BIDDEFORD — The former textile mills that border both the Biddeford and Saco sides of the Saco River have played a significant role in the twin cities’ history.

Built in the 19th century, these mills produced blankets and bedding that were shipped to China; they made tents and clothing used during the Civil War.

In addition, they created thousands of jobs and attracted many to the area.

Today, a large percentage of those who live in Biddeford and Saco and the surrounding area have ancestors who toiled in the mills.

Those who want to connect to that history by seeing and learning more about these mills, which played such an important role in Biddeford’s and Saco’s past, now have the opportunity.

Throughout the month of August, the Biddeford Mills Museum is holding tours through some of the Biddeford mill buildings on Thursday and Saturday mornings.

George “Pete” Lamontagne is one of those leading the tours.

Lamontagne is a third-generation mill worker. He is a 38-year veteran of the mills and was among the last of the employees working at WestPoint Homes when it closed its doors in August 2009.

WestPoint Homes was the last of the longtime mills manufacturing in Biddeford. It remained open longer than the rest thanks to the invention of the Vellux blanket in 1966 by Francis Spencer, director of research for West Point Pepperell, as the company was known at the time.

It was a sad day for Lamontagne when he lost his job, he said. But now he’s happy to have the opportunity to continue visiting the mills where he spent so many hours of his life and to share their history with both local residents and visitors to the area.

The tours have had a very good response, said Lamontagne, and have attracted people from around the country, from places as far as Pennsylvania and Colorado.

On Thursday, Lamontagne told those on the tour that the mills in Biddeford and Saco were positioned where they were to take advantage of the powerful water of the Saco River.

The first mill buildings were built in the mid-1850s, in an era before the invention of electricity.

But before the first brick was laid, canals ”“ through which the river water would flow ”“ had to be constructed. Even though it was eventually electricity rather than water that powered the machinery, the long-ago-dug canals remain.

Lamontagne led the tour group through the bowels of mill building No. 9 ”“ all the buildings are named by number ”“ to see “the lagoon,” as the canal system is called today.

He spent a lot of the time in the lagoon, said Lamontagne ”“ when the mill was open, it was a good place to hide from management, he said jokingly.

Now, said Lamontagne, “I like to bring a sandwich here and reflect on all my years here.”

Since it’s been such a dry summer, there isn’t much water in the lagoon lately, and once upon a time, that would have been a problem.

In the summer, when the tide was too low to produce enough water power, operations at the mills were sometimes halted for several hours until the tide rose again, said Don Guillerault, a former engineer at WestPoint who was helping out with the tour Thursday.

It was mostly Irish workers who dug the canals, using a pick and shovel, he said, and people from Italy and Greece were employed to form the granite archways over the canals.

In all, said Guillerault, people from 26 nationalities were employed in the Biddeford-Saco mill district at one time or another.

When WestPoint was still open, said Lamontagne, flags were hung to represent all the countries from which the employees originated.

While many of the workers came from around the world, the granite used to construct the canals came from Biddeford quarries and the bricks to build the structures were made locally, using local clay.

“This is the best granite in the world. These are the best bricks in the world,” said Lamontagne, basing his opinion on local pride.

An estimated 57 million bricks were used to build the 39 buildings ”“ totaling more than 2 million square feet ”“ in the Biddeford-Saco mill district, said Guillerault.

The tour group was led to building No. 13., which is one of the largest mill buildings, at more than 230,000 square feet. There the group saw a conveyor belt on which packaged material traveled, a shipping area, and a stockroom with cubicles that still contain some of the parts used to fix machines when they broke down.

A large stock of parts were kept, said Guillerault, because when a machine broke down it was imperative to fix it as quickly as possible to keep production moving.

Building No. 13 was also the building where WestPoint workers found out the facility was closing for good, said Lamontagne. It was in the area where large looms were once set up and used to weave large sheets of cotton.

The looms are long gone, and on Thursday, the space housed a museum exhibit and a large art production.

While the primary focus of the tour is the past, the present and future potential of the mill buildings are also presented.

The tour continues into the North Dam Mill, where the renovations made by the property’s owner, Doug Sanford, are highlighted. Sanford also owns the former WestPoint Home buildings where the majority of the tour takes place.

In the North Dam Mill there are several eateries and many small businesses that range from exercise studios to small manufacturers to violin restoration, office space and apartment units.

Sanford and other mill district property owners, as well as many city officials, have said they are pinning their hopes on redevelopment of the old mill buildings with a mix of commercial and residential uses as a key to the renaissance of the Biddeford-Saco area.

However, as new uses take over, Lamontagne, Guillerault, Sanford and others want to ensure that the present and future generations remember the origins of these buildings and the people who once spent their days in them.

Tours will be conducted every Thursday and Saturday at 10 a.m. throughout the month of August. Tours begin at the Biddeford Mills Museum, at approximately 100 Main St., across from the Happy Dragon restaurant. There is free parking available on-site.

Advanced registration by 2 p.m. the day prior to the tour is required. To register, call Heart of Biddeford at 284-8520. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. Tours are not recommended for children under 12, and require the ability to walk up and down many stairs.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.