USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > Portland city guide > Part 33
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Moses Dole was the son of Daniel Dole who married a sister of Dr. Samuel Deane's wife. The younger Dole built his house near that of his father, but after his early death it was sold.
8. The Capt. Daniel Dole House, 465 Westbrook St., a gambrel-roofed house was built in 1772 by Captain Daniel Dole (1717-1803). Changed much in recent years, the house still has the old-fashioned front door, side lights, and original chimneys. The attic once had huge fireplaces and a stout door behind which the captain's slaves were locked each night.
Captain Dole came to Stroudwater from Old Newbury, Massachusetts, and
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Portland-Gateway to Maine's Big Game Hunting Country
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Swimming
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Duck Shooting is Excellent in Near-by Merrymeeting Bay Section
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purchased a 218-acre farm in 1770; having followed the sea all his life, he wished to settle down but was unwilling to live inland where he could not be within sight of the salt water.
9. Partridge-Quinby House, 446 Westbrook St. This plain homestead was built in 1782 by Captain Jesse Partridge (1742-95). With the exception of a bay window and some minor details subsequently added, the house re- mains much the same as when it was erected. Moses Quinby (1786-1857) acquired the title to the house about 1818. One of the members of the first graduating class of Bowdoin College (1806), Quinby was a prominent Stroudwater lawyer.
10. The Stroudwater Cemetery, 416-432 Westbrook St., is one of the oldest burial grounds in Portland. Although the earliest mention of it is in a mortgage deed in the Portland City Hall, dated 1748, the oldest stone in the cemetery is dated 1739. In 1786 the yard became a public burying place.
11. The David Patrick House, 384 Westbrook St., claimed to be the old- est house in Stroudwater, was built in 1743 and is but slightly changed since its erection. Much of the original woodwork has been retained, together with some of the old-fashioned windows and the side lights beside the front door.
12. The Lillian Marion Norton Stevens House, 382 Westbrook St., is a square two-story Colonial house built about 1800 by two ship carpenters in the Stevens family. The house has six fireplaces, an old-fashioned winding staircase, and unique window shutters said to be "Indian shutters," used to keep the savages from spying.
The old house has always been in the Stevens family and when it was the home of Lillian M. N. Stevens (see Downtown Section: No. 58) was the scene of many notable gatherings of groups interested in the cause of pro- hibition. Besides her activities in the W. C. T. U., of which she was at one time National President, Mrs. Stevens was active in general reform throughout the State. She took the initiative in establishing the Temporary Home for Women and Children and through her influence public opinion was created in favor of having a matron in county jails.
13. The Tate House (open Mon., Wed., and Fri.), 370 Westbrook St., a two and one-half story unpainted house with a gambrel roof, was erected by George Tate in 1775. Situated on a knoll overlooking Fore River in view of the early mast yard, this excellent example of Early Colonial archi- tecture is constructed of native pine and oak with panels, wainscoting, and
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cornices of the interior imported from England; the gracefully designed front entrance with overhead fanlight is part of the original house, but the door is of a later period. The elaborately carved stairway baluster and the built-in carved buffet in the parlor are particularly pleasing. This house was restored in 1932 by the Maine Society of Colonial Dames and opened to the public six years later; it is used as a clubhouse and museum.
George Tate (1700-94) came from Northamptonshire, England, to Fal- mouth in 1754 as mast agent succeeding Colonel Thomas Westbrook and was at one time church warden of the town. Tate's oldest son, Samuel (1736-1814), was engaged in carrying masts between Falmouth and Lon- don, and it was his ship that in 1766 brought the news that the Stamp Act was repealed; he is said to have been the sailing master of the ship of war that brought Lord Cornwallis to this country during the Revolution. His second son, George (1745-1821), became a lieutenant in the Russian Navy during the reign of Empress Catherine II and for his distinguished services in the wars with the Turks and Greeks, was advanced to the rank of rear admiral and later to first admiral by Alexander I.
14. The Capt. James Means House, 2 Waldo St., a two-story brick-ended building with hip roof, was built in 1797 by Captain James Means (1753- 1832) and called the "Mast Head" in early records. The elaborately hand- carved woodwork of the interior is said to have been the work of sailors who were skilled in the arts and architecture. These sailors, purposely left be- hind when their ships sailed from Stroudwater, were forced to work on the decorations of the Means home until their ship returned.
Means enlisted in Captain James Brackett's company of Falmouth the day after the battle of Lexington and served eight and one-half years in the Continental Army - rising from the ranks to become colonel. He was in the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga, witnessed the surrender of Burgoyne, and was one of the many men who spent a harrowing winter at Valley Forge; it was during that winter he signed the Oath of Allegiance which is among the Revolutionary War relics at Washington. While serving as Life Guard to General Washington he met General Lafayette who, on his visit to Portland in 1825, was entertained at the Means home. Means was elected first senator from the District of Maine in 1807.
15. The Walter Griffin House, 346 Westbrook St., a 150-year-old square two-story house with hip roof, was the home of this famous artist during the latter years of his life. Of this period of Griffin's (1861-1935) (see Arts and Crafts) life, F. Newlin Price writes: "He had bought the Vail house
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at Stroudwater, near Portland, and here his days were spent cheerfully and bravely in the face of an incurable disease. He spent much time advising, lecturing. He was devoted to Maine and the problem of stimulating the cultured arts. ... Around him grew a great circle of friends. . . . Per- sonally he was a delightful talker, a pleasant dinner guest, full of colorful life and wide experience. A charming arrogance dwelt within his mind, a sureness about his position that grew not from schooling (he had little) but from contact with the joyous sap of life. He gave a fund of incident, an intimate human practical theorem of his fellow men."
16. The Forder House, 335 Westbrook St., probably the oldest house still standing in this section, was built by James Forder about 1734. The house and its surrounding land was mentioned in the first recorded land con- veyance of Samuel Waldo and Colonel Westbrook on September 17, 1734, to James Forder of Falmouth, an English millwright. It has undergone such extensive alterations that little of the original structure is in evidence.
17. The Mill Dam, Stroudwater River, Westbrook St., is perhaps the oldest dam in Portland and was probably built by Samuel Waldo who owned "Long Creek Farm," evaporated salt from sea water, and ground it at a mill on this site as early as 1746. His farm extended from the Stroudwater River to beyond the present airport, and his ships took cargoes from the wharf at Long Creek Point to Liverpool, England. In the early days the Stroudwater River supplied power for a saltmill, a gristmill, a fulling mill for dressing cloth, and a single and double sawmill.
18. The Samuel Fickett House, 290 Westbrook St., was built in 1795 by Samuel Fickett, a ship-carpenter. His father had purchased Harrow House in 1786, the pretentious Stroudwater home that Colonel Thomas West- brook had built shortly after his arrival in Falmouth in 1727. Tearing down this historic home nine years later, Samuel built the present two-story build- ing on the same site. It is claimed that he built the first steamboat that crossed the Atlantic, but in Shipbuilding Days in Casco Bay, William H. Rowe credits Fickett's nephew Frank: "'Ship Yard Point' where Mill Creek joins the waters of Fore River seems to have been one of the oldest sites for building yards and was well known by that name when Jonathan Fickett leased it at the beginning of the last century with the help of several sons. He was an active builder until the embargo put him out of business. Samuel, one of the sons had a yard in Portland until the War of 1812. Then he and some of his brothers went to New York where they prospered. One of them, Frank Fickett, who had learned his business in the Stroudwater yards, built a partnership "with one Crocker" at Corlears Hook. In Au-
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gust 1818 they launched a three-hundred and eighty-two ton vessel which was purchased by Captain Moses Rogers and a company of Southern busi- ness men and named by them, "Savannah" for their native city.
"They allowed the rigging and other appurtenances for sailing to remain, and installed steam machinery and paddle wheels, thus creating the first ocean going steamship."
19. Jonathan Smith House, 269 Westbrook Street. This two-story wooden structure, painted white, was built more than a hundred years ago by Jona- than Smith (1795-1882) who operated a tannery almost opposite his home. The house contains a very unusual staircase, made in a half spiral, the soffit of which is a single pine board, concaved and curved to the spiral by a steaming process. In the parlor is an unusually large fireplace with Dutch oven; in addition to the conventional oven door, there is another door on the opposite end of the oven opening from the dining room side.
20. The Barker House, 268 Westbrook St., was erected on the site of what the records of 1744 alluded to as "a cottage inhabited by one Westbrook Knight"; this referred to Colonel Thomas Westbrook (see History). Dr. Jeremiah Barker (1752-1835) purchased the property in 1779 and erected the present two-story dwelling.
21. Former Broad's Tavern, 143 Westbrook St. About 1782 Thaddeus Broad (1745-1824) bought this property he had leased ten years before and remodeled the original "salt box" house. Until the end of stage coach days Broad's Tavern, famous from Portland to Boston, did a prosperous busi- ness. Broad stimulated trade by erecting a platform with railing in a large elm that stood in front of the tavern. A stairway was built to this eyrie where liquor was served to customers, and soon the elm came to be known as the Bar Room Tree. When General Lafayette stopped at Broad's for liquid refreshment on his way to Portland in 1825 he was served at this aerial bar; from that time the tree was called the "Lafayette Elm." Cus- tomers at the tavern were allowed many privileges besides that of eating and drinking, and men with a flair for gambling often played cards until the early hours of the morning. One Saturday evening such a game was in progress, but at midnight one of the players, more impish than righteous, suggested that they set aside the winnings accumulated during the hours of the Sabbath and present the "tainted money" to Parson Caleb Bradley - they thought this would be a great joke on the parson. Unwilling to wait until daylight to gloat over the parson's dilemma, they went to his house about four o'clock and thumped loudly on his door to waken him. Startled
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out of his warm bed at such an ungodly hour, he stumbled to the door. The young men gave him the money, explaining in detail that, inasmuch as they had won it by gambling, they did not think it proper to keep it; they asked him if he would please accept it and then rushed away rather than face the good man's wrath. To their utter amazement the parson shouted after them, "That's right boys! That's right! The devil's money will buy just as many Bibles as God's money. Why didn't you play longer?" Broad's son, Silas, was host at the tavern until dwindling returns forced him out of business about 1840.
22. Portland City Airport, 7 Westbrook St., dedicated in December, 1934, has three runways, two of which are hard surfaced, and two hangars used by the Portland Flying Service, Inc. and the Northeast Airways, Inc. which operate transport charter services. The Boston and Maine Airways main- tain a regular schedule, and of their 14 stations in New England and Cana- da, the Portland airport ranks second in volume of business. The airport was purchased by the City of Portland in 1938 and the city, with WPA as- sistance, is now building an administration building that will house the U. S. meteorological station, Civil Aeronautics weather bureau, radio station, tele- type service, and the offices of the three flying services.
23. Brooklawn Memorial Park, 2030 Congress St., the first cemetery de- velopment of its kind in the State, was inaugurated in 1936. There are neither tombstones nor monuments in this cemetery, the graves being marked by flat memorial tablets, similar in size but with varying designs. There are 12 acres of lawns and over a mile of winding graveled roadways landscaped with most of the varieties of trees common to the State in addition to num- erous species of shrubs and flowers. In season more than thirty varieties of lilacs are to be seen in bloom and the tulip beds are noteworthy - the grounds have the appearance of a beautifully landscaped estate. Along the entire length of the face of the park is a wall of Cape Elizabeth bluestone, the bluestone portals of which are surmounted by cast stone embellishments, from designs by John Calvin Stevens and John Howard Stevens.
24. The Old Chesley House, 1795 Congress St., was built about 1807 by Joseph Chesley. Although the exterior of the house has been altered, the interior retains distinctive reminders of its early days with a fireplace hearth composed of eight-inch-square bricks, hand-cut fireplace mantle, and 21-inch wainscoting of pine.
25. Boothby Home (City Farm) and Farrington Hospital (City Hospital) , 1133-51 Brighton Ave. The Boothby Home was built in 1902-3 from de-
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signs by the local architects F. H. and E. F. Fassett and houses the city's destitute men and women; it was named in honor of Frederick E. Boothby (1845-1923), the incumbent mayor of Portland. The central part of this building is used for offices and adminstration quarters; the west wing for hospital patients and women; the right wing is occupied by men.
Farrington Hospital, connected by a corridor to Boothby Home, was named in honor of Ira P. Farrington (1820-94), who left a large amount of money for its use. The hospital as an institution is said to be "as old as the city it- self," having been attached to the poorhouse or city home as an infirmary and has gradually developed into a modern hospital. It treats chronic cases, individual cases unable to meet hospital expenses elsewhere in the city, and specific cases general hospitals will not accept. Major operations are per- formed, and maternity cases are cared for, as are infants whose parents are unable or incompetent to do so properly. A psychopathic ward, the only one in the city, has accommodations for ten patients who are held for ob- servation before being dismissed or sent to the Augusta State Hospital; in addition, there are general, chronic, and isolation wards, an X-ray depart- ment, and a laboratory.
RIVERTON SECTION
At various times this section has been part of four towns and cities - Fal- mouth, Westbrook, Deering, and Portland. In 1899 the area was added to Portland when the City of Deering was annexed. The Presumpscot River, flowing easterly along the northwest boundary of the city, was the scene of many early industrial activities of old Falmouth of which "The Neck' formed a part (see History). Thomas Westbrook, the royal mast agent, and Samuel Waldo, one of Falmouth's leading inhabitants, were the first to impound the waters of the Presumpscot when they built a dam at its lower falls. Westbrook and Waldo also constructed the first paper mill in this part of Maine, power from the impounded Presumpscot turning its wheels. In the heyday of the mast industry the river was swollen with long logs cut in the interior and floated downstream to waiting mast ships en route to England. The river still furnishes power for manufactories in Westbrook and Cumberland Mills, but the once rolling farmland that bordered the stream has become one of the residential districts of Portland.
1. The Morrill House, 1229 Forest Ave. and 6 Allen Ave., a 32-room brick house of three stories, was erected in the early part of the 19th century. It was the childhood home of Mary S. Morrill (see Downtown Section: No. 32), a missionary who lost her life at Paotingfu, China, during the Boxer Rebellion. The third floor of this house was originally an ornate ballroom, and its floor, of the springboard type, was laid on 12-inch steel springs spaced two feet apart. This kind of floor, with its unusual resilience, was quite common in 19th century ballrooms.
2. The Maine Home for Boys, 1393 Forest Ave., originated in 1893 when a group of Deering club women incorporated under the name of Little Samaritan Aid Society, for the purpose of caring for destitute boys. In 1899 the name became the Maine Home for Friendless Boys, and by legis- lative enactment in 1935 the institution assumed its present title. The large three-story frame building, located on approximately nine acres of wood- land, playground, and farm, was opened to the public in February, 1901, and enlarged in 1908. A non-sectarian institution, it cares for nearly thirty boys from five to 14 who are wholly or partially dependent upon the public
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for support, or who, through misfortune, have been temporarily deprived of proper home environment.
3. Mount Sinai Cemetery, 185 Hicks St., occupying five acres, is the only Jewish burying ground in Portland. Established in 1894, it was known as the Hebrew Benevolence Burial Association until its re-organization in 1920.
4. Warren Avenue Italian Methodist Church, 360 Warren Ave., was ori- ginally dedicated in 1917 and rededicated in 1937 when it was remodeled. Italian Methodism had its inception in 1905 with the establishment of the Portland Italian Mission under the Reverend Francis Southworth (1824- 1912). For many years the mission held meetings in the Bethel Congre- gational Church on Fore Street, and until 1928 Congregationalists and Methodists contributed toward its support; at that time it was affiliated with the Methodist Church of Portland.
5. The small Bailey Cemetery, 1612 Forest Ave., surrounded by a white picket fence, was named for Deacon James Bailey (1749-1833?) of the First Parish Congregational Church who in 1773 purchased land "northeasterly of Morrill's Corner." Bailey set aside about three-quarters of an acre for a burial plot, and in it were buried several soldiers of the Revolution. About fifty graves bear only numbers; the oldest inscription is one in memory of Josiah Stevens, 1818.
6. Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery, 1827 Forest Ave., a one and one- half story brick structure, was erected in 1852 and until 1920 remained as originally constructed. During alteration of the building the old-style Quaker "facing seats" and the partition, which divided the women's side of the church from that of the men, were removed leaving only two of the original seats. Friends Cemetery, at the rear of the church, contains many old grave markers, the earliest being that of William Purington who died in 1851. An unusual stone is that inscribed:
Frank Modoc An Indian Chief of the Modoc Tribe in Indian Territory and a Friend Minister. Died in the full triumph of the Christian Faith. 6 mo. 12, 1886 Aged 45 years.
7. Site of Riverton Park, outer Forest Ave. near Presumpscot River Bridge,
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was originally a trolley park started in 1895 by the Portland Railroad Com- pany to stimulate travel on street cars. This early amusement area was one of Victorian Portland's most popular rendezvous (see History). After a brief blast of success its popularity dwindled; in 1921 it was revived when the Riverton Films, Inc., thrilled visitors with showings of early films of Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. In 1923 the Riverton Amusement Company attempted to reanimate this recreation area. Today only the dilapidated remains of a once ornate gateway indicate that the Portland shore of the Presumpscot River was a favorite gathering place for fun-loving Portlanders.
8. Riverside Municipal Golf Course (see Recreational Facilities), 1158 Riverside St., is the second largest golf course in Maine. It was laid out in 1932 as a nine hole course and enlarged three years later to 18 holes. The fully equipped clubhouse was originally an old farmhouse which was al- tered under the direction of William B. Millward of Portland.
SELECTED READING LIST
The following titles have been chosen principally because of the general interest of the subject matter to the reader; complete bibliographies of Port- land may be consulted at the Portland Public Library and the Maine Histor- ical Society. In the preparation of this book the files of the Portland Press Herald, Evening Express, and Sunday Telegram have been consistently used, as have been the issues of the Board of Trade Journal over a period of many years. Of invaluable assistance have been the collections of books and private manuscripts in the Maine Historical Society, and the numerous theses contained in The Maine Bulletin of the University of Maine.
Baxter, James P. George Cleeve of Casco Bay, 1630-1667. Portland, 1885. Also, The Trelawny Papers, Portland, 1884.
Beedy, Helen Coffin. Mothers of Maine. Portland, 1895.
Brooks, Van Wyck. The Flowering of New England. New York, 1936.
Burrage, Henry S. The Beginnings of Colonial Maine, 1602-1698. Portland, 1914.
Chadbourne, Walter W. A History of Banking in Maine, 1799-1930. Orono, 1936.
Chase, Edward E. Maine Railroads. Portland, 1926.
Coe, Harrie B. Maine: Resources, Attractions and Its People. New York, 1928.
Colesworthy, Daniel C. Chronicles of Casco Bay. Portland, 1850.
Crawford, Mary Caroline. Social Life in Old New England. Boston, 1914.
Daggett, Windsor. A Down-East Yankee from the District of Maine. Port- land, 1920.
Dole, Nathan Haskell. Maine of the Sea and Pines. Boston, 1928.
Dow, Neal. The Reminiscences of Neal Dow. Portland, 1898.
Drake, Samuel Adams. The Pine Tree Coast. Boston, 1891.
Dunnack, Henry E. The Maine Book. Augusta, 1920.
Edwards, George Thornton. The Youthful Haunts of Longfellow. Portland, Also, Music and Musicians of Maine. Portland, 1928.
Elkins, L. Whitney. The Story of Maine; Coastal Maine. Bangor, 1924.
Elwell, Edward H. Portland and Vicinity. Portland, 1876.
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Goold, William. Portland in the Past. Portland, 1886.
Griffin, Joseph. History of the Press of Maine. Brunswick, 1872.
Haynes, Williams. Casco Bay Yarns. New York, 1916.
Hull, John T. Hull's Hand-Book of Portland, Old Orchard, Cape Elizabeth and Casco Bay. Portland, 1888.
Jones, Herbert G. Old Portland Town. Portland, 1938.
Kettell, Russell Hawes. (editor) Early American Rooms. Portland, 1936.
Moulton, Augustus. Portland By The Sea. Augusta, 1926.
Neal, John. Portland Illustrated. Portland, 1874.
Rowe, William H. Shipbuilding Days in Casco Bay, 1727-1890. Portland, 1929.
Small, Walter Herbert. Early New England Schools. Boston, 1914.
Spencer, Wilbur D. Pioneers on Maine Rivers. Portland, 1930.
Sterling, Robert Thayer. Lighthouses of the Maine Coast and the Men Who Keep Them. Brattleboro, 1935.
Toppan, Frederick W. Geology of Maine. Schenectady, 1932.
Tebbetts, Leon H. The Amazing Story of Maine. Portland, 1935.
Thompson, Lawrence. Young Longfellow, 1807-1843. New York, 1938.
Varney, George J. A Gazetteer of the State of Maine. Boston, 1881. Also, A Brief History of Maine. Portland, 1890.
Verrill, A. Hyatt. Romantic and Historic Maine. New York, 1933.
Willis, William. The History of Portland from 1632 to 1864. Portland, 1865. Also, edited Journals of the Rev. Thomas Smith, and the Rev. Samuel Dean. Portland, 1849.
Writers', Federal. Maine: A Guide "Down East.' Boston, 1937.
INDEX
Abnaki, 7 Abbott, Dr. Edville G., 253 Abrogation of Mass. Authority, 25, 26 Abyssinian Congregational Church, 277 Academy, Portland, 96, 98 Academy of Music, Portland, 181 Acreage, 3, 48 Acrostic, Falmouth, 37 Adams, Isaac, 224 Adult Education, 101 Advent Christian Church, 115, 242 Advertiser (newspaper), 44, 171, 195 African Methodist Episcopal Church, 276 African M. E. Zion Church, 110 Agriculture, 71, 76 Airport, Portland City, 126, 301, 311 Akers, Elizabeth, 160 Akers, Paul, 44, 139, 160, 236, 257 Albion, Robert G., 163 Alden, James, 278 Alden, Robert E., 295 Algerines, 7 Algonquin (boat), 260 Aliens, immigration of, 62 All Souls Church, 112, 297 Allen, Rev. Benjamin, 30, 108 Allen, John Howard, 137 Allen, Commodore William Henry, 282 Allen Line, 121 Amateur Wireless Assn., 208, 300 American Artists Professional League, 142 American Communications Assn., 91 American Design, index of, 138 American Guild of Organists, 194 American House, 120 American Legion, 50 American Legion Band, 189 American Patriot (newspaper), 174 American Radio Relay League, 208 American Unitarian Assn., 112 Anchorage Basin, 4 Anderson, C. B., 176 Anderson, John F., 234 Andrews, Harold T., 50, 259, 264 Andrews, James, 10 Andrews' Island, 10 Andrews Memorial Tablet, 264 Andros, Sir Edmund, 26 Androscoggin & Kennebec R. R., 123, 124 Annexation of Deering, 48
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