Maine Site Visits

Friday, December 20, 2013

Extra Post!

I found a special hot sauce in a store in the Old Port, figured it was appropriate to post here.

Enjoy!

The Maine Lobsterman Statue

Like most historical statues in cities around the country, people seem to just walk by this without noticing. Although to be fair that's kind of an unfair observation, people definitely notice it, walking into this thing would hurt.

When we visited it, it was a cold rainy day in Portland and the square this resides in was empty. Not that I blame anybody, we were there to watch a movie in the Nickelodeon and I wanted to get inside as quick as possible. This statue was definitely worth the time we gave it however. I grew up spending most of the time I spent with my dad on a fishing boat so I felt a kind of connection to this statue. I'm willing to say the expression on this man's face was the most seen expression of my childhood.

Fisherman in Maine are true fisherman. They work incredibly hard and are under valued and often mistreated. Especially in cities such as Portland and Portsmouth, cities founded on their sweat and hard work. Cities that despite their founding industries, continue to modernize and push back against the old ways of making a living off the ocean.

Pardon me if I'm getting off on a bit of a rant here, but some of the bravest, hardest working, wisest, funniest, and kindest people I've ever met have been fisherman. Behind their salt crusted and sun dried skins they're just people doing what they have to to survive. My father included in this, some of the best times I've ever had were spent 20 miles out to sea with only the faintest hint of land in sight. Rocking gentle with the waves as you joke and talk about current and most of all past events. Poking fun at the ritzy yacht owners from the Wentworth on the radio. I still remember when one of the rich guys was bragging about eating pancakes and drinking mimosas over the radio, only to be cut off by a lobsterman casually talking about the 4 lobsters he had boiling. That's the kind of people this statue was built for, I appreciate that.

Anyways back to the history of the statue. This isn't the original, the original was build for the worlds fair in 1939 by a sculptor named Kahill. The version that now resides in downtown Portland was made out of bronze in 1977. Two other bronze version exist, one in Harpswell, Maine, and another in the capital Washington D.C..

Even though they're replicas it's good to see this part of our past and present for that matter, preserved for people to see. Even if most ignore it, it will always be there to remind us of what our great city and state came from.

Portland Museum of Art

Unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture of the Museum itself, so credit where credit is due.

Similar to the situation with the McLellen house I wasn't able to enter the museum this day, but that doesn't detract from the visit fore I've visited it a few times in the past. It's a very plain building on the outside, brick walls and metal fences. Occasionally you'll find a window or a courtyard filled with art, statues, and sculptures galore. In fact I work with Professor Diluzio on a regular basis, ( I know weird that a computer science student would work with an art professor) and he recently had an exhibit at the museum.

The museum was originally just a society of artists and local historians called the Portland Society of Art, attempting to preserve local work. When Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat, ( a devoted member of the society) donated her house place of residence known as the McLellen house to the society they began acquiring funds to build a permanent museum. Once the funds were acquired they had architect John Calvin Stevens design the building itself. Once it was built it opened to the public in 1918.

Every year the museum seems to grow. Maine has a past of artists moving here in an attempt to escape the modernist cities, for something simpler and closer to nature. Because of this there has been no lack of exhibits for them to display. The museum also contains art from around the world. The museum hosts a Biennial where artists from around the world come to display and observe each other's art exhibits.

While I may not be a huge fan of visiting art museums myself, that doesn't detract from my respect for them. They serve a vital role in preserving and displaying local and international art for the local populace. And doing so in a safe and preserved environment.

Every now and then I'll stop into the museum to see what's going on. No one would debate me when I say that Portland is definitely an artsy city. Which I think is why the museum fits in so well, not only does it contain art, but the city it's in arguably is art.

Civil War Memorial in Gorham

For being extremely cold, the weather was actually kind of nice for this visit. As you may or may not know we were taken out to visit this as a class. Which makes total sense considering if you were to take a nap half way to walking there, it would still only take 5 minutes to get there from Bailey Hall.

One thing I've gotten an appreciation for with these blog posts is important historical sites that are right next to me. This is no exception. As we all stood around and read the inscriptions on it and admired the beautifully crafted marble eagle at the top, Professor Bischof told us a bit about it's history.

This monument was built with funding from Toppan Robie in 1865. He wanted it built as a dedication to all the local soldiers who shipped off to the Civil War and didn't return. The interesting part about this is when it was erected. It's easily one of the oldest Civil War monuments. Most were constructed much later after the war, this was unveiled only months after the end of the war. It's made from $3,060 worth of granite to build, which at the time is a substantial amount of money, paid out of pocket by Mr. Robie.

The opening ceremony was quite the event for such a small town. Pamphlets with the day's events were handed out before the event. Being held out front of the then town hall it was a centrally located event most residents attended. Speeches were given by several important speakers, including Joshua Chamberlain.

Interestingly enough it's no longer at the Gorham town hall. It's out front of the same building, on the same plot, but the owners of the plot and the purpose of the building has changed. The hall is now an art gallery, and the property is now owned by USM. Some might find it depressing that this is how it turned out. I however like it, every time you enter the USM campus from that entrance you're reminded of a bit of local history. And if you know what the statue is for, you remember the men from Gorham and it's surrounding area that went off to war and died.

McLellen House

Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to enter this house on this day, but we have gone into it before. On the outside it's beautifully kept, restored and attached to the Portland Museum of Art in downtown. The inside from what I remember is also nice. Very much so a product of it's time it consists of a main room in the center, with a lavish stair case that leads up stairs to balconies that extend into separate rooms.

It was built in roughly 1800-1801 by Major Hugh McLellen. It turns out that Major McLellen was a big deal in Maine, Portland in particular. Not only was he the owner of the largest fleet of ships in the state, but he also started the states first insurance company, and the first bank. It was built as a dedication to the "golden age" in Maine's history between the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

The house itself was designed and built by the late (obviously) John Kimball Sr.. A designer from Ipswich Massachusetts. He was Portland's first architect and studied British architecture to find inspiration.

The McLellen family didn't get to enjoy the house for very long. Soon after moving in Major McLellen's wife passed away. Soon after that the British trade embargo took hold and crippled his business. By 1815 the house was up for sale. It was purchased by Asa Clapp for a total of $4,050 for her son Charles Quincy Clapp.

In 1880 the house was sold by the Clapp family to a Colonel Lorenzo de Medici and Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat. Margaret being a local with a degree from Bowdoin college. Colonel Sweat eventually served in the Maine senate from 1861-1862 and was a congressman from 1863-1865.

Shortly after in 1882 the Portland Society of Art was founded by local artists. At the time of Ms. Sweat's death in 1908 she deeded the house to the Society, which preserved it.

When the Museum was eventually constructed the House was attached to it. A show of respect for both Ms. Sweat, and the history behind the house. Very few building this old exist in such good condition in the United States. It's nice to be able to not only see it, but go inside of it and see exhibits to it's former owners.

Camp Hill Cemetery

I've always though graveyards could be interesting. I remember when I was 16 we went on a tour of all of the major graveyards in Boston. It's interesting to see the legacy long dead individuals leave behind with their gravestones.

But on a less grim note, me and Christina visited this cemetery that happens to be at the end of Gully Oven road where she lives. It's obvious that stuff was built around this graveyard, the road is practically on top of it, and so is the house next door. In fact when we parked there I had to be careful not to hit the stone wall with my door.

At first glance it appears like anything other old cemetery you can find in the area. Unkempt, covered in leaves, grave stones knocked over, headstones chipped and shattered, weathered so much that you cant read them anymore.

Once you start walking into it you notice just how many flags there are scattered throughout the cemetery. At least one in every 5 had an American flag and a pendent stuck next to it. Many of the soldiers graves are unmarked. But once you do some research on the site, you find that some interesting people are buried here.

For instance there was a man named John Canney buried here. His father was the towns first settler. He enlisted in the Union army in 1770 and served for years. When he was finally discharged from the Union army he join the Lebanon militia and became a Colonel. Upon his death in 1799 he was buried here, his headstone is impossible to read.

This site is a prime example of how history is truly under our noses. We lived near this site for most of our lives and never once tried to learn about it. Thankfully we stopped, it's nice learning so much about people in your towns past.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Lebanon Maine Dog Pound.

Lebanon Town Pound

What at first glance seems to be a weird piles of rocks turns out to be... well... an interesting pile of rocks with a history that's part of a greater community.

We would always drive by this on the way to Christina's house. We would always look at it and talk about how we should check it out but we never got around to it until now. And I'm very glad we did.

It resides practically on top of a road in Lebanon Maine. With surprisingly well kept grass and trees around it, it's actually very beautiful. Although it is also in somebodies front yard which is a bit odd.

It is much larger then it appears from the road. When you crouch through the archway and walk into it, it's a good 12-14 feet in diameter. The stone "door" is only about 3 feet tall so crouching is a necessity. The walls are built very sturdy, although they may have had some repair work they appear pretty much in the original state.

The very interesting part about this location is the greater picture it seems to be a part of. It seems to be a member of a collection of Town Pounds all throughout New England. Although it is the only one in Maine it is very similar in design and purpose to the others.

These pounds were built so that when a local farm animal got loose, anybody who found them could bring them here and keep them while they waiting for somebody to claim them.

The most interesting part about these structures is their single unified purpose over such a large geographical area. All throughout new England pounds such as this one were built with very similar proportions and designs. They all served a common purpose as well, holding animals until their owners found them. It's so interesting when you realize that something from a time period where run away cows was a thing, is simply in your back yard. Maybe it seems trivial to others but in how many states does stuff like this exist? I would assume in most states this would be a parking lot by now. It's refreshing to see history respected like this.