USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > Portland city guide > Part 30
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31. Longfellow Monument, Longfellow Square, junc. Congress and State Sts. This bronze statue of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-82) (see Literature) , seven feet in height, is the work of the noted sculptor, Frank- lin Simmons (see Arts and Crafts), designed and executed in his studio at Rome, Italy. The money for the statue was raised by small contributions from the school children of New England; deposited in a sealed box in the pedestal are the names of these children. The granite base, designed by Francis H. Fassett, was the gift of Payson Tucker.
MUNJOY HILL SECTION
Until 1690 only three homes and a meetinghouse hugged the water front in this section of 'The Neck' and these, as were the inhabitants, were de- stroyed at that time by the French and Indians. The hill, named for George Munjoy, an educated and wealthy freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony who came to Falmouth in 1659 and settled on the homestead bought by his father-in-law from George Cleeve, was, during the early part of the 18th century, a grazing ground for cattle and a gathering place of the In- dians for formal treaty-making. General musters were held on the level land adjacent to Fort Sumner, and yearly these muster grounds were the scene of gay Independence Day celebrations. After the 'Great Fire' Mun- joy Hill became a city of tents to care for the thousands made homeless. In the rebuilding which followed, the "Hill" was considered a more de- sirable location, and newly built homes crowded the onetime playground area. Once known as Nigger Hill because of its small group of negro dwellers, Munjoy Hill today has no predominant nationality. The Eastern Promenade section, with its houses of Victorian architecture and spacious lawns developed in the latter part of the 19th century, sits aloof from the "Hill" and enjoys an unrivaled view of Casco Bay. The city has developed and landscaped this area, and in summer many Portlanders seek the near-by parks to enjoy the cooling sea breezes.
1. The Portland Observatory (open during summer; adm. 10c), 138 Con- gress St., was erected in 1807 from designs by Captain Lemuel Moody (1767-1846), who served as water boy during the Revolution and who in later years became an adept navigator. The octagonal observatory tower, built on Munjoy Hill, one of the highest eminences in Portland, rises 82 feet from the ground; 122 tons of stone were placed in the lower part of its 32-foot base, and eight white pine posts reached from the foundation to the lantern deck, which was constructed of eight similar timbers. A French telescope of the Dollard type was installed on the lantern deck, and from this lookout vessels could be sighted many miles at sea. Pre-arranged flag signals apprised the town's merchants of the approach of various craft, giving them first-hand information when a particular cargo was due.
When built the observatory was to be used as a signal station for incoming ships and to render assistance in case of distress, but Moody, however, also
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22
J
21
MARTINS POINT BRIDGE
24
VERANDA ST
TO TUKEYS BRIDGE
23
MARTINS POINT
20
NORTH ST
19
FOX ST
WALNUT ST
18
17
MELBOURNE ST
MONROE ST
12
TURNER ST
CUMBERLAND AVE
CONGRESS ST
3
4
2
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ST
6
5
MONUMEI
ST
FEDERAL ST
, ADAMS ST
WATERVILLE ST4 -
4 0 ST LAWRENCE
MUNJOY ST
BECKETT ST
MORNING ST
UTTER ST
15
INDIA
8
7
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10
13
14
PORTLAND HARBOR
MUNJOY HILL SECTION
EASTERN PROMENADE
NEWBURY
ST
MOUNTFORD ST
16
ANDERSON ST
WASHINGTON AVE
TUKEYS BRIDGE
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saw its possibilities as a rendezvous for the townspeople and in conjunction with the tower built a bowling alley, dining room, and dance hall. These amusement places were frequented by troops who gathered at the near-by muster grounds for drill and target practice.
It was from the tower of the observatory that Captain Moody viewed the battle between the U. S. Brig Enterprise and H. M. Brig Boxer during the War of 1812, and in the manner of a modern radio commentator relayed a verbal account of the maneuvers to the excited crowds below.
Three generations of the Moody family have cared for the Portland Ob- servatory which was closed to the public for many years. In 1937 it was acquired by the City of Portland with the stipulation that it be kept in re- pair for as many years as possible, and that eventually the site be marked with a tablet; the donor was Edward H. York, husband of Lemuel Moody's granddaughter. Renovated and reconstructed with WPA funds, the ob- servatory, which is said to be the only remaining 19th century signal tower extant on the Atlantic coast, was rededicated in June, 1939, with a tribute by Donald B. MacMillan, the Arctic explorer.
2. Monument Street School, 25 Monument St. This red-brick structure built in 1860, enlarged in 1896 and again in 1926, serves the elementary grade children of Munjoy Hill. An outstanding feature of the school is its modernistic kindergarten decorations depicting scenes from Mother Goose rhymes and the experiences of little Pinocchio. This work was done under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project with murals by Anton Skillin, assisted by J. H. Davis.
3. Congress Street Methodist Church, 126 Congress St., was organized in 1851 by members of the Chestnut Street Methodist Church who lived in the eastern end of the city. A small church was built at that time on the corner of Congress and St. Lawrence streets, which, although enlarged some years later, was still inadequate, and in 1867 it was sold and moved from the site; the present wooden building was erected in 1868. At that time the City of Portland presented the church with a bell with the provision that the city have the use of it for fire alarms and other municipal requirements; this bell is still used by the Portland Fire Department.
4. African Methodist Episcopal Church, (A.M.E. Zion), 95 Monument St., is of concrete block construction and was erected in 1914; it is claimed to be the only church for colored people in Maine. Prior to the erection of this structure services had been held in a brick and stone church on New-
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bury Street, near the Eastern Cemetery; this was known as the Abyssinian Congregational Church (see Religion) .
5. Eastern Cemetery, cor. Mountfort and Congress Sts., was laid out in 1668 and according to William Willis was for 200 years "the only burial place in the territory now included in the limits of Portland. ... Here the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. Here repose the remains of emminent men who have adorned the town during two centuries, including probably Cleeves, our first settler, and in later times the Cobbs, Ingersolls, Moodys, Freemans, Joneses, Titcombs, Foxes, Deerings, Coffins, the venerable pas- tors, Smith and Deane, Col. Tyng .... " This "Field of Ancient Graves," as it was called by the early settlers, now comprises six acres which are main- tained in excellent condition by various patriotic organizations. The war dead of many conflicts, heroes of land and sea battles, and many settlers and prominent citizens of the town are buried here. Most of the monu- ments are box-like structures of brick and granite, others resemble tables supported by pillars, and interspersed among the more elaborate memorials are old slate headstones, many sunk deep in the turf.
A crumbling reddish-colored stone, its rim barely visible above the ground, marks the grave of Mrs. Mary Brown who died in 1718, the first recorded burial in the cemetery.
A granite shaft on a plain pedestal, erected by the Elizabeth Wadsworth Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, bears the signifi- cant inscription: "To the memory of our historic dead who bore arms in the War of Independence and who were ever in defense of our city, who made her foundations so enduring."
A white marble monument honors Edward Preble (see Downtown Section: No. 6), often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy." Near by is a memorial to another naval hero, who served with Preble at Tripoli and about whom Doctor Deane of the First Parish Church recorded in his journal: "On the 4th of September, of this year [1804], Henry Wads- worth, son of Gen. Wadsworth, lost his life before the walls of Tripoli, by the explosion of a fire ship sent by Com. Preble to destroy the Tripolitan navy; his companions were Somers, Israel and others, who fearlessly sacri- ficed their lives, rather than fall into the hands of the enemy. Lt. Wads- worth was in the 20th year of his age, and a young man of great promise. A monument to this noble sacrifice stands at the western front of the capitol, in Washington, erected by the government, and another, in the Eastern Cemetery of this city, was erected by his friends to the memory of Wadsworth, and to commemorate the event."
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Left of the Congress Street entrance of the cemetery is a group of three monuments intimately connected with the naval epic that occurred just outside Casco Bay when the American Enterprise and the British Boxer met in deadly combat. Both commanding officers were killed in this encounter. The survivors of the Boxer erected a memorial to their commander, Samuel Blythe, who was interred in this cemetery, inscribing on the monument to him: "In Life Honorable - In Death Glorious"; however, the grave of the American commander, William Burrows, was not marked. Not long after Blythe's memorial was erected Mathew L. Davis, of New York City, visited the Eastern Cemetery and noticed that the grave of the youthful captain of the Enterprise was unmarked. Believing that the victorious patriot deserved at least as noble a recognition as the defeated Englishman, Davis ordered a marble monument to be erected. For a long time the donor of the monu- ment refused to divulge his name, which accounts for the last part of the epitaph on the memorial: "A passing stranger has erected this monument of respect to the name of a patriot, who in the hour of peril obeyed the loud summons of an injured comrade and who gallantly met, fought and conquered the foeman." The third monument of this group connected with the Enterprise and Boxer episode is that of 18-year-old Lieutenant Kervin Waters, of Washington, D. C., who served on the American brig. Severely wounded, he lived for more than a year assidulously cared for by the young men of Portland, who erected the memorial in tribute to his heroism.
A 28-foot Gothic type monument of polished red granite is a tribute to James Alden (1810-77), a local boy who followed the sea and rose to the rank of Admiral of the U. S. Navy. Many of Alden's progenitors were merchant seamen in colonial and revolutionary times, and he started upon his career in 1828 when he shipped aboard the Concord. The terse inscrip- tion upon the bronze tablet, "Intrepid explorer, Skillful Hydrographer, Cartographer on the West Coast of the U. S.," gives only an inkling of Alden's colorful career. Another marker indicates that he served in the "Mexican War, New Orleans, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Mobile Bay, Fort Fisher." During his lifetime Alden served on an exploratory expedition into the South Seas and commanded an expedition directed against the activities of war junks in the sea area of Cochin, China. It is said that he was the only American naval officer to have dined with Queen Victoria.
The granite and bronze memorial in the form of a Greek cross marks the grave of Alonzo Stinson (1842-61), youthful Portlander who lost his life in the early days of the Civil War. The marker, surmounted by a bronze replica of a knapsack and blanket roll, was erected by the surviving mem-
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bers of Company H, Fifth Maine Regiment, as a tribute to the 19-year-old boy who lost his life in the first Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861.
6. The North School, 248-254 Congress St., is a three-story red-brick building trimmed with Toronto white brick; it has a French roof with towers on each side and on the rear. Designed in the Romanesque style by John Calvin Stevens and John Howard Stevens, it was erected in 1867, re- placing the old Congress Street Grammar School which was destroyed in the 'Great Fire' the previous year. Today the approximate enrollment of 1,300 pupils, composed of more than fifteen nationalities, makes this the largest elementary school in Maine.
A report of 1874 refers to "moderately sized rooms" for grading pupils in the North School, making it the pioneer of the modern grade system in Portland. The public-spirited mayor, James Phinney Baxter (1831-1921) , made it possible to fit up rooms in the attic of the old school in 1894 for the use of boys interested in the various phases of woodworking. In the same year a system of school banking was inaugurated in connection with a local savings institution; among the first to deposit through these facil- ities were George P. Johnson, now Right Reverend Monsignor and Vicar General of the Diocese of Portland, and Marjory Nicholson, now Dean of Smith College. This was the first local school banking system, antedating by 20 years any similar movement.
7. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Birthplace, 161 Fore St., is a three-story frame house of Early Colonial architecture. A plaque on the building indi- cates that the structure was erected in 1784, although Nathan Goold, Port- land historian, has written that "sources agree that the Longfellow birth- place on Fore and Hancock streets was built in 1800 by William Campbell, a Scotch truckman, and that it was sold to Captain Samuel Stephenson in 1804."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (see Downtown Section: No. 5) was born in this house while his mother was visiting her sister. In later years the poet lived in the brick house on Congress Street, known as the Longfellow House. Although the latter part of his life was spent in Massachusetts, Portland has claimed him for her own, and yearly thousands visit the place of his birth close to the water front he described so vividly (see Literature) .
The house has passed through many ownerships and was for a time used as a tenement; in 1914 the International Longfellow Society purchased the property and restored it as nearly as possible to its original state. The 22- room house contains furniture of its period, 7,000 old books, and many en- gravings and pictures of the early 19th century.
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8. Site of Birthplace of Thomas Brackett Reed, E. side of Hancock St. between Fore and Middle Sts., is now occupied by a division of the modern drop-forging plant of the Thomas Laughlin Company. Thomas Brackett Reed (1839-1902) was born in a two-story wooden house which, with 16 other structures, was torn down in 1938 to make room for the 3.5-acre Laughlin plant. Reed was graduated from Bowdoin College in 1860, served as paymaster in the navy, and in 1865 began to practice law. He was a member of the Maine Legislature, became attorney general of the State, and was elected to Congress in 1876. His evident ability as a speaker led to his appointment as floor leader of the Republican Party. Reed served in Congress until 1899 and was three times elected speaker of the House of Representatives. He won national recognition with his ruling that all mem- bers present, though not voting, should be counted toward a quorum. In 1895 he was seriously considered as a candidate for the presidency but lost the nomination because of his failure to come out unreservedly for the gold standard. He published Reed's Rules (1894) and edited Modern Eloquence (1901).
9. The Grand Trunk Railway Elevators, Commercial St. near foot of India St., are two huge grain storage bins belonging to the Canadian Na- tional Railways. Adjacent to the elevators are the company's three wharves with berthing space for nine steamers.
Elevator No. 1, with a capacity of one million bushels, was built in 1898; elevator No. 2 was erected three years later and has a capacity of one and one-half million bushels. This towering structure is 300 feet long, 101 feet wide, and 175 feet high. Unloading from cars to elevators averages 140 cars per ten-hour day, and grain can be delivered from the bins to four steamers at one time at the rate of 10,000 bushels an hour per steamer.
Shortly after the arrival in this port of the first ocean steamer in 1853 grain commenced to flow in from western markets for shipment to Europe. In the early days much of the grain was carried on the ships in hand baskets. The first step of progress was the erection of a rude elevator powered by a steam engine placed on a scow; this elevator was set up like a mill hopper, running over an endless belt. Tin cups attached to the belt scooped up the grain from pits under the tracks into which the cars unloaded. Carried up an incline of 45 degrees, the grain dropped into a spout by which it was conveyed into the vessel's hatches at the rate of about five hundred bushels an hour.
10. The Site of the First Meetinghouse and Fort Burrows, 58 Fore St., is now occupied by the Portland Company, manufacturers since 1846 of heavy
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machinery, foundry products, boilers, and steel fabrications. The first meet- inghouse was erected in 1670, and in it George Burroughs preached the doctrines of Congregationalism after the Massachusetts General Court had ordered the inhabitants of 'The Neck' to get a Congregational minister (see Religion). The meetinghouse was destroyed in the French and Indian War of 1690. In 1783 the proprietors of Munjoy Hill built a stone wall that crossed this site, setting off the eastern eminence of the city as a pas- ture. Inhabitants were able to purchase "Cow Rights" from the owners, re- ceiving permission to pasture one cow within the walls. Fort Burrows was built in 1813 by the State of Massachusetts, named for the gallant com- mander of the Enterprise, William Burrows.
11. The Site of Munjoy's Garrison, NW cor. Mountfort and Fore Sts., is now occupied by a part of the Thomas Laughlin drop-forge plant. A crude frame house was built on this site in 1660 by the father-in-law of George Munjoy (1626-80) ; the latter fortified it for a garrison and lived there with his wife until about 1676, the outbreak of King Philip's War. In that year the Indians made a raid on Falmouth, and the Reverend George Burroughs and a few settlers fled to the Munjoy Garrison; it offered so little security, however, that they abandoned it and fled to Bang's (Cush- ing) Island.
12. Eastern Promenade, 1 Atlantic St. to 251 Washington Ave., was ac- quired by the city in 1836, and the following year Fore Street was extended up over the hill to connect with it. It was not until 1905, however, that the city began to improve this area of more than sixty acres. From the promi- nence that extends northwesterly from Atlantic Street past Munjoy, Beck- ett, Vesper, and Morning streets, Fort Allen Park, and along the slope of the northern concourse which leads to US 1-A (Washington Ave.), one is afforded a fine panorama of islanded Casco Bay and the picturesque forts, Gorges, Scammel, and Preble. At the head of Cutter Street, which winds down the slope from the promenade near Fort Allen Park, is a boulder with a bronze plaque erected to the memory of Corporal Jacob Cousins by the Jacob Cousins Post No. 99; he was the first Portland soldier of Jewish faith to be killed in action in the World War. Located at the head of Con- gress Street is the Cleeve and Tucker Memorial, the first monument erected in Portland. Of Maine granite from the North Jay quarries, it was given to the city in 1883 by Payson Tucker, whose ancestor, Richard Tucker, with his partner, George Cleeve, was the first to settle what is now Portland (see History). Engraved on each side of this graceful shaft are the four names by which the present city has been successively known,
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"Machigonne, Casco, Falmouth, Portland." Just N of this monument is the Wills Playground, named for Charles Wills, a former alderman of the city who was interested in recreation.
In an iron-fenced enclosure beyond the foot of Quebec Street, is the Burial Ground of 21 victims of the War of 1812.
13. Fort Allen Park, 4.55 acres, adjacent to the Eastern Promenade, was acquired by the City in 1890 and is located on the site of Fort Allen. In reality, this fort was merely a series of batteries thrown up to defend the town should it again be subjected to a bombardment similar to that of Mowat's in 1775. The half-moon battery was built to mount five guns and was spoken of as the great fort or the citadel, but there are no early records of the details of its construction. Rebuilt in 1814, it was named in honor of Commander William Henry Allen (1784-1813), who began his career as a midshipman in the U. S. Navy and rapidly advanced to the rank of commander. Much of his service was in foreign waters and while in com- mand of the Argus, out to harass British commerce during the War of 1812, his ship fell in with the English ship Pelican. In the engagement that followed the commander's leg was shot off and he died aboard his ship from loss of blood.
14. Victoria or Great Eastern Wharves, at the foot of the bluff in Fort Allen Park, are today only remnants of the stone wall abutments and pil- ings of wharves erected in the late '50's to care for the English-built luxury liner, Great Eastern, that was to make Portland a port of call. The cost of maintaining this ship was enormous, and it changed hands several times until bought in 1865 by the Atlantic Telegraph Company to lay the first cable between England and America; the boat never arrived at Portland. The wharves, however, were not deprived of their moment of glory for on October 20, 1860, Baron Renfrew, Edward Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, embarked from these wharves after a trip through Canada. It was Edward's first and only visit to America, and all along the Portland route, from the railroad station that was then on Commercial Street at the foot of State to the wharves, people crowded the streets for a glimpse of royalty. The royal carriage was preceded by companies of militia from Portland, Lewiston, and Auburn, which made progress so slow the Prince is claimed to have commanded, petulantly, "Hurry, I'm cold!" The harbor was crowded with American vessels, all gaily decorated, and, according to Nathan Goold there was "in the lower harbor the largest fleet that had an- chored in an American port since the French squadron had anchored in Newport harbor in 1778. ... There were eight British ships besides the
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American boats. It was an inspiring spectacle when the Prince stepped aboard the flag decked vessel. The yards of the Men of War were manned by sailors and broadside after broadside came thundering over the tide from the vessels. There was displayed for the first time in the United States, the Royal Standards of Great Britain. The fleet immediately put to sea and while passing Fort Preble a parting salute was given from that fortification. The Hero and the Nile, with six other vessels, composed the fleet that had 90 guns and nearly 1,000 men."
An amusing sidelight to all this pomp and display occurred at the time Ed- ward was about to embark. An enthusiastic woman admirer had a bouquet of flowers which she wished to present to Victoria's son, but the police kept her and the crowd roped off. Not to be denied the pleasant memory of having presented her bouquet to royalty, the lady threw her armful of flowers at the 19-year-old prince and then gasped. Her aim was deadly. The Prince's hat was knocked off his head, to be rescued by an amazed sea- man, while the heir to the English throne boarded the ship in stony dignity minus his topper.
15. East End Bathing Beach, adjacent to Eastern Promenade, has been in use as a municipal bathing center since 1836 when Portland acquired the land from Fore Street to Washington Avenue, including the Eastern Promenade to the water's edge. In 1916 the newly created Recreation Com- mission assumed responsibility for its upkeep and development. The beach is about one-eighth of a mile long and has a gentle slope. Three life guards and a matron are stationed here during the summer months.
16. St. Lawrence Congregational (Wright Memorial) Church, cor. Con- gress and Munjoy Sts., is a massive stone structure of composite Gothic and Renaissance architecture erected in 1897 on the site of an old skating rink built 17 years previous. The church was dedicated in 1922 as a memorial to the Reverend Abiel Holmes Wright (1840-1920), who served as pastor from 1871 to 1903. An independently formed church, its ori- gins are said to date back to 1857 when "eight Christian men residing on Munjoy Hill formed a corporation under the laws of the State for the purpose of building a house for religious worship on St. Lawrence Street." The following year the St. Lawrence Congregational Chapel was erected.
In 1905 William B. Jack started the Thirteen Class in the Sunday School of the church; the next year Henry F. Merrill assumed the leadership which he still continues. From its original membership the club has grown to an enrollment of about one thousand, and a Sunday attendance of between
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