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.

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.

A Snapshot of Portland, 1924: The Taxman Cometh

In 1924, with Portland was on the verge of profound changes, the Tax Assessors Office undertook a project to document every building in the city -- with photographs and detailed information that provide a unique view into Portland's architecture, neighborhoods, industries, and businesses.

The Kotzschmar Memorial Organ

A fire and two men whose lives were entwined for more than 50 years resulted in what is now considered to be "the Jewel of Portland" -- the Austin organ that was given to the city of Portland in 1912.

Port of Portland's Custom House and Collectors of Customs

The collector of Portland was the key to federal patronage in Maine, though other ports and towns had collectors. Through the 19th century, the revenue was the major source of Federal Government income. As in Colonial times, the person appointed to head the custom House in Casco Bay was almost always a leading community figure, or a well-connected political personage.

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

"X Wine Taster in the form of a cannon, 1815-1830 England Courtesy of Arlene Palmer Schwind This novelty-shaped wine taster was used to sample the…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Neal Dow

"X Review of the Testimony, Portland, 1855 Collections of Maine Historical Society QJ Mt P837.21a The Portland Rum Riot began on June 2, 1855 when…"

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

"Portland had a remarkable number of riots in the 1830s, 40s, and 50s, often related to alcohol. Ironically, some of the first non-Yankee fortunes…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Business as Usual

"… Brewery Courtesy of Will Anderson and The Great State of Maine Beer Book X Portland City Directory 1903 Collections of Maine Historical…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Drinking Implements

"… or United States Blown glass Collections of Portland Museum of Art, Maine; bequest of Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat Discovered in the foundation of…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Influential & Interesting Documents

"The log entry of August 31, 1812 records her most famous capture, the brig Dianna loaded with 212 puncheons of rum."

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 - Acknowledgements

"… Essex Museum Pingree Family Portland Museum of Art Portland Public Library Madelyn Provancher Rumford Historical Society Saint Louis Art Museum…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Women Leaders and Temperance

"A founder of the Maine W.C.T.U., she became the successor of Frances Willard as National President. A social activist on many fronts, Lillian Stevens…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Reform and Repeal

"Sign Early 20th century Courtesy of The Great Lost Bear, Portland This impassioned sign summarizes the attitude and goals of the Prohibition movement."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Overview & Introduction

"… to reform the abuse of alcohol was one of the great moral and social controversies of the 19th and early 20th centuries."

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

"Per capita consumption increased throughout the 18th Century, as did a growing awareness of the problems of abuse."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Society Copes

"Even Portland's prestigious Cumberland Club was raided and caught with booze. "Vanilla fooled me for a few days."

Hermann Kotzschmar: Portland's Musical Genius

During the second half of the 19th century, "Hermann Kotzschmar" was a familiar household name in Portland. He spent 59 years in his adopted city as a teacher, choral conductor, concert artist, and church organist.

Prisoners of War

Mainers have been held prisoners in conflicts fought on Maine and American soil and in those fought overseas. In addition, enemy prisoners from several wars have been brought to Maine soil for the duration of the war.

Most Inconvenient Storm

A Portland newspaper wrote about an ice storm of January 28, 1886 saying, "The city of Portland was visited yesterday by the most inconvenient storm of the season."

Great War and Armistice Day

In 1954, November 11 became known as Veterans Day, a time to honor American veterans of all wars. The holiday originated, however, as a way to memorialize the end of World War I, November 11, 1918, and to "perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations." Mainers were involved in World War I as soldiers, nurses, and workers on the homefront aiding the military effort.

We Used to be "Normal": A History of F.S.N.S.

Farmington's Normal School -- a teacher-training facility -- opened in 1863 and, over the decades, offered academic programs that included such unique features as domestic and child-care training, and extra-curricular activities from athletics to music and theater.

Working Women of the Old Port

Women at the turn of the 20th century were increasingly involved in paid work outside the home. For wage-earning women in the Old Port section of Portland, the jobs ranged from canning fish and vegetables to setting type. A study done in 1907 found many women did not earn living wages.