Bayside's Cedar Street

by Julie Larry and Evan Brisentine

Bayside is full of some of the earliest homes in Portland, as they escaped the Great Fire of 1866. While other Portland neighborhoods lost most of their Federal and Greek Revival architecture during the Great Fire, Bayside suffered less damage with most of western Bayside left untouched by the flames. Some of the earliest homes on Portland’s peninsula are still standing in Bayside.

During the mid 20th century’s urban renewal period, Portland’s newly created Slum Clearance and Redevelopment Authority highlighted Bayside as a target neighborhood. In 1958 the Authority demolished 92 dwellings and 27 small businesses in what we now call East Bayside. Another 54 dwelling units were razed for the Bayside Park urban renewal project, an area that now includes Fox Field and Kennedy Park public housing. The razing of Franklin Street began in 1967 when a 100 structures were demolished and an unknown number of families relocated or were displaced.

The City’s urban renewal projects had a great effect on immigrant communities in Bayside including Italian-American, Armenian-American, and Jewish families that had settled in Portland from Eastern Europe. However many Armenian families remained in Bayside after Urban Renewal, but their numbers are dwindling and their homes are disappearing.

The first Armenian immigrants arrived in Maine in 1896 to escape growing persecution in Turkey. Starting in the early part of the 20th century, the Bayside neighborhood was home to an substantial Armenian community. More than 250 Armenian families settled in the neighborhood. The Armenians in Portland were a close-knit community. As their numbers grew, they established a school, stores, restaurants, a social club, and a bank.

Cedar Street, just downhill from Portland High School and uphill from the Oxford Street shelter, is home to a number of dwellings once owned by Portland’s Armenian community. Armenian families also lived on Lancaster, Alder, Oxford, and Smith Streets.

44 Cedar Street built c1855. Surrounded by parking lots, this wonderfully detailed brick building was recently for sale.

44 Cedar Street was owned for many years by members of the Tavanian [Tevanian] family (Book 1496, Page17 in 1936). Bagdasar & Gerigos Tavanian were listed as the owners in 1924 tax assessor documentation, having purchased the dwelling in 1921.

Bagdasar Tavanian (1889-1939) came to the United States in in 1906 and settled in Portland, working as a baker’s helper in a hotel at 638 Congress Street according to the 1910 US Census.

Gerigos Tavanian arrived in the United States from Turkey in 1915 according to census records. In April 24, 1915 several hundred Armenian intellectuals were rounded up, arrested and later executed at the start of a period of systematic mass murder of around one million ethnic Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Many Armenians came to Portland 1915-1917 to escape the violence. A year before he purchased 44 Cedar Street, US Census records show Gerigos, age 24, was working as a cook and boarding with another Armenian family, the Amerigians, on Lancaster Street.

In the 1930s, 44 Cedar was owned by Louis Tevanian (36) a cook. He lived in the dwelling with his wife Rakel and their children. Rakel and Louis owned and operated a restaurant in Portland for 21 years. She also was a cashier for several years at the Pride's Corner Drive-In Movie Theater in Westbrook, a business opened by her sons John and Avadis in 1953. Also living at 44 Cedar Street in the 1930s was Robert Tevanian, a baker, and his wife Shaka and children. Until recently the dwelling was still owned by members of Shaka Tevanian’s family.

44 Cedar Street in 1924. City of Portland

44 Cedar Street was originally owned by Sarah E. Loring. She purchased the lot occupied by 44 Cedar Street in 1853. Sarah was the wife of Charles Loring, and the couple lived on the street, taking out a mortgage on their new brick house in 1855. Sarah owned the dwelling until her death in 1885. Their son George B. Loring (c1835-1896) was a founding partner of Loring, Short, & Harmon, a stationery and business supply company.

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19 Cedar Street was built c1859 for Mary Jane and Peter Lane. It was demolished in August 2021.

19 Cedar Street’s earliest history shows that it was built for Mary Jane and Peter Lane in 1859. It was later owned by Sarah S. Hall, the widow of Stephen Hall, from 1867 until her death. It was purchased in the 1920s by Mesak (or Misak) Papazian 'Martin'.

19 Cedar Street in 1924. City of Portland.

Mr. Papazian (1874-1930) came to the United States in 1900 and established an Armenian grocery store. His son John Papazian Martin (1917-2010) attended nearby Portland High School and upon returning from World War II, started the 20th Century Supermarkets. John Martin built his stores into a chain of supermarkets, later known as Martin's grocery stores, that he sold to Hannaford Brothers in the early 1970's. He then began his second career in the restaurant business creating John Martin's Restaurants. John owned 19 Cedar Street following his mother's death from 1934-1944. John's daughter Andrea Martin became an Emmy and Tony Award winning actress.

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15 Cedar Street was likely built prior to the Great Fire of 1866, as it had elements of Greek Revival details before the second floor was added sometime between 1924 and 1954.

15 Cedar Street in 1924. City of Portland.

15 Cedar Street’s early history is unknown, but it was probably built in the mid 19th century as it originally was a one story Greek Revival dwelling. To date in our research, Charles P. Rolfe is the first known owner of this home purchasing the dwelling c1871. He gave the property to his daughter Mary S. Deane in 1891. David W. Deane and Mary S. Deane (formerly Rolfe) married in 1861, and lived on Congress Street before owning the home on Cedar Street. David W. Deane (1838-1924) was born in Massachusetts but lived most of his life in Portland. His first career was a railroad car maker, but around 1870 became a furniture dealer. In 1879, Deane Bros. furniture store was located at 204 Franklin Street, until he added on a partner and became Deane Bros & Sandborn furniture shop and moved to 335 Congress Street. Upon Mary’s death in 1924, the property was left to David W. Deane who died later that same year.

In 1930, the property was owned by Arshag Kochian and his wife Bazza (often spelled Bazzar). Arshag and Bazza were Armenian immigrants who came to the U.S. in 1913 and 1920, respectively. Arshag worked as a laborer at a nearby pottery, possibly Winslow Pottery. In 1930s the dwelling’s second unit was occupied by the Litrocrapes family. The Litrocrapes family included Charles, his wife Helen, son George, daughter Evelyn, and Charles’ brother Lausarus. Charles (1897-1976) came to the United States from Greece in 1911 and became a citizen in 1918. His first job was a bootblack at a shoe parlor.

The Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine bought the properties located at 15 and 19 Cedar Street behind their Cumberland Avenue clubhouse. The Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine has yet to announce what they would like to do with the properties, but the historic homes were demolished in early August of 2021.

These Cedar Street houses not only represent Portland’s mid-19th century architectural history as well as the history of Portland’s immigrant population. You can learn more about the history of the neighborhood on our East Bayside, West Bayside, and Portland’s Chinese Community in 1920 Walking Tours

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.

Visualizing the impact of urban renewal in Bayside

By Kate Burch

One of the topics we are asked about most frequently at Landmarks is the widespread demolitions in the Bayside neighborhood during Portland’s urban renewal efforts. Like cities across the country, urban renewal was in full swing in the 1950s-1970s in Portland, with the city eager to clear neighborhoods designated as slums and to improve automobile infrastructure by building high-traffic arterial streets and parking lots.

Bayside was particularly affected by urban renewal policies. The neighborhood around Franklin Street was a dense, mixed-use neighborhood of residences, religious buildings, and stores with Jewish and Italian immigrant communities. This map from Portland’s 1943 report on Bayside shows how the city graded various neighborhoods, from best (A rating) to worst (E rating means the neighborhood is a slum.) These assessments were used to justify the razing of entire neighborhoods and move residents to new housing, fragmenting these communities. Families were compensated for relocation and offered additional relocation assistance.

Driving on Franklin Street today, it can be difficult to visualize what the area looked like before urban renewal demolition. This map is an overlay of the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company’s 1909 maps of the area to demonstrate what the streets looked like before the bulldozers came through.

View the full map as a PDF by clicking here.

To provide a better picture of what these neighborhoods were like, this next map reconstructs the buildings in from the 1909 Sanborn maps, color-coded according to use and overlaid on a contemporary map. You can see the dense residential blocks anchored by stores and religious buildings (both an Italian Catholic Church and a synagogue) in a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood.

View the full map as a PDF by clicking here.

You can explore the neighborhood buildings that were spared by the bulldozers in our West Bayside Virtual Walking Tour.

To learn more about urban renewal in Bayside, check out these resources:

Vine-Deer-Chatham Project, 1959 report

Does Bayside Need Rebuilding?, 1944 report

Model Cities, Housing, and Renewal Policy in Portland, Maine

1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Portland, Maine

Historic Preservation in the Urban Renewal Era (Greater Portland Landmarks blog)

Gorham's Historic Districts

Gorham Academy (part of the Gorham Campus Historic District), c.1880

By Alessa Wylie

The Town of Gorham is home to not one, not two, but three historic districts, each showcasing different aspects of the Town’s history. South Street Historic District (1988) reflects neighborhood growth, Gorham Historic District (1992) reveals village development, and Gorham Campus Historic District (1978) illustrates educational history in Maine.

European colonists first settled in Gorham in 1736, but it was not until after 1760 that significant growth took place, resulting in its incorporation in 1764. The town center was laid out at the junction of Main and South Streets (Maine State Routes 25 and 114) in the 1750s, with a small cemetery and schoolhouse just to its south. The area south of the cemetery, along South Street, was originally farmland, but gradually developed as a residential area in the early 19th century.

Baxter Memorial Library

The South Street Historic District was designated in 1988 and is a nearly rectangular area of about nine acres. It contains 20 buildings constructed between about 1790-1840 that show remarkable consistency in the overall form of the buildings during this 50-year period.  neighborhood. Prominent in the district is the Baxter House, now a museum, which is notable as the home of two of Maine's governors, James Phinney Baxter and Percival Baxter. It stands next to the 1907 Colonial Revival Baxter Memorial Library, the only non-residential building in the district, which was a gift to the town by James Phinney Baxter.

The Gorham Historic District is roughly L-shaped, encompassing the town center, and includes a small cluster of religious and commercial buildings at School and Main Streets, with some residential properties on streets spreading from the center. It’s comprised of 19th and 20th century buildings and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Architecturally, the Gorham Historic District reflects the wide variety of styles that were popular from the early 19th century through the 1930s, including Federal and Greek Revival buildings. There is a single Queen Anne building and a handful of Colonial Revival houses too. The Italianate style is well represented in the district, principally in commercial, fraternal and religious structures. Among the most notable of these are the former Masonic Hall and the Lewis McLellan Block both of which were erected in 1875 from plans drawn by Portland architect Charles H. Kimball. The district abuts the Gorham Campus Historic District.

The Gorham Campus Historic District encompasses seven buildings that make up the historic core of the campus of the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. Built between 1806 and 1931, they reflect the varied academic history of the campus, and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The district is important not only for the architectural merit of the buildings, but also because the buildings illustrate educational development in Maine. Beginning as Gorham Academy in 1803, it grew to become the Gorham Academy and Teachers Institute in 1847. Almost 100 years later, in 1945, it became Gorham State Teachers College and now is part of the University of Maine system.

Our new virtual Gorham Walking Tour is a great way to explore all the districts. Check it out today!

9 Ways to Learn about Black History in Maine

February is Black History Month, and you can celebrate by exploring these online resources about the sites of our region’s rich African-American past.

Maine Baseball Hall of Fame inductee John Gaskill and his family were among the residents of Munjoy Hill’s Black community that you can read about on our blog. The Gaskill family home at 24 Montreal Street is currently for sale, and could be torn down by the new buyer.

Pfc. Robert Holley stationed in North Yarmouth, 1942

1. During the 19th and early 20th century, Munjoy Hill was home to a vibrant African-American neighborhood. Read about some the homes and histories of these families on our blog, in part one and part two. You can also explore these stories, along with the wider history of the Hill, in our Munjoy Hill virtual walking tour!

2. St. John & Valley Street was also historically home to a Black community. The lodging and cafes in the Green Book for Portland are located in the St. John/Valley Street neighborhood. One important resident was Moses Green, who was born into slavery in Maryland and later became the wealthiest African-American man in Maine with his real estate company that helped Black families buy homes. Explore the neighborhood with our virtual walking tour!

3. Learn about the Black Guards of Maine in an online exhibit at the Maine Historical Society. The Black Guards were African-American soldiers sent to guard the state’s railways during World War II, including in North Yarmouth. The Maine Historical Society also sells some great publications about Maine’s Black history, available here. (Another great book available online is Maine’s Visible Black History by H.H. Price and Gerald Talbot.)

4. The Abyssinian Meeting House is one of Portland’s most important landmarks. Learn more about the building’s story and the tireless efforts of the Cummings Family to restore it. Portland’s India Street neighborhood was home to a Black community with many members affiliated with the Abyssinian. Explore the history of India Street in our virtual walking tour!

5. The Atlantic Black Box Project is a collaborative endeavor to explore the history and legacy of the slave trade in New England, and uncover underrepresented histories and the origins of racial injustice in our region. Learn about the rural African-American community of Peterborough, Maine in this lecture with Dr. Kate McMahon of Atlantic Black Box. You can also explore a wealth of fascinating stories from throughout New England (including some guest posts by Landmarks!) on the ABB blog.

6. Historian Bob Greene recently recorded a lecture on Maine’s Black history with a focus on Yarmouth. Watch the video, hosted by the Yarmouth Historical Society, here!

7. Learn the fascinating story of Bishop Healy’s cottage on Little Diamond Island, Maine, in this talk by Harry Pringle for the Portland Public Library’s Sustainability Series. Healy was the first Black Catholic bishop ordained in the United States.

8. Portland’s Indigo Arts Alliance is collaborating with Atlantic Black Box on a series called ReMapping New England. Described as a “historical recovery project”, it explores public art, social activism, monument making, and collective memory. Watch the first lecture here, or register for their next event.

9. The newly launched Black in Historic Preservation collective highlights past and present contributions of Black people to the field of historic preservation, and includes the Black Preservationists Directory. You can learn about justice, equity, and representation in historic preservation by watching the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation’s symposium Re-Centering the Margin: Justice and Equity in Historic Preservation. All sessions are available on YouTube here.

Portland's Chinese Community in the 1920s

By Kate Burch and Julie Ann Larry

In honor of Lunar New Year, we took a look back at the history of Portland’s Chinese community and created a map of significant sites of the Chinese community in Portland 100 years ago.

Chinese immigration to the US began in force during the mid-19th century, mostly in California and on the West Coast. One of the first documented Chinese immigrants in Portland was Ar Foo Fong, a tea merchant who came to Portland in 1860. He selected teas for George Shaw’s (founder of the Shaw’s supermarket chain) shop on Middle Street and later opened his own store on Congress Street. By the late 19th century, Portland had a small but vibrant Chinese community. The Portland newspapers reported on the celebration of the Moon Festival in 1884 and the Chinese New Year in 1895.  

Chinese communities like the one in Portland remained small due in large part to racism and legal exclusion. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 mostly banned the immigration of Chinese laborers to the US, prevented Chinese people from becoming US citizens, and made it almost impossible for the wives or families of Chinese laborers to join them. (There were some loopholes in the law, such as immigrating via Canada, that allowed a small number of Chinese people to come to the U.S. during exclusion.) Chinese immigration and naturalization remained restricted until the mid 20th century. Racist legislation also targeted Chinese-Americans with high taxes, banning Chinese customs, and preventing the Chinese from testifying in court. 

In addition to institutional racism, Chinese-Americans also faced individual, often violent, persecution. Chinese people were run out of town, beaten, lynched, and massacred in cities and towns across the US during the 19th century. In Maine, many Chinese residents, were treated with derision and antagonism. Newspapers referred to them as “moon-eyed lepers” and “heathens”, and accused them of stealing jobs from Mainers. There are many documented assaults against Chinese-Americans and their businesses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Portland, with young men throwing rocks, breaking windows, stealing money from cash registers, and physically assaulting the Chinese residents. 

Toy Len Goon managed her family’s laundry at 615 Forest Ave after her husband Dogun died in 1940. All of their 8 children went on to higher education, and in 1952 she was named Mother of the Year.

Language barriers and racial discrimination barred Chinese people from working in most industries during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which caused many to open their own businesses – restaurants, shops, and laundries. Because running a laundry was a low-status job (considered “women’s work”) with low start-up costs and little English language skills required, it was particularly popular among new Chinese immigrants. Chinese laundries first appeared in Maine in the 1880s.

Like other immigrant communities, Chinese immigrants tended to live in close-knit communities. In Portland, many restaurant and laundry employees lived above the businesses where they worked, and several buildings were known as tenements for Chinese families and single men (there were many single men and relatively few women because the Chinese Exclusion Act prevented most Chinese women from immigrating, even to join their husbands.)

Empire Restaurant on Congress Street in 1933.

Maine’s Chinese population began to shrink around midcentury. Economic downturn in Portland and the closure of Chinese laundries due to mechanization caused many of Portland’s Chinese families to move to Boston, where there was a large Chinese community and better opportunities for employment.

Take a virtual walk through Portland’s Chinese community in the 1920s here!

Portland's Chinese Community in the 1920s

We’re grateful for the research of Gary Libby and the resources provided by the Chinese-American Friendship Association of Maine and Maine Memory Network. For more information on the history of Maine’s Chinese community:

• CAFAM Chinese in Maine Archives

• Chinese in Maine (Maine Historical Society)

• Toy Len Goon: Mother of the Year (Maine Historical Society)

• Maine’s Chinese History (Bangor Daily News)

(PS: If you’re interested in the story of Chinese cuisine in America, check out the documentary The Search for General Tso!)

11 Things To Do This Autumn

Get in the spirit of spooky season:

This year, you can walk among the spirits at Eastern Cemetery virtually – and it’s free! Walk Among the Shadows: Vices, Voices, and the Vote from October 22 to November 7, seven eerie spirits will share their stories of the voting practices of their time in Portland, Maine, as well as those of the country's early days. You'll hear about their efforts to win women’s access to the ballot box... or how they argued against the very idea. As always, the event presents real people—portrayed by costumed actors—who have returned from their restful sleep to offer their personal, sometimes humorous, perspectives on history.

How about a scary drive-in movie? The Pride’s Corner Drive-In and the Bridgton Twin Drive-In are open through the end of October with a schedule of Halloween classics. The Saco Drive-In will reopen for a special October 17 Halloween showing of the Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) featuring remote accompaniment played on the Kotzschmar Organ!

Indulge in one Maine’s favorite treats:

The Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft couldn’t happen in person this year, but instead of cancelling the organizers turned it into a statewide Whoopie Pie celebration: WHOOPtoberfest! Check out the map to find whoopee pies near you, and vote on your favorites - through the end of October. (Pictured is a special pumpkin whoopie pie from Cape Whoopies, a greater Portland favorite.)

Explore a new neighborhood:

It’s the perfect time for an autumn walk using one of our self-guided walking tours! You can also tour greater Portland virtually from your computer if the weather is gloomy. We have 11 neighborhoods available and more on the way!

Start your holiday shopping early:

The Thompson’s Point Maker’s Market is back with indoor and outdoor vendors and a socially-distanced set up so you can support small businesses, local craftspeople, and the agricultural community. Shop on Sundays October 18, November 22, December 6, and December 20!

Maine at 200:

The Maine Historical Society’s bicentennial public programming continues with two more virtual talks on our state’s history. On Thursday, October 22 at 6 PM, Liam Riordan (Department of History, University of Maine) on the long process of how Maine became a state, slavery and the Maine-Missouri Crisis, Wabanaki sovereignty, and more. On Wednesday, November 11 at 6 PM, James Eric Francis, Sr. (Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation, Penobscot Nation) talks about how pandemics have affected Wabanaki communities since the first Europeans interacted with Wabanaki people on the shores of what is now known as Maine.

Experience the best of all things Irish in Maine:

The Salmon Falls Dam by Gibeon Elden Bradbury

The Maine Irish Heritage Society premiers a showcase of Irish talents, from music to baking and more, on November 22 from 4-6 PM.

Explore the beauty of the Saco River Valley:

The Saco Museum presents the paintings of Gibeon Elden Bradbury, depicting 19th century life in Buxton and the Saco River Valley, on view through December 31.

And the most important thing to do this fall: VOTE!

Maine's Apple Heritage

By Kate Burch

Apples grown at the Maine Heritage Orchard

Apple picking, an iconic New England pastime, has been more popular than ever this year, despite pandemic restrictions and a drought that lowered apple production for most orchards. Though apples are not native to New England, the fruit has a long history in Maine.

Anthony Brackett’s orchard can be seen at #13 (upper left) on this 1690 map of Portland (Maine Historical Society)

Maine apple expert John Bunker (watch his excellent lecture hosted by Maine Historical Society from October 2020) theorizes that apples were first planted by some of the earliest European explorers to the continent. Early European colonists in New England grew apples on their farms for eating as well as for cider and animal feed. One of the earliest recorded Maine orchards is Anthony Brackett’s. Brackett had a farm and orchard in Portland near the current Deering Oaks Park. In 1689, Brackett’s orchard was the site of a major battle of the French and Indian Wars. Brackett was killed in the fighting and his farm and orchard were destroyed.

Moses Wood, a seedling variety discovered on the farm of Moses Wood of Winthrop, Maine, first exhibited in 1833 or 1834. (via The Righteous Russet on Instagram)

Apples don’t come true from seed. That means that if you plant an apple seed from a Red Delicious apple, the tree that grows won’t produce Red Delicious – it will produce a totally new variety! Maine’s farmers and orchard owners experimented with these seedling apples and apple breeding, developing many unique varieties like the Black Oxford. Apples that were no good for fresh eating might be used for cooking or cider, or to feed to the animals. It was common for most farms to have at least a few apple trees, which is why you can so often find old apple trees growing near old farmsteads in Maine. In the 19th century, the development of commercially successful varieties like McIntosh and Courtland prompted the expansion of many Maine orchards and cemented New England’s connection with apple growing.

Here are some greater Portland orchards that have been around for at least 100 years. (The oldest orchards don’t always grow the oldest varieties. If you’re interested in Maine’s heirloom varieties, check out the Maine Heirloom Apple Guide.)

Sweetser’s Apple Barrel (Cumberland)
(website)

The Sweetser family has owned and operated this orchard in Cumberland since the 1830s, and the house and farm feature in our Cumberland virtual walking tour. Samuel Robinson Sweetser married Mary Jane Pittee and moved into her family’s farmstead, and started growing apples as a mainstay crop. Several of the varieties he planted, like Rolfe, Weathy, and Northern Spy, are still grown at the orchard today. You can’t pick your own here, but they grow around 50 common and heritage varieties available at the farmstand.

Randall Orchards (Standish)
(website)

Randall Orchards was founded by Edgar Randall in 1905 and is still run by the Randalls, who live in the 1776 white farmhouse on the property. This pick-your-own orchard has more than 20 apple varieties (including many New England classics) and they press their own cider. The farm is protected by an agricultural and conservation easement, and visitors can hike the forest trails around the orchard.

Thompson’s Orchard (New Gloucester)
(website)

An apple cider donut at Thompson’s

Arthur E. and Myrtle Thompson purchased this orchard in 1906 and expanded it from 800 trees to a large commercial operation that shipped apples all the way to England. Today, they offer pick-your-own apples, including many of those important early 19th and 20th century varieties like McIntosh, Macoun, and Courtland, as well as a bakery and fresh cider.

Brackett’s Orchard (Limington)
(website)

This orchard is outside the greater Portland area, but it’s possibly the oldest continually operated orchard in Maine! Started by the Brackett Family in 1783, the 8th generation of the family now owns the orchard, which offers pick-your-own apples, pumpkins, squash, and cider.

McDougal Orchards (Springvale)
(website)

Another orchard that’s a little outside our area, but one with a long history! McDougal Orchard stands on land that was purchased by Joshua Hanson in 1779, and the land has been farmed by the family ever since. In the early 20th century Judge George Hanson started a Baldwin apple orchard. Today, McDougal grows dozens varieties, including a range of rare heirloom apples, with both pick-your-own apples, a farmstand, and a donut shack. The orchard and surrounding forest is protected by easements.