HOULTON – Live, from historic Market Square in downtown Houlton, it’s historic Market Square in downtown Houlton.

HoultonLive.com recently went online on the Internet, providing a 24-hour-a-day view of Market Square and what’s going on there.

“Market Square has always been considered the heart of Houlton,” said Joseph Walter, a U.S. Navy veteran who operates his WebGabby server that features the camera pictures.

“Everything from the July Fourth parade to the community Christmas tree can be seen in Market Square,” said Walter. “We plan to reposition the camera from time to time to capture those special events.”

The Web cam is a small digital camera located in the front window of the Technology Corner at the corner of Main and Court streets.

Walter said he tried different locations for the camera, such as an upper floor of the building, but he wanted a view that was more personal. The main floor, looking northwest toward the Temple Cinema, proved best.

“Viewers get to see the people they know close up, at street level,” he said.

“The clarity of the picture is considerably greater than what most people expect from the Internet,” Walter noted, adding that he waited until he was able to get the quality camera and wide-angle lens he wanted before going live. “We wanted to make sure Houlton looked good.”

For now, the Internet image is updated every 30 seconds. Walter eventually plans to have the image streamed or continuous, like a movie.

“That will really be something because nobody in Maine right now has a streaming camera,” he said. “I felt it would be a novelty.”

There are only about nine Web cams in operation in the state, according to Walter, and most of those are in coastal communities and show ocean and beach views. HoultonLive.com also is the only Web cam north of Bangor, he said.

Walter said he had been thinking about a Web camera for Houlton for about a year as a way to promote the town, as well as to give former residents or people who are away for a time a link to their hometown.

Plans include a second camera location and an archive that will store events that have taken place in the square, such as Midnight Madness or the parade, so people can see them whenever they want to.

“It’s a way to keep people in touch with their roots,” said Walter. “Many older people have computers and are literate enough with them to get on the Internet, visit a chat room and do other things.”

He also sees the Web cam as a tool that can help promote the town, particularly to businesses that use high-speed computer technology.

Without the high-speed access he has, Walter said, his Web cam would not be possible. The fact that he has the camera “shows that we do have the technology here. With the right promotion, it will show people what our town is like … and help business.”

He has submitted his site to Web crawlers across the country to make it easier for people to find it.

“There is business here,” he said. “All you have to do is find it. All you have to do is have an idea.”