A World War I-era patriotic parade traveled down Main Street near the corner of Portland Street in the heart of South Berwick’s business district, an intersection known as “Central Square.”

The brick business block at left was built in 1870 following a fire that swept through the village. Bicycles were popular conveyances and had been sold and maintained since the late 1800s by Mark Libby (1822-1907).

The horse-drawn parade float at left carried a banner with the word "Quamphegan," a name inherited from the Abenaki settlers of the territory around the Salmon Falls River. The name was used since the 1600s as an informal historical community name.

The white house at right was the home of author Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909), and her sister Mary, who occupied it at the time of this photo.

A note on the back of the photograph identifies "Grey Dan" in the hayrack and a "K. Moss" driving.