Maine Memory Network

In his inaugural speech of March 1883, Mayor John W Deering proclaimed that the city should erect a bandstand in Deering Oaks Park and hold frequent concerts during the summer months when the city was full of visitors.

Portland civil engineer William Goodwin completed the bandstand by June, and the popular Chandler's Band performed the first of several concerts to delighted crowds.

The Upper Falls Dam at Saccarappa was created by damming the Presumpscot River. The dams once furnished hydraulic power to Westbrook's mills, including S.D. Warren. The dam was bisected by an island. In 2019, both eastern and western spillwalls of the Upper Falls Dam were demolished, which restored the natural flow of the Presumpscot and allowed for upstream passage of fish.

The fishing boat "Novelty," owned and captained by Hanson P. Joyce, docked at D.L. Fernald & Co., a fish inspection station at Union Wharf. In 1886, it faced a dispute when British authorities at Pictou, Nova Scotia, denied it coal and, according to the ship's captain, mail at Tignish, Prince Edward Island.

The incidents attracted the attention of U.S. Secretary of State (1885-89) Thomas F. Bayard, who made American fishing rights in Canadian waters a focus of his career.

The "S.S. Sarmatian" was photographed docked at the Grand Trunk Railroad docks in Portland, in 1887. The Sarmatian was a three-masted steamship of the "Allan" line, also known as The Montreal Ocean Steamship Company, of Liverpool, England. Owned and operated by the sons of its Scottish founder, Captain Alexander Allan, the Company contracted with the Canadian government to convey mail and passengers between Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.

The "Sarmatian" made regular trips between Liverpool and Portland from November and April, docking at Quebec during the warmer months. Built-in 1871 at Greenock by Robert Steele & Co, the "Sarmatian" measured 370 feet in length and had a tonnage of 3647.

Waves clashed with rocks along the Cape Elizabeth shore, with Portland Head Light in the distance. A spray of great height crashed on the left, a natural display of oceanic might that, paired with the steadfast structure of the lighthouse on the upper right, framed the coastline suspensefully. Completed by 1791, Maine’s first lighthouse and its dramatic setting had long made it an appealing subject for photography.

Charles Edwards, Edwards's cousin, and a fellow engineer, worked on restorations to Portland Head Light. Edwards titled this image "Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth. August 19, 1887."

A view of Bowdoin Street in 1887, looking toward the Western Promenade, reveals several new homes recently built by John Calvin Stevens. After the death of industrialist John Bundy Brown in 1881, Brown’s heirs divided up the palatial estate of Bramhall on Portland’s West End, selling lots on the southern side of Bowdoin Street.

The second house on the left is the shingle style home of John Calvin Stevens himself, built by the architect in 1884.

D.L. Fernald & Co., a fish inspecting and packing business, comprised two buildings at the end of Union Wharf. The "Henrietta Frances," a fishing schooner owner by inspector David L. Fernald, is docked at the end of the pier.

The image bears the inscription, "Sch. Henrietta Frances, Union Wharf. Apr 9, 1887."

A view of Mill Pond at Deering Oaks Park, designed by William Goodwin, with the Duck House (1887) visible in the center. An iron spray fountain (1885), built on a timber grillage laid seven feet below the pond’s bed, can be seen on the right. On the far left, in the trees, a wooden bridge with arches (1881) can be seen spanning an arm of the pond.

Located on marshy tidal flats that drained into Back Bay, the pond’s waters had once powered a mill at Deering's Bridge. After the Deering family bequeathed Deering Oaks to the city in 1879, Portland City civil engineer Goodwin created a permanent pond in the park by closing the bridge's gates. Measuring four acres, Mill Pond was available to paddle boaters in the summer and skaters in the winter.

Edwards titled this image "Pond, Deering's Oaks. July 1, 1887."

The schooner "Henrietta Frances" docked at Union Wharf, by the offices of D.L. Fernald & Co. Built in 1883, the "Henrietta Frances" was a fishing vessel owned by fish inspector David L. Fernald (1830-1903).

Written beneath the image is "Sch Henrietta Frances, Union Wharf. Apr 9, 1887."

This house in the Second Empire Style, since demolished, once stood at 227 Western Promenade.

Its first owner was Noah W. Barker, partner of Portland’s Barker & Kimball grocers, who had inherited a considerable gold mining fortune in 1872 from his brother, Abner H. Barker, of San Francisco. In 1885, Barker’s widow, Abbie, sold the house to Albion Little, owner of Portland’s Little & Co. dry goods store, who served for many years as City Councilman and Alderman. Between 1885-86, Little engaged John Calvin Stevens to make alterations to the home.

Edwards titled this image "A. Little residence Western Promenade. Feb. 17, 1887."

In this view of Deering Oaks, the duck house is accompanied by the neighboring slaughterhouse of the Pork Packing Company, with the smokestacks of Casco Tanning Works visible behind on the right.

In February of 1887, City engineer William Goodwin built a small island in Mill Pond as the Park Commissioners requested. During the previous summer, the Legrow Brothers lumber company delighted the public by exhibiting a Queen Anne cottage in miniature on a platform carriage during Portland's centennial July 4th parade. The commissioners arranged for the little house to be installed on the island as a fanciful home for newly purchased ducks and geese, expressing hope that the charming scene would mitigate the Park's reeking industrial backdrop.

Portland Head Light was lit on January 10, 1791. It stands as the oldest lighthouse in the State and an iconic symbol of the Maine coast. Notably, a restoration overseen by engineer Charles Edwards, a cousin of Edwards, took place in 1884-85.

Edwards titled the image, "Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth. June 18, 1887."

The Lower Falls at Saccarappa Dam on the Presumpscot once supplied hydraulic power to Westbrook's mills, including W.K. Dana and S.D. Warren. The photograph was taken with a view toward the southeast, capturing the detailed construction of the dam and revealing the channels below the top edge of the spill wall, which released the dammed water in controlled and continuous flows.

The damming of the Presumpscot, first undertaken in the 1730s by Thomas Westbrook, prevented the migration of salmon upstream, which destroyed the livelihood of Wabanaki families. Sagamore Polin walked to Boston in 1739 to protest the dam, raising ecological concerns that persisted for centuries.

Edward H. Foster (1869-1927) posed for this photo in a four-wheeled buggy, hitched to a single horse, on a roadway in a wooded area. At the time, city Engineer William Goodwin employed then-eighteen-year-old Foster as his third assistant.

An inscription below the image reads: "E.H. Foster. Oct 1887 || Oct 24, 1887."

Great Diamond Island was a highly favored retreat for picnic parties, and Diamond Cove was easily accessible by sailboat from Portland or rowboat from nearby Peaks Island.

By the end of the century, steam ferries facilitated swift excursions for Maine's increasing number of tourists to the south end of Great Diamond Island. The Diamond Island Transportation Company, in particular, provided multiple daily trips on the steamer Isis, attracting sightseers with scenic cruise opportunities around the island. However, steamers couldn't reach Diamond Cove on the northeast end, limiting access to rowboats, sailboats, or on foot.

A laden scow, its cargo secured with rope, is shown here off Portland Breakwater (Bug Light) in 1887. A close look reveals two figures on board. At the rear, one man tends the wheel, while another man, who wears a top hat, leans with one hand on his hip, gazing forward.

Edwards titled this image "Scow off Breakwater. Sept. 1, 1887."

Diamond Cove, on the northern end of Great Diamond Island, is renowned for its abundant deposits of quartz. A traditional land of the Wabanaki, the Casco Bay island was known to early colonizers of Portland as "Hogg Island," likely due to its suitability for swine farming. With the particular insistence of the Diamond Island Association, which established a vacation community on the island in the 1880s, the island and its smaller neighbor were rechristened the "Diamond Islands."

Written beneath the image is "Diamond Cove. August 20, 1887."

Taken on a Saturday in July, this photograph of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's birthplace, on the corner of Fore and Hancock Streets in Portland, affords a view of an Old Port neighborhood in 1887. Three women in summer dresses are gathered by the front steps, in the center foreground, while two girls converse on the sidewalk nearby. Another child, in a broad-brimmed hat sits on the Hancock Street sidewalk, to the left. In the background, neighboring homes in wooded lots are visible.

Built between 1786-1791, the three-story Federal-style house, with four chimneys, was the home of Captain Samuel Stephenson, whose wife, Abigail, was the sister of Longfellow's father, Stephen. The poet was born here in 1807. The house was demolished in 1955, to make way for local business.

The SS "Cornelia H." ferry, which operated between Portland and Cape Elizabeth, was photographed docked at Long Wharf, Portland, in 1887.

Operated by The People's Ferry Company, the "Cornelia H." was the first double-ended steam ferry in the line. Built in Bath in 1885, the "Cornelia H" ferried passengers and horse-drawn carriages between Portland and Ferry Village (now South Portland), for seven years, before she burned.

In 1887, city engineers extended the Pearl Street sewer over six hundred feet into the Back-Bay area. They drove sturdy piles into the tidal flats, girded and planked them with wood, and secured them using bolts and spikes of galvanized iron. Additionally, they built a further extension (shown) into the Back Bay to meet a channel the U.S. government had newly excavated.

In the background, a tall pile driver is visible on a small float with a shed. A close look reveals a man on a skiff nearby. Over on the right lies a sizable pile of planks.

Two Portland city civil engineers, wearing suits and straw hats, pose for the camera with their survey transits. On the right, in the foreground, is William S. Edwards. Behind him, to the left, is Edward H. Foster.

At the foot of Pearl Street in October 1887, Portland civil engineers posed with a survey transit before a sewer extension into Back Bay. William S. Edwards, on the left, and Edward H. Foster, seated on a log, worked in the office of City Engineer William Goodwin in City Hall.

The tool of their trade, a survey transit on a metal tripod, is prominently displayed in the center foreground, beside the engineers.

On the right, in the middle ground, carpenter M. McDermott (left), holding a long-handled ax, and P. Boyce (right), holding a saw, rested their free hands on a pile of squared beams. Behind a sawhorse, to the far right, carpenter G. Knight looked on. In the background, visible behind Foster's hat, carpenter Jim Kelly posed, with arms akimbo.

William A. Goodwin, a Portland civil engineer, originally planned an entrance to Deering Oaks Park at the corner of Portland and Grove Streets (now Park and Deering Avenues, respectively). He built a driveway over a sewer embankment that served as a retaining dam for the waters of Mill Pond. However, Goodwin's plans were thwarted when the public, finding the driveway a handy shortcut, took to driving their carriages over the embankment.

Goodwin eventually planned a new entrance on State Street, where the granite gateway designed by Frederick Tompson in 1903 stands today.

Edwards titled the photograph, "Deering Oaks - Entrance Grove & Portland Str. Aug. 13, 1887."

This view of Deering Oaks Park, taken in the summer of 1887 from Portland Street (now Park Avenue), depicts a duck house on a small island surrounded by water. Built by park designer William Goodwin in the 1880s, the miniature Victorian toy house featured three porches and glass windows.

In 1987, the City of Portland sold the Duck House, then in a state of disrepair, to Roger Knight of Smiling Hill Farm, for one dollar. Knight restored the tiny house and displayed it at a petting zoo for children on his Westbrook farm until he returned it to the Park as a gift in 2007.

With a view to the southeast, this photograph, taken from the tower of City Hall (1869-1908), affords a view of the Old Port and Portland Harbor in the summer of 1887.

Exchange Street runs from north to south from the lower edge to the center of the image. With its prominent clock tower, the First National Bank building, on the left-hand corner of Exchange and Middle Street, can be noted just left of center.

Taken in 1887, from atop City Hall (1869-1908), on the corner of Congress and Myrtle Streets, this photograph presents a view of Portland’s East End and Munjoy Hill. The spire of the Second Parish Presbyterian Church, also known as the Payson Memorial Building, stands in the immediate foreground.

Just beyond, slightly to the left, are towers of the First Baptist Church on the corner of Wilmot Street. Romanesque revival in style, the First Baptist Church was built between 1867 and 1869 and was demolished in 1987.

Waves clashed with rocks along the Cape Elizabeth shore, with Portland Head Light in the distance. A spray of great height crashed on the left, a natural display of oceanic might that, paired with the steadfast structure of the lighthouse on the upper right, framed the coastline suspensefully. Completed by 1791, Maine’s first lighthouse and its dramatic setting had long made it an appealing subject for photography.

Edwards titled this image "Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth. August 19, 1887."

A cantilevered bridge for the Maine Central Railroad crossed over Portland Street, now Park Avenue, in Portland.

Edwards titled this image "M.C.R.R. Bridge. Portland St. July 9, 1887."

Deering Oaks Park with a rustic wooden bridge over the ravine, as photographed in the summer of 1887. Three women stand on the bridge, accompanied by three children who lean on the railing. Beneath, under the barrel arch, stand four children.

William Goodwin, Portland's chief city engineer at the time, designed the bridge. Its structure echoes the work of Frederick Law Olmsted. This bridge was replaced in 1911 by a vaulted stone and concrete bridge with an elliptical arch.

Beneath the photo is written, "Bridge Deering Oaks. August 13, 1887.

The Eastern Steamboat Company operated the steamship S.S. Cumberland, which sailed in Portland Harbor in 1887. The Cumberland made trips between Boston, Portland, and St. John, Nova Scotia, and docked at Eastport. Built of oak in Bath, in 1855, the Cumberland was a side-wheel steamer, with two smokestacks, two masts, and three decks. The ship was 252 feet long, with a tonnage of 1605, the ship’s engines boasted 1000 horsepower. It was designed for a crew of fifty.

Edwards titled this image "Steamer Cumberland. Sept 5, 1887."

The Eastern Steamboat Company operated the steamship S.S. "Cumberland," which sailed in Portland Harbor in 1887. The “Cumberland” made trips between Boston, Portland, and St. John, Nova Scotia, and docked at Eastport. Built of oak in Bath, in 1855, the "Cumberland" was a side-wheel steamer, with two smokestacks, two masts, and three decks. The ship was 252 feet long, with a tonnage of 1605, the ship’s engines boasted 1000 horsepower. It was designed for a crew of fifty.

Edwards titled this image "Steamer Cumberland. Sept 5, 1887."

The S.S. "Cadet" steamship, owned by the Casco Bay Steamboat Company, initially made regular runs from Franklin and State Streets Wharves, Portland, to Peaks Island, Cushing's Island, and Cape Cottage, Cape Elizabeth. The "Cadet," built in 1879, listed its tonnage at 48.76

An 1887 advertisement in the "Portland Daily Press" billed The Cadet’s route as "the Greenwood Gardens line," in reference to the eponymous pleasure park, established by James Brackett, on Peaks Island.

The Casco Bay Steamboat Company was the first to offer regular steamboat ferry service between Portland and the Casco Bay Islands, in 1878. In 1907, the Company merged with the competing Harpswell Line.

Beneath is inscribed "Island Steamer Cadet. Sept 5, 1887."

On February 15, 1887, the Portland Union Station Company received a charter for a new railroad depot at the intersection of Congress and St. John Streets. This station would function as a central hub for the Maine Central Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad lines, serving all points to the north. In July, when the Board of Railroad Commissioners inspected the site, construction of the new depot was well underway, with the first floor already in place and approximately 105 workers on site.

Portland contractor James Cunningham secured the contract to build the design from the Boston architectural firm Bradlee, Winslow, and Wetherell, with J. & J. Philbrook of Portland tasked with oversight of the carpentry.

Edwards captioned the photograph, "Foundation M.C.R.R. Depot Congress St. July 9, 1887."

During the summer of 1887, workers made fast progress on constructing the Union railroad depot at the intersection of Congress and St. John Streets. By August 29, they had completed the foundation and built a quarter of the walls.

This photograph comes from an album owned by William S. Edwards, a Portland civil engineer who assisted City Engineer William A. Goodwin. That year, Goodwin reported that engineers designed a bridge to carry Congress Street over St. John Street and the MCRR railroad tracks.

The caption below the image reads, "Depot M.C.R.R. - Congress St. Aug. 9, 1887."

Several adults and children gathered in the front yard of a white clapboard house, with a street visible in the foreground. Neighboring homes are visible beyond a field in the background on the right. Beside the house, on the left, a four-wheeled buggy is parked.

At the foot of Pearl Street in October 1887, Portland civil engineers posed with a survey transit before a sewer extension into Back Bay. Pictured from left to right, W.S. Edwards, G. N. Fernald, Jim Kelly, M. McDermott, P. Boyce, and G.H. Knight.

Bellow the image is written, "Back Bay Sewer - Foot of Pearl Street. Oct. 1887. 28 Oct., 1887."

Portland’s breakwater, which measures some 1200 feet in length, was built between 1837 and 1852 of Maine granite blocks and ashlar.

The lighthouse was designed in 1875 by Thomas Ustick Walter, renowned architect of the iron dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Due to its compact size, the lighthouse has become better known as "Bug Light."

Edwards wrote below the image, "Portland Break Water. Sept. 5, 1887."

Prospect Point, located on the Western Promenade, was built by William A. Goodwin between 1884-1885. Goodwin, the civil engineer for the City of Portland, designed the seating area atop a retaining wall at the head of Bowdoin Street. Comprised of variegated stone, the wall and terrace reincorporated debris from nearby construction sites.

The site offered spectacular views over the Fore River. The Maine Central Railroad, Thompson’s Point, and Libbytown can be seen, with the White Mountains in the distance.

William S. Edwards, who worked alongside Goodwin, included this photograph in an album which documented City of Portland municipal projects.

Edwards included this photographic his 1887 album. Beneath the image, he wrote, "Breakers. Cape Elizabeth Shore. Sept 2, 1887." Amongst the seascapes that the civil engineer Edwards selected for inclusion, which often featured boats or architectural feats, this photograph is unique in its subject: the willful ferocity of the untamed Maine ocean itself.

Edwards titled this image "Maine General Hospital Portland, July 17, 1887"

The hospital, which opened its doors to patients in 1874, was funded primarily by subscription. Initial contributors included individuals, businesses, and churches.

Francis H. Fassett constructed Portland's City Building in 1869, using the remains of its predecessor, which was destroyed in the 1866 fire. Fassett preserved a significant portion of James H. Rand's initial design from 1862, including the facade and the use of Nova Scotia Albert sandstone for its dressing. However, he modified the dome, giving it an octagonal drum shape and adding round windows. Visitors could ascend to the lantern of the cupola, where they could enjoy breathtaking views of the city.

This photograph was taken on Congress Street, near the corner of Myrtle Street, looking west. This building burned in 1906 and Portland's current City Hall, a U-shaped granite structure that stands in the same place today.