Last week we took a look at Bradford’s spar yard in South Portland (then Cape Elizabeth). The Bradford property was on High Street, just opposite Oak Street, roughly where the Ferry Village Landing townhouses are today. This week, we take a glimpse at the shipyards adjacent to Bradford’s on High Street, but still on the footprint of Ferry Village Landing. Very little has ever been documented about the Turner and Harris Shipyard. It does not appear in William Hutchinson Rowe’s book, “Shipbuilding Days in Casco Bay” (published in 1929). Nor does it appear in William Jordan’s “A History of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.”

Up to 1850, this property on High Street was owned by John Mussey and was on the edge of the massive Mussey farm. John Mussey subdivided and sold two waterfront properties along High Street in 1850. Both properties measured 133 feet along High Street and extended roughly 250 feet down to the mud flats and the Fore River.

One of these properties was sold to John Bradford and the adjacent property was sold to two shipbuilders – Ebenezer “Eben” Turner and Stephen Harris. On this site, these two men established their Turner and Harris Shipyard. If you were standing on High Street looking toward Portland, the Bradford yard was the lot on the left (we believe the left edge of the Bradford lot was around where you’d find the house at 225 High Street today (extending 133 feet easterly to the townhouses at 215 High Street) and the Turner and Harris Shipyard was just to its right (contained within the footprint of the townhouses at 215 High Street). Just a little farther off to the right of the Turner and Harris Shipyard was the Dyer Shipyard, on the corner of High Street and Pine Street.

In 1851, Turner and Harris launched a 240-ton bark. A bark was a sailing vessel with three or more masts, where all masts were square-rigged except for a fore-and-aft rigged aftermast (the mast which was closest to the stern). This bark was built for Capt. Edward Racklyft, Perley & Russell, and others.

In April of 1853, Turner and Harris launched a sailing vessel that we have been very excited to learn about. This was described in news reports as a 240-ton clipper schooner named the Jeanette. The schooner was built for two Black Sea captains, Capt. Joseph P. Taylor and Capt. Elbridge P. Talbot. These men were both significant in American history: Capt. Talbot was reportedly the first Black man to captain a ship out of Portland, and Capt. Taylor was reportedly the first Black man in America to both build/own and captain his own ship. We will talk about both men in greater detail in next week’s column.

The yard was still in operation in 1854 as Turner and Harris, however, it does appear that the partnership ended in 1854, as Stephen Harris sold his half interest in the shipyard to his partner, Eben Turner. While Turner now owned the property in its entirety, we have not yet found evidence of him launching ships on his own. Instead, we see that Turner entered into another partnership, the Turner and Foster Shipyard.

In 1855, Turner and Foster began construction of a 255-ton brig (a two-masted sailing vessel, with square rigging on both masts). The brig was built as a freighter for the West Indies trade; her owners were J.S. Hamlin, Turner & Foster, and others. After her launch in February of 1856, she was named the Grenada. Her first commander was Capt. Pettengill.

We know that the shipyard was closed and put up for sale at auction in February of 1864. The auctioneer provided an excellent description of the shipyard: “Turner’s Ship Yard…estimated, with the flats, to cover about three acres. There is a solid wharf, stone wall, and filled, of about 150 feet, and a good wood wharf of about 150 feet extension. You can bring up to the wharf about 10 or 12 feet of water. There is a drafting loft, blacksmith shop, and steam house, with a never failing spring of water near it on the premises. The lot is 133 feet on Mariners St (the former name of West High Street), and gradually increasing in width to the channel. It is the most desirable property for ship-building purposes in or about the city.”

The shipyard property was later purchased by David W. Kincaid. Kincaid was a master carpenter and the property has sometimes been known as the Kincaid Shipyard, however, he was not known to build ships himself. Instead, David Kincaid is believed to have been a ship joiner who did finish work on ships. Kincaid died in 1878, leaving the shipyard property to his daughters, who subsequently subdivided the property into two lots.

Around 1900, the Davidson family, a family of shipbuilders, arrived in Ferry Village and took up boat building, repair, and boat storage. Their businesses were located in a portion of the old Turner and Harris yard. Depending on which year you look at, there was a Davidson & Griffin boat building business on High Street as early as 1903 (a partnership between Joseph T. Davidson and John H. Griffin). There was also a Davidson Brothers, Davidson’s Boat Yard, and the long-running Davidson Yacht Yards which continued in business right up through World War II. The beach in front of the Ferry Village Landing is known locally as Davidson’s Beach – a nod to the Davidson Shipyard operation that once saw boats and yachts being pulled up on and launched from that beachfront.

We will continue our research on these early shipyards as there is still much to learn. I would like to again thank my research partner, Jackie Dunham, who has put in countless hours working with me to document these early shipyards. Some of these shipyards, ships, and stories were missed in early maritime history accounts, so it has been a giant puzzle for us to piece together through news articles, advertisements, genealogy research, deeds and other sources.

Note to readers: The South Portland Historical Society needs your financial support. We encourage you to find a way to help. Membership information is available on our website at www.sphistory.org (a family membership is $25) and you can donate online at our Online Museum website at https://sphistory.pastperfectonline. The society can also be reached at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106, by phone at 207-767-7299, or by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com. Thank you.

Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society.

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