Maine Memory Network

Home: The Longfellow House & the Emergence of Portland

The Wadsworth-Longfellow house is the oldest building on the Portland peninsula, the first historic site in Maine, a National Historic Landmark, home to three generations of Wadsworth and Longfellow family members -- including the boyhood home of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The history of the house and its inhabitants provide a unique view of the growth and changes of Portland -- as well as of the immediate surroundings of the home.

Westbrook Seminary: Educating Women

Westbrook Seminary, built on Stevens Plain in 1831, was founded to educate young men and young women. Seminaries traditionally were a form of advanced secondary education. Westbrook Seminary served an important function in admitting women students, for whom education was less available in the early and mid nineteenth century.

Portland Hotels

Since the establishment of the area's first licensed hotel in 1681, Portland has had a dramatic, grand and boisterous hotel tradition. The Portland hotel industry has in many ways reflected the growth and development of the city itself. As Portland grew with greater numbers of people moving through the city or calling it home, the hotel business expanded to fit the increasing demand.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1865 to 1919: The Drys Gain New Adherents and Leaders

"During the 1870s, alcoholics including former Portland liquor-dealer Francis Murphy, Gardiner businessman J.K. Osgood, and Bangor physician Dr."

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland

"… Home: The Longfellow House & the Emergence of Portland View exhibit: A Snapshot of Portland, 1924: The Taxman Cometh View exhibit: Picturing Henry…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Researching Your Home

"335 Congress Street, Portland, 1924City of Portland - Planning & Development We invite you to explore the history of your home and neighborhood, to…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Privy

"Chamber pot and lid, Portland, ca. 1875Maine Historical Society In urban areas, there wasn’t space to do this so a permanent "privy vault" was…"

South Portland's Wartime Shipbuilding

Two shipyards in South Portland, built quickly in 1941 to construct cargo ships for the British and Americans, produced nearly 270 ships in two and a half years. Many of those vessels bore the names of notable Mainers.

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Longfellow Era: 1807-1901

"… itself so strongly as a duty." After schooling in Portland and New Gloucester, he attended Harvard but was asked to leave in 1859."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1620 to 1820: New England's Great Secret

"1620 to 1820: New England's Great Secret Tavern sign, Raymond, ca. 1850Maine Historical Society The Coming of Drink to New England (1620–1820)…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Bootleggers vs. Police

"… Illegal whiskey being removed from a vessel in Portland Harbor Portland, ca. 1920 Collections off Maine Historical Society/Maine Today Media Booze…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Business as Usual

"McGlinchey's Brewery, Portland, ca. 1850Maine Historical Society Maine's Last Brewery The New England Magazine, Neal Dow: His Life and Work June…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - A Call to Temperance

"X Portland Riot Broadsides, Portland, 1849 Courtesy of a Private Collection These broadsides commemorate the famous bawdyhouse gunfights in…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Neal Dow

"… Pamphlet 2541 Ramrod Jubilee broadside, Portland, 1854 X Ramrod Jubilee, Portland, 1854 Broadside 487 Collections of Maine Historical…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Drinking Implements

"… Boston Silver Courtesy of the The First Parish in Portland, Maine Unitarian Universalist This mug was presented to Reverend Deane of First Parish…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Politics and Enforcement

"Portland City Hall Rum Room, ca. 1907Maine Historical Society Portland City Hall Rum Room ca. 1900 Postcard Collections of Maine Historical…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Influential & Interesting Documents

"X Permit for Nathaniel Deering of Portland to sell liquor, 4 February 1788 Collections of Maine Historical Society Coll. 951, vol."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Drinking: Elegance and Debauchery

"1840Maine Historical Society Portland Watch or Cracking Notes, ca. 1836 Joseph T. Harris (active 1828-1852) pen on parchment Collections of Maine…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Taverns, People, and Scenes

"Plan of Ann (now Park) Street, Portland, ca. 1802Maine Historical Society Plan of Ann Street, Portland, ca."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1820 to 1865: Temperance and the Maine Law

"The Napoleon of Temperance By mid-century, Portland's Neal Dow (1804-1897) changed the tactics of the battle against alcohol by adopting a…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Quenching the Thirst

"X X X Wine Press Kendall & Whitney, Portland, early 20th century Courtesy of Doris Stockly This press belonged to Antonio Potenza…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Women Leaders and Temperance

"Home of Mrs. Lillian M.W. Stevens, Portland, ca. 1910Greater Portland Landmarks Home of Lillian M. N. Stevens Postcard, ca."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - The Continuing Debate

"… a series of award-winning articles in the Portland Press Herald last year, and the state's well-publicized tough drunk-driving laws also keep the…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1919 to 1934: The Nation Follows Maine Into Prohibition

"… Disappointment Confiscated liquor bottles, Portland, 1927Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media The dream of outlawing the manufacture…"