USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > Portland city guide > Part 32
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24. Evergreen Cemetery, 672 Stevens Ave., was acquired by the city in 1852 and now contains 328 acres. There are many noteworthy memorials on the grounds: Wilde Memorial Chapel, a small granite structure designed by Frederick A. Tompson, is in memory of Samuel Wilde (1831-90), a spice merchant of New York; Elks Rest is marked by a bronze elk presented to the Elks Lodge of Portland in memory of Robert E. Alden (1856-1917) . The granite Portland Firemen's Monument, representing a fireman with a hose, was originally erected in 1898 on the Western Promenade but was removed to its present site four years later. The Bosworth Post, G. A. R., Memorial is a bronze reproduction of a Rodman gun set on end; the mem- orial is surrounded by the graves of many Civil War soldiers. The Chisholm Mausoleum, built as a memorial and family tomb of Hugh J. Chisholm (1847-1912), an important figure in the pulp and paper industry of Maine, is constructed of light Barre (Vermont) granite with interior walls and
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ceiling of polished cloud Vermont marble; the mausoleum is an exact copy of the Maison Carrée in Nimes, France, and the marble sarcophagus is a reproduction of that of Alexander the Great in Constantinople.
25. St. Joseph's Academy and College and Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, 605 Stevens Ave. When the Sisters of Mercy came to Portland in 1873, they opened a convent in a building now a part of the Cheverus Classical High School on Free Street. In 1881 they opened St. Joseph's Academy in connection with their convent and in 1915, after removal to the present site, St. Joseph's College was established (see Education). The cornerstone of the present four-story academy building was laid in 1908, and the large brick building, designed in the florid Renaissance style by the architectural firm of Chickering and O'Connell of Boston, was occupied a year later. In the two chapels of the main academy building are many windows constructed of Munich glass by the famous Mayer Company of Munich; among these is one presented to the Sisters by the Portland Coast Artillery in recognition of the work done by the order at Fort Williams, a Portland military post. Among the items of historic and religious interest is a desk once the prop- erty of John Bapst (1815-87), the Jesuit missionary of Maine who became a noted educator and remembered for sufferings endured in defense of his principles.
In the former St. Catherine's Hall, a three-story brick structure opened in 1917 now housing the activities of St. Joseph's College, is a large portrait of Catherine McAuley (1787-1841), the Irish founder and first superior of the Sisters of Mercy.
26. Old Stevens Homestead (Uncle Billy's Tavern), 628 Stevens Ave. This two-story frame house, built by Isaac Sawyer Stevens (1748-1820) on what was known as Stevens Plains, was the first building erected in Deering; it was begun in 1767 and completed two years later. When the Revolution broke out Isaac, with several other members of his family, joined the Con- tinental Army and remained away so long Mrs. Stevens found it difficult to provide food and supplies for her large family. A neighbor who was aware of their plight suggested that a sign offering refreshments might induce travelers to stop. Promptly acting upon this advice, Mrs. Stevens was soon attracting more and more guests to her home. In time this became a famous hostelry known as Uncle Billy's Tavern, a regular stop for stagecoaches en route from Portland to the White Mountains.
27. Saint Joseph's Church (Catholic), 693 Stevens Ave., designed by Wil- liam B. Colleary and completed in 1931, is built in the English-Gothic style
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of variegated limestone with buff trim. The sculptored group over the main entrance depicts the Holy Family, and above this is a half figure of St. Joseph, the patron of the church; these are carved from solid blocks of limestone. The Austrian oak doors with handles and hinges of hand-ham- mered Swedish iron conforms to 14th century motif. The steps to the altar are of black and gold Moroccan marble, and the altar top is of Convent Sienna, surmounted by a tabernacle and shelf of rare marble cut from the stalagmites of the great caves in Morocco. The oak reredos behind the altar is beautifully carved, as are the statues, narthex screens, and altar rails which were done in straight oak by Charles Pisano, pupil of Lualdi, the master wood carver of Florence, Italy. The Chapel of the Blessed Mother is done in French and Italian marble, and the oak statue is the work of Pisano; the Chapel of St. Joseph is also of marble, and the purple marble of the Shrine of St. Theresa is from France. The stained glass windows, in 13th century style, were imported from England and are genuine pot- glass. The stations of the Cross were carved in Italy by Angelo Lualdi. The floors of the church are of Welsh tile.
28. Uncle Zack's House, 706 Stevens Ave., was built in 1800 by Zachariah Brackett Stevens (1778-1856), grandson of Zachariah Brackett, a tinsmith who in 1765 owned all the land in the vicinity and operated a general store and tinshop on Stevens Plains. Zachariah Stevens was the founder of the japanned tinware industry in Maine (see Arts and Crafts). This rambling, two and one-half story frame house on its one-acre lot is now owned by the All Souls Church Parish. The first floor is used as the church parsonage.
29. The All Souls Universalist Church, 706 Stevens Ave., a wooden church with a front elevation in Gothic style and a corner tower surmounted by a 110-foot spire, was built in 1867. This church stands at the entrance to the grounds of Westbrook Junior College and was first used for the graduation ceremonies of the 1867 class of Westbrook Seminary. The land belongs to the college, but the parish may use it as long as the church re- mains active.
30. Westbrook Junior College, 716 Stevens Ave., was incorporated in 1831 as Westbrook Seminary and was named for Colonel Thomas Westbrook (see History) ; this was the only co-educational boarding school in America at the time and the first seminary organized under the Universalist denom- ination in Maine. In 1925 it became a school for girls only, at which time the name was changed to Westbrook Seminary and Junior College; in 1933 it became the Westbrook Junior College (see Education) .
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The main building, now called Alumni Hall, was erected in 1834; its cupola once adorned the old City Hall that stood in Market, now Monument Square, and was secured from the city after the 'Great Fire.'
To meet the demand for boarding homes, Goddard Hall was built in 1859, and Hersey Hall in 1869. These campus buildings are all of red brick and are connected with an annex which is used as the dining room. The Alice Houghton Hall, 771-3 Stevens Ave., is a red-brick Colonial double house erected in the early 1800's by the Reverend Samuel Brimblecom, a Uni- versalist clergyman from Massachusetts, the first principal of Westbrook Seminary, 1834-36, and trustee from 1831-43. It later became a dormitory for young women where room and board could be had for $1.25, but if they "must have tea and coffee," an extra charge was made. This building, acquired in 1939, is named for Mrs. Alice B. Houghton (1858-1927) .
Moulton Chapel was the gift of Augustus F. Moulton (1848-1933), author of Portland By The Sea (see Literature) . The Chapel once a meetinghouse of the Universalist Parish of Falmouth, was built in 1849; it houses the college auditorium. This nonsectarian college, supported by private en- dowments and tuitions, has a faculty of 31 members.
31. Pine Grove Cemetery, 76 College St. This burial ground, located in the northeast corner of Evergreen Cemetery in the rear of the Westbrook Junior College, was established in 1841 when 20 residents of Westbrook formed an association to purchase the 4.5-acre plot. At that time the grounds were private, to be used only by contributing families, but in 1842 the cemetery was purchased by the City of Portland. In subsequent years ownership of the property reverted to a private corporation.
32. Stevens Avenue Congregational Church, 790 Stevens Ave., was erected in 1887, one year after the society was organized as the Free Church of Deering; the present name was adopted in 1913. The building is of plain construction, without a spire. A memorial window, 'The Christ Child,' was installed in 1907 to the memory of Philip Smith (1879-1907), for many years superintendent of the Sunday School.
33. Forest Avenue House, 844 Stevens Ave. This three-story brick build- ing was erected in 1806 and shortly afterwards became a tavern known as the Forest Avenue House. The structure has a gabled roof with ornamental fan at each end. The third floor, once a dance hall, still has its original segmental barrel vault ceiling with semicircular haunches - a Moorish motif characteristic of the architecture of that period. The walls are dec- orated with landscape murals.
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34. Saint Peter's Episcopal Church, 678 Washington Avenue, is a Gothic- type gray stone structure erected in 1916 and dedicated to the memory of the Right Reverend Robert Codman (1859-1915), third Protestant Episco- pal Bishop of Maine. The church, often called the Codman Memorial, was designed by the Portland architect E. Leander Higgins.
35. The Osteopathic Hospital of Maine, 166 Pleasant Ave., formerly a priv- ate residence, was acquired by Portland osteopaths in 1937. The building was extensively remodeled and equipped with the latest appliances known to the osteopathic profession and now has accommodations for eight to ten patients. The hospital gives surgical and obstetrical service in addition to the regular osteopathic treatment.
36. Portland Water District Shops and Storehouse, 221 Douglass St. Built of red brick, the structure was designed by the Portland architect, John Calvin Stevens and erected in 1929. The building houses the service depart- ment of the Portland Water District and contains the offices of the super- intendent, assistant superintendent, and timekeeper. On the second floor is a large assembly hall, used for meetings of social groups among the em- ployees. The meter department is in the west wing; in the other wing are housed the tools and appurtenances for servicing mains and meters, a black- smith and carpenter shop, and a tower for drying hose. There is a railroad siding direct from the main line of the Maine Central Railroad that ex- pedites the delivery of materials to the plant.
Portland's unlimited supply of pure water, brought to the city through 17 miles of pipes from Sebago Lake, is one of its greatest assets. Although its purity is attested to by expert chemists, there are two chlorinating plants in the system to guard against possible pollution. After the construction of the system in 1868 water was furnished to the city by the Portland Water Company, but in 1907 the city secured a charter for the Portland Water District, creating a municipal corporation (see History). In order to guard further the purity of the source, the Water District has purchased all the water front within two miles of the intake at the lower end of Sebago Lake; buildings have been removed from this tract, and the land swamped out. The conduits of this system supply water to about 120,000 people living in Portland, some adjacent towns, and five of the Casco Bay Islands.
37. The Ralph D. Caldwell Post, No. 129, 145 Glenwood Ave. This American Legion Post, an outgrowth of the Deering Army and Navy Club, was formed in 1922 and named in honor of Ralph Dillingham Caldwell, a postgraduate student at Deering High School, who enlisted in the Naval
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Reserves in 1917 and lost his life the following year while serving as watch and gunnery officer of the torpedoed transport Westover.
38. Portland Amateur Wireless Ass'n Inc., 22 Ocean Ave., an organiza- tion of amateur radio enthusiasts of the Portland area, is an outgrowth of the Portland Wireless Club started in 1909. The small one-story clubhouse is owned by the Ralph D. Caldwell Post of the American Legion who gave the building rent-free in return for the donation of the association's facili- ties during times of emergency. Regular meetings are held weekly, and visitors are welcome at any time the clubhouse is open. The association owns a transmitter licensed as W1KVI that is at present used for code work only; it has an input of 60 watts and works the 80 meter amateur band.
STROUDWATER SECTION
In the vicinity of Stroudwater may be found the oldest houses in the city. Developed somewhat later than 'The Neck,' this area, in its protected posi- tion, escaped the fury of the Mowat bombardment and the 'Great Fire.' Stroudwater was chosen by the aristocratic Westbrook, Waldo, and Tate as the ideal place in which to build their provincial homes and is believed to have been given its name by Colonel Thomas Westbrook because of his sentimental attachment to a village of the same name on the river Frome, England. Until the beginning of the 19th century the only means of ap- proaching Portland by land from the south was through Stroudwater, using the bridge Colonel Westbrook had constructed over Fore River in 1734. Rich in water power that turned the wheels of a dozen mills, with mast yards where tons of Maine's pines eventually to be used by the Royal Navy waited shipment to England, this little hamlet vied with The Neck' in ac- tivity and enterprise until interrupted by the hostile attitude of its Fal- mouth neighbors who, during the Revolutionary War, were suspicious of Stroudwater's many Tory inhabitants. Retired sea captains chose the village as a home port in the early 1800's to build their dwellings in sight of the sea. Forgotten by travelers when other bridges shortened the dis- tance to "Portland by the sea," the little town busied itself with its own affairs, smug in the thought that bluebloods had been its founders. The town of Stroudwater separated from Falmouth in February, 1814, and in June of that year changed its name to Westbrook. In 1871 the town of Deering was set off from Westbrook, and 28 years later Deering, including Stroudwater, was annexed to Portland.
Modernity has caught up with this western section of the city - where once spirited stagecoach horses raced along its dusty roads, today streamlined planes zoom from the sky to land at Portland's modern airport.
1. The Deacon John Bailey House, 1235 Congress St., is a low-studded two and one-half story house built about 1752 by John Bailey (1701-70). Originally of one story, the upper part was added about 1807. When first built the house was surrounded by a stockade for protection against hostile Indians; the walls of the building were also pierced with portholes for muskets. About 1825 the front halls were decorated by an itinerant painter
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BRIGHTON AVE
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CAPISIC ST
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with scenes said to depict the old powder house that formerly stood on the site of the Union Station.
John Bailey was born in Massachusetts and moved to Falmouth in 1727, at which time he was admitted as a citizen. At first he purchased land near the present Clark Street and built a house on the site once occupied by the home of Michael Mitton, son-in-law of George Cleeve. In 1737 Bailey re- ceived several land grants, among them the tract upon which he built the present house.
2. St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 1263 Congress St., built of red brick with limestone trimmings along simple Gothic lines, was erected in 1922 from sketches submitted to the contractors by the Reverend Timothy Houlihan. The structure is a combination of school and chapel, with the school on the first floor and the chapel above. The front entrance is adorned with a central tower reaching to the second story, and in a niche over the door is a Carrara marble statue of St. Patrick designed by Nadini, of Boston, and carved at his works in Carrara, Italy. The designer has declared it to be "the finest Carrara Marble statue in Maine." The chapel is handsomely finished in oak; in its basement is a large club room for the use of the boys of the parish.
3. The Eunice Frye Home and Chapel, 15 Capisic St., is a three-story struc- ture of red brick rendered impressive by the portico and solarium at its front entrance. The building was erected on land acquired in 1901 by the sponsors of the Mary Brown House, an invalids' home. The land was provided by the First Congregational Church of Deering and is the site of the old Bradley Meetinghouse and schoolhouse, the latter building having been remodeled to create the present chapel; the meetinghouse was torn down in 1902 to make way for the brick structure.
The need of an invalids' home was first recognized by members of the Con- gress Street Methodist Church, who, with a few others, organized the Port- land Invalids' Home in 1894. One of the charter members, Mrs. Mary J. Brown (1835-1900), offered the use of a cottage on Peak Island for the summer of that year, while committee members sought a permanent city location. In October of the same year the society purchased property on Revere Street which was equipped to accommodate 27 patients; this was called the Mary Brown Home. So many had applied for care by 1901 that the organization voted to sell their property and build larger quarters; shortly after this their present home became a reality. Mrs. George C. Frye (1852-1923) was chosen president and served in that capacity until a year before her death; in 1924 the name of the home was changed to
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Eunice Frye Home in her honor. The library perpetuates the name of its earliest benefactress, Mary Brown.
The Reverend Caleb Bradley (1772-1861) was not only a clergyman, but a schoolmaster. He preached at the second of three churches that stood on the site between 1764 and 1902, the third being named for him. He first kept school in his home, where for two terms Nathaniel Hawthorne was his pupil. Three times married, Bradley's forehandedness in matrimony is a subject of anecdote. In reference to the second occasion the story runs that a fellow clergyman had asked Bradley to drive him to the home of a comfortably situated widow in Saccarappa, as he intended to pay her the compliment of proposing marriage to her. Caleb consented, but just be- fore they reached their destination he suggested that his friend take the reins and drive up the street while he interviewed the widow and prepared her for the honor she was about to receive. This seemed a favorable prop- osition to Bradley's friend, who drove off, returning some time later. After an amiable chat in the presence of Bradley he asked the widow for a few moments of privacy, which she readily granted. "But my dear sir," she said to him when she had learned his proposition, "you are a little too late, for I am engaged to Mr. Bradley." The astounded and disappointed swain faltered, "How long since, may I ask?" The widow replied with a coy shrug, "About ten minutes."
4. Site of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal, (best seen near 1397 Con- gress St.). This waterway was constructed in 1828-30 by the Cumberland and Oxford Canal Corporation which had been authorized by the Legisla- ture in 1821. When completed the canal terminated in the basin at Thomp- son's Point on Fore River, 18 miles from its starting point at the head of Long Pond in the town of Harrison.
Before Maine became a separate state the territory to the north of Portland abounded in rich soil and excellent stands of hard wood. Getting the best market for these inland products was the problem, and in 1791 a committee was chosen to ascertain the practicability of "a canal from Sebago Pond to Presumpscot River." Nothing came of these early proposals until after Maine had become a State in 1820; the next year a charter was granted by the Maine Legislature "to construct a canal from Waterford in Oxford County to the navigable waters of Fore River, under the name of the 'Cum- berland and Oxford Canal Corporation.'"
The canal proper - that part constructed by excavation - began at the Basin, or Sebago Falls, in the town of Standish and followed the course of the Presumpscot River through Standish, Windham, and Gorham to a
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point above the Westbrook mills; leaving the river at this point, it cut across the country to Stroudwater, terminating at first near the foot of Clark Street and later at Thompson's Point. As Sebago Lake is 272 feet above mean low water, 27 locks were necessary over the canal route.
In his Notes on the Cumberland and Oxford Canal, and the Origin of the Canal National Bank, Philip Milliken gives an amusing picture of the men who tended these locks: "The lock tenders were generally characters, the boatmen as a rule wore red shirts and nobody, including the tow-horse graz- ing on the tow-path bank, was in any particular hurry. Sometimes if things did not go right there was some un-Scriptural language, and if boats were held up by breaks in the banks of the canal . .. so much the better. The combined crews would adjourn to the nearest public, where they would in- dulge in wrestling, boxing, story-telling, not omitting spiritual refreshment and the consolation of tobacco."
A lottery was run to obtain funds for the construction of the canal, and an interesting argument for this form of gambling appeared in a notice in the American Patriot of May 11, 1827: "Want generally may be avoided by economy and enterprise :- a single dollar has often produced the happy ad- venturer THOUSANDS. The present is the time to provide for adver- sity; for when it comes, it brings additional distress, if it finds us unpre- pared. Who that thinks will prefer present enjoyment to future security? Only a small portion of the sum that is annually expended for trifles .. . might, if properly invested, ensure the possessor ease and independence for life .... To do this, he is prompted by patriotism, by his regard for the welfare and prosperity of the State; as by adding his mite to advance the GRAND CANAL, he will reap a double benefit, by bringing into action a powerful engine that will hereafter give a new impulse to Trade and Agri- culture, and promote and encourage the Arts .... LOTTERY TICKETS are a species of MERCHANDIZE, manufactured by the high authority of the State, and by that authority they are recommended to the citizens thereof, for the benefit of the CUMBERLAND AND OXFORD CANAL."
In 1850 the earnings of the canal took a decided slump, due to the building of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad which passed through several Oxford County towns and offered quicker transit to many others, thus di- verting a considerable portion of the canal's traffic. As early as 1868 the probability of the canal's ultimate ruin became apparent, and the advent of the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad the following year marked the end of the waterway as a transportation system.
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5. Site of the old Stroudwater Bridge, where Congress St. crosses Fore River. The first bridge of any considerable size was built on this site in 1734; constructed for the interests of Thomas Westbrook, the king's mast agent at Stroudwater, it was known as the Great Bridge. Of wooden construction, the bridge was originally 640 feet long but much of the land has since been filled in. The bridge was rebuilt in 1914 and again in 1937-8, the last time of modern concrete construction.
6. The Stroudwater Baptist Church, 1729 Congress St., is a typical com- munity church which dates back to 1875 when a small building called Quin- by Hall was erected by Thomas Quinby (1813-85). This was used for a community center as well as for religious purposes and has been the scene of many enthusiastic temperance meetings presided over by such ardent speakers for the cause as Neal Dow, Fred M. Dow, and Lillian M. N. Stevens.
In 1882 a group of men in the community started a movement to hold reg- ular religious services in the hall. In 1908 the building was remodeled and a steeple erected; since that time there have been extensive additions and changes, transforming the plain wooden structure into a distinctly church- like edifice with an attractive auditorium.
The church has an ornate rose window as a memorial to Mrs. L. M. N. Stevens, who was president of the W. C. T. U. and an ardent worker for the church. In the vestry are bronze plaques in memory of Thomas and James E. (Brewer) Quinby and to Mrs. George C. Keep, through whose generosity the remodeling of the church was made possible.
7. The Moses Dole House, 505 Westbrook St., a white ten-room house, was built about 1784 by Moses Dole (1765-88). The old house retains much of its original charm, having a spiral staircase in the front hallway and old-fashioned cranes in its four fireplaces.
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