In the mid-20th century, Belfast was firmly established as the Broiler Capital of the World. Hundreds of thousands of chickens were raised in giant barns throughout Waldo County. At the peak of the industry, 22,000 birds per hour were made ready for shipping at two plants on the waterfront. When Penobscot Poultry Company opened its state-of-the-art facility on this site in 1956, presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson attended the opening ceremony. The plant closed in 1988 and was demolished in 1997.