recreation," said Violet Tibbetts, the town tax collector.
As more eco-tourism businesses took hold, Bingham grew as a recreational vacation spot.
Now, Tibbetts said, there are few young families in town, and not many children.
This is mostly a town of vacationers that sees seasonal growth.
Hunnewell, 83, has lived in Bingham all his life and said he has never wanted to leave.
But, like someone at ease with simple living in a scenic place, Hunnewell can't pinpoint the exact reasons he loves the rugged, outdoor landscape of Bingham that's as cheerful as the window-lit booths at Thompson's.
"I expect because it's home and I don't want to leave home," Hunnewell said.
Distinguishing Bingham from dozens of other declining factory towns is its pristine location, in the heart of Maine's rafting region, in deer country and along major snowmobile routes.
But can you build a strong economy from recreation and the outdoors? That is the unanswered question as Bingham faces an unpredictable future. In the last decade the population has declined 20 percent to just under 1,000 hardy souls who withstand frigid winters as well as an uncertain economy.
Larry Savage, who owns Papa's Pizza (which shut down but continues as a gas station) said Bingham is typical of towns to the east and north of Augusta. "We rely on rafting and snowmobiling and tourism. The manufacturing industry closed down in the last few years. It puts a hurt on employment opportunities," Savage said. "It changed from a growing town to one that is kind of stagnant."
And yet Savage, a Skowhegan native, wouldn't want to call anywhere else home. Two of his three children live in the Skowhegan area, and the rafting businesses that use the Kennebec River bring in business from May to October.
The town's recent makeover has helped business. Jacques said about four years ago Bingham put $400,000 in federal grants toward a gentrification project. Part of that money went into what has long been the town's tourist hot spot: Thompson's.
The sidewalk by the restaurant was repaired and on the same block the newer, hipper Moose Alley Inn went in and brought a buzz to the north part of town. Other businesses got a makeover.
"This was a town that had been down, and this was a moral booster. People started painting their own houses. It was very motivating," Jacques said.
Tibbetts said another building was recently remodeled and sold. The town will add apartments and retail stores, adding to the country-store feel to the downtown area.
This time of year, it comes alive again.
Originally published Sunday, May 23, 2004
Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at dfleming@pressherald.com
More about Bingham