Traveling Tuesday: Portland, Maine

 

Traveling Tuesday: Portland, Maine

First settled in the early 1600s as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, then formally founded in 1786, Portland, Maine was the first stop on our cruise. The city’s early history was fraught with attacks during colonial conflicts and suffered four devastating fires prompting the depiction of a phoenix rising from ashes on the city seal. As a deep-water port, Portland has a long history of commercial shipping and marine economy.

During the American Revolutionary War, Portland heavily supported Patriot activities and at one point humiliated British Captain Henry Mowat in an incident known as Thompson’s War. In retaliation, Mowat bombarded and burned the town on October 18, 1775. About four hundred buildings were destroyed leaving hundreds of residents homeless. The event served a catalyst that moved the Continental Congress to establish a naval defense. As a strategic port, Portland also saw action during the War of 1812. On September 9, 1813, a major battle occurred between the USS Enterprise and Britain’s HMS Boxer. Britain lost the battle, and tragically, both captains died. The Civil War brought a Confederate raid that led to the Battle of Portland Harbor, one of the conflict’s northernmost battles.

With the completion of the Grand Trunk Railroad to Montreal, the city became the primary ice-free

winter port for Canadian exports. The Portland Company manufactured locomotives as well as engines for ships, trains, and fire engines. Many of the company’s employees were Canadian immigrants.

Portland’s growth was exponential, increasing from a population of 8,500 in 1820 (the year Maine was established as a state) to 12,500 in just ten years. By 1860, the city more than doubled in size, doubling again by 1900.

World War II saw Portland become a strategic naval base with the establishment of the US Naval Station in late 1941as well as the location for shakedown training for new vessels and anti-submarine warfare exercises, refueling and repairs at the Long Island Fuel Annex, outfitting of destroyers for convoy escort, and major anchorage for the Atlantic Fleet. Located off the coast of Portland, the Casco Islands were also commandeered during the war, with fifty-eight military structures on Peaks Island alone. From gun emplacements and watchtowers to barracks and fire-control posts, the islands were transformed.

Education plays a key role in the city with three major universities all founded from 1865 to 1878. Healthcare is also well-represented with US Marine Hospital in 1855, Maine General Hospital founded in 1868, Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary in 1891, Children’s Hospital in 1898, St. Barnabas in the early 20th century, and Northern Light Mercy Hospital in 1918. When Maine General opened, it was the first hospital in the state available to the general public.

Commercial fishing and lobstering continue to play large roles in the city’s economy, but rife with history, Portland also has a strong tourism industry, including the arrival of multiple cruise ships each day during season. An interesting and beautiful city to visit any time of year.

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Swedish Sunrise

Espionage. Diplomacy. Resistance. Is there any room for love?

Weeks after being accepted into America’s Office of Strategic Services, Birgit Westgard finds herself in Stockholm, Sweden - “Casablanca of the North.” The job is supposed to be easy: typing and filing. Then her handsome boss taps her to be his “plus-one” at social events where they collect intelligence, plant propaganda, and dance the nights away. How much longer can she remain impervious to his charm?

Silas Cronin is one of the lucky ones, and his plane crash lands in neutral Sweden. Bored with cooling his heels in an internment camp, he raises his hand when the government comes looking for someone who can type. Suddenly, he’s in Stockholm, mired in intrigue and subterfuge, and more than a little attracted to his new secretary who wants nothing to do with him. Is she right that wartime is no time for romance?

Link: https://books2read.com/u/3RRqyv

Sources
https://www.discoverconcordma.com/articles/697-the-destruction-of-falmouth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Maine
https://www.visitportland.com/
https://www.mainehistory.org/maine-connection/casco-bays-front-line/
https://www.portlandpaddle.net/6-historic-forts-you-can-see-from-a-kayak/
https://www.islandinstitute.org/island-journal/world-war-ii-left-a-big-footprint-on-casco-bay-islands/
https://sphistory.pastperfectonline.com/Archive/56EA2046-A54C-4C8C-BC6B-403953237868
https://www.mainememory.net/record/67327/image/67327


Photo Credits: All photos taken by Linda Shenton Matchett