The Incredible Story of Strong, Maine: The Town That Built America’s Toothpick Empire

You think you know everything about where you live, and then the internet happens.

I’ve lived in Maine for 41 of my 45 years (not counting five years of college out of state). I assumed I had a solid grasp on what makes this state what it is. However, sometimes you stumble upon a fact that absolutely floors you — and that’s exactly what happened to me.

I was 43 years old when I learned that Maine used to be the nation’s capital of toothpick manufacturing. That’s right — Maine was the land of the toothpick. What a fascinating little tidbit.

What is Maine's History With the Toothpick?

The area most associated with this incredible fact is the town of Strong. This small spot in Franklin County was cranking out toothpicks like it was the townspeople’s job — because it was.

According to the travel website Atlas Obscura:

At one point, 95 percent of all wooden toothpicks manufactured in America were made in Strong and its environs. In the aftermath of WWII— Strong’s golden age—over 75 billion toothpicks were being made there a year. Not bad for a town of little over 1,000 people.

These numbers are difficult to fathom. Here was this small Western Maine town producing enough toothpicks to supply an entire country. Talk about American industrialism at its finest.

The Toothpick Legacy Sadly Came to an Early End

Sadly, it was a relatively short run for Maine’s toothpick empire. According to Atlas Obscura, many factors contributed to the industry’s demise, including cheaper foreign imports, a shift from wood to nylon, and changing societal norms. All of this ultimately led to the industry drying up completely by 2003.

According to Yahoo! Life, the town of Strong now has zero toothpicks being manufactured — quite a change from the days when more than 20 million were being pumped out daily.

This story is just a small blip on the Maine history radar, but it’s a fascinating one. So much attention is given to Maine’s mill industry, but it’s typically associated with paper rather than toothpicks.

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It’s difficult to imagine how disgusting our teeth would have been if it weren’t for Strong, Maine. America should be thanking this town for all of eternity.

I highly suggest reading Atlas Obscura’s story on the history of the toothpick. It goes well beyond Maine’s borders, but the impact was certainly felt most strongly here. And don’t forget to brush your teeth twice daily.