10 Historic Places to Visit in Greater Portland This Summer

It’s not too late to get out and enjoy summer in Maine! What are your plans for the last few weeks of Summer? Why not visit some of Greater Portland’s historic sites this year? Here are some suggestions:

1. Come visit us at the Portland Observatory! In 1807 Captain Lemuel Moody (1768-1846), ordered construction of this octagonal, 86-foot high tower on Munjoy Hill to serve as a communication station for Portland’s bustling harbor. It was a commercial venture designed to give a competitive edge to ship owners who paid Moody a subscription fee of $5.00 a year to alert them when their ships were arriving.

2. Everyone knows to visit Portland Headlight, probably the most well-known light house in Maine. But have you visited the children's garden or walked along the cliffs to visit the Ecology Project at Fort Williams? Fort Williams Park is open year-round from sunrise to sunset and maintained by the citizens of Cape Elizabeth for all to enjoy. While it’s gorgeous on a sunny day, it’s even a great place to visit on a cloudy or foggy summer day too.

3. On a hot summer evening take a stroll through Fort Preble (1808) to enjoy cool ocean breezes. Occupied during the War of 1812 and the Civil War, the fort was sold in 1952 to the State of Maine and is now the campus of Southern Maine Community College. Some of Fort Preble's original early 20th Century brick buildings (including officers' quarters, barracks and a fire station), along with perimeter casemates, remain and are in a good state of preservation. Don’t forget to walk out to Spring Point Ledge Light built near the fort in 1897.

4. You can use our self-guided interactive maps to explore Greater Portland anytime! Our online maps can be used to take a virtual tour from your computer, or you can use them on your phone as you walk around a local neighborhood.

5. Explore Fort Gorges! Named after Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Fort Gorges was built 1861-1868 by Ruben Smart and is modeled after Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Fort Gorges was planned and constructed as one of three forts in Portland Harbor in reaction to the threat of foreign naval powers, initially provoked by the War of 1812. The Friends of Fort Gorges group is actively building awareness and raising funds to preserve the fort.

6. Take a tour of Eastern Cemetery! Spirits Alive has also developed a virtual tour of the cemetery that you can view while lounging in your hammock or take with you when you visit the cemetery on your own whenever the gates are open between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

7. Sail on a historic schooner! Sailing on a windjammer is the perfect way to experience the beauty of the Maine coast, complete with lighthouses, seals, and seabirds. Windjammers Bagheera, Wendameen, or Timberwind were built in Maine and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

8. Pack a picnic basket - or better yet order lunch or dinner to go from a local business - and enjoy your meal in one of Portland’s historic parks. Catch a sunset from newly designated historic Fort Sumner park, watch the ducks play in Deering Oaks pond, or enjoy the stunning view from the Eastern Promenade.

9. Mackworth Island is the former home of James Phinney Baxter and of his son, Governor Percival Baxter, and was deeded to the State of Maine in 1943. Currently it is the site of the Baxter School for the Deaf. The island is a legislated bird sanctuary and is connected to Falmouth by a causeway at the mouth of the Presumpscot River. The island is open to visitors from dawn to dusk.

10. The Cumberland and Oxford Canal was opened in 1832 to connect the largest lakes of southern Maine with the seaport of Portland, Maine. The canal followed the Presumpscot River from Sebago Lake through the towns of Standish, Windham, Gorham, and Westbrook. The Canal diverged from the river at Westbrook to reach the navigable Fore River estuary and Portland Harbor.

    The Fore River Sanctuary is the site of the former Cumberland and Oxford Canal. You can walk along the remains of the towpath and see the repair basin, a man-made pond dug for the canal. The nature sanctuary is also the home of Jewell Falls, Portland’s only natural waterfall.

    You can also see elements of the canal and towpath in Gambo Preserve. Access the preserve from trail heads in Windham near Gambo Dam or from Gorham’s Shaw Park.

The death of Captain Lemuel Moody

Captain Lemuel Moody died on August 11, 1846, and was buried the following day in Eastern Cemetery, at the bottom of the hill on which his Observatory stands. The following is the obituary that was published in the Portland Advertiser on August 12, 1846.

Listen to Moody’s great-great-great-great grandson John York read his obituary at the Observatory here.

We lament to have to record this day the sudden death of our respected townsman, Capt. Lemuel Moody, who died in a fit early this morning. Capt. Moody was the son of Enoch Moody and Ann Weeks, and was born in Portland, June 30, 1767; he was consequently past 79 years of age. His father came from Newbury, and built in 1740, the two story wooden house near the corner of Congress and Franklin Street, which is the oldest house in town, and where the subject of this article was born.

Capt. Moody, like the sons of most of our old families, the Prebles, McLellans, Weeks, Tuckers, &c., embarked on the sea for a livelihood.  Our people were thoroughly commercial, their whole energies were employed from their earliest settlement in pursuits connected with the ocean; and our enterprising young men were therefore naturally drawn to that department of life as affording at once the most sure and speedy, and at the same time the most exciting means of advancement in the world. And we do not hesitate to say that no place on the margin of any ocean, has furnished a finer race of hardy, skillful and successful mariners than our own port.

Moody’s tomb

Capt. Moody followed the seas for many years with reputation and success; and forty years ago, he took an active part in getting up an association for the erection of the Observatory, over which he had presided nearly the whole time; keeping a careful watch through his telescope of all occurrences within the range of its vision, and often furnishing the earliest information in regard to disasters happening on our coast, by which effectual relief has been seasonably afforded.  And during all that period, constantly sweeping the horizon, his signals have reported to their owners the approach of their vessels.  At the same time he has kept accurate tables of the weather, notices of which have repeatedly appeared in our paper. – Nor is this the extent of the benefit he has conferred upon the maritime interest; the whole was crowned by the publication in 1825 of a very carefully prepared chart of Casco Bay, with soundings of the coast, from the mouth of the Saco, to the mouth of the Kennebec, and of the principal channels and harbors.

He imparted freely and kindly to all who sought it, information in regard to the harbors and coast, and on the subjects with which he was familiar, and none could leave his company without a favorable impression of the results of his gathered observation, and of the benevolence of his character.

He died in the strength of his intellect and the mellowed ripeness of his affections; he will leave a space in this community which it may not be easy to fill.  It is an interesting fact, and well worthy of notice, that this very morning, previous to his death, he was on top of this Observatory, taking his accustomed observations around the horizon; thus making his final survey over the ocean and land, in the freshness of this beautiful morning, before taking leave of them forever, to enter upon a brighter and better world to which the telescope of his heart has long been directed.

View of Munjoy Hill, Portland, artist unknown, c.1840 (Collection of the Portland Museum of Art)

Historic Preservation Today

Founded in 1964, Landmarks is now more than 55 years old. Portland’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, passed in 1990, is now thirty years old. While not every community in greater Portland has a preservation ordinance, most recognize the importance of preservation and the role older neighborhoods and buildings play in strengthening their community.

“The virtues of saving and reusing older
places are now much more broadly recognized across
America. Nor are we voices in the wilderness anymore:
time and again, preservation has proven an invaluable
tool in spurring economic growth, meeting critical
social needs, and bringing communities together. ”

— The National Trust for Historic Preservation

Although the current pandemic may slow growth, as happened in the 2007 economic recession, it is likely that greater Portland will continue to grow. It is an attractive choice for remote workers that can now choose to live anywhere. Below are several challenges that Landmarks is working to address in our education and advocacy work.

Modernism is now historic.

While there is a growing appreciation for mid-century buildings and landscapes, they are sometimes criticized as being soulless or outright ugly. Take Brutalism, an architectural style that emerged in the 1950s featuring poured concrete, bold geometric shapes, and stark landscape settings. The name, Brutalism, does not exactly evoke positive feelings, but for some preservationists, the uniqueness of the style and an appreciation of how good examples of the style contribute to a sense of place and reflect its period in history, mean it is beloved by some. (Confession - I am one of those people. Many of my recent travels involve dragging reluctant friends and family to see Brutalist buildings before they are demolished or altered. I may be one of the few people in Portland that admits to liking the pump station at Fore and India Street).

Modernist places may not be loved or may be coming to the end of their life cycle, like the Maine Medical Center Employee Parking Garage on Congress Street. They may also have been built on the site of a beloved historic building that was demolished to make way for the new. This provides a dilemma. Should we preserve places that we once fought against in the early days of the preservation movement? History sometimes represents events, actions, and outcomes we would like to forget. We should always be asking, “Are we preserving the full history of a place, or only the parts that form our preferred image of history?” For preservation, this is a constant challenge.

Preserving a broad historic narrative.

Current preservation approaches, including the National Register of Historic Places, locally designated districts and landmarks, and historic site interpretation, have not fully represented the stories of all Americans. Our preservation practice needs to be more inclusive in the identification, understanding, and protection of historic places. Changes in technology, social media and new research offer the opportunity to rethink how we focus our work and how we share these stories with our community.

In 2017 the National Trust for Historic Preservation outlined a new vision for the future of historic preservation and set out three key principles:

• Honor the full diversity of the ever-evolving American story.

• Nurture more equitable, healthy, resilient, vibrant, sustainable communities.

• Collaborate with new and existing partners.

Landmarks has been evaluating its current programs and advocacy work as part of its strategic planning process and these principles play an important role in our assessment and recommendation for the organization’s future.

Expand preservation trades training.

Historic Preservation is more labor intensive than new building construction. Jobs like these can't be outsourced or automated, each project is unique. The time it can take to get on many preservation contractors' schedules illustrates the demand for these professionals (We know firsthand, we have a lot of work to do on our historic building too!). The demand for people with traditional building skills is growing, as the artisans who practiced these trades are aging out. It will take a cooperative effort between preservation organizations, educational institutions, and tradespeople to help develop programs that teach skills leading to well-paying jobs and encourage young people to seek out a future in historic preservation. The Maine School of Masonry is one such program already in place in Maine.

Sustainability and Adaptation

We know we say it often, the greenest building is the one already built. Historic Preservation is sustainable and will play a role in helping our communities reach sustainability goals. In 2011 we published, The Energy Efficient Old House: A Workbook for Homeowners, to help guide homeowners in ways to reduce their historic home’s energy consumption. However, reducing our carbon footprint is only part of the solution. We should be thinking about the long term future of our communities and demand better buildings that aren’t just designed for the next 40-50 years, but will be around for the next 100-200 years - and hopefully future landmarks!

The stringent application of the National Parks Services Standards for Rehabilitation, the de facto preservation policy governing preservation locally as well as at the state and national level, may be challenging when adapting a building threatened by rising tides or extreme storm events. Recurrent flooding and the impacts of more frequent and intense storms can have a serious impact on historic resources, and we must be prepared to help owners make their buildings more resilient to flooding and high winds. That may mean altering a building in ways discouraged by the standards. Beyond that, we need to rethink what it means to “save” places and sites that are important to our cultural heritage, because saving them physically may not be feasible.

This spring the staff at Landmarks are busy even though we are apart. We are planning our Un-Gala, investigating ways to give safe walking tours, and deciding how we can reopen the Observatory to visitors. On the advocacy side, we are ‘attending’ virtual planning board and preservation board meetings and planning how to host our first remote internships! We miss being together in person and we miss seeing you at our events, but we are working hard each day to ensure that greater Portland’s history and sense of place is protected and celebrated.

Julie Larry