This week, we take a look at a harness maker and three blacksmiths who all were part of the Cash Corner community in the late-1800s and early-1900s.

Horace B. Plummer was the first of these men on the scene. Born in the late-1830s in Gray, he moved to South Portland (then known as Cape Elizabeth) and set up his first harness shop at Cash Corner in 1877. Plummer had at least three different harness shop buildings at Cash Corner and all of these buildings had his living quarters located within the building.

He had his early shop from 1877 to 1890, then leased land from Mary Skillin in 1890, where he set up his shop and stable next to the blacksmith shop of E.W. Fullerton on Broadway (then known as Brown Street). After losing his shop in a fire in 1899, he established his final harness shop at 324 Main St.

A circa 1908 image of the harness and blacksmith shops at 324 and 328 Main St., Cash Corner. The blacksmith, Orman Douglass, can be seen standing in the door of the blacksmith shop on the right. South Portland Historical Society photo

A great description of Plummer’s business appeared in an issue of the Cape Elizabeth Sentinel in 1899: “Mr. Plummer has been located at Cash’s Corner for 22 years, and in his present neat shop on [324] Main Street since February 10th. Mr. Plummer manufactures harness to order and skillfully repairs all kinds of harness and saddlery, long experience enabling him to produce first class work and always at reasonable prices. Mr. Plummer also deals quite extensively in whips, pads, horse collars, harness soap, etc., and at prices generally lower than those of Portland. Mr. Plummer has for years done work for the horsemen who have frequented Rigby Park, and is consequently widely-known among the owners of fast horseflesh throughout the country, even to the Pacific coast.”

That same 1899 edition of the Sentinel gives a description of the Elihu “Edward” W. Fullerton blacksmith shop, as well: “Mr. Fullerton is located at Cash Corner and has been in business for 18 years. He does an excellent business in horseshoeing and general jobbing in the blacksmith line, making a specialty of fine carriage work. All interfering, over-reaching and tender-footed horses are carefully attended to. Having worked in Boston where he learned his trade and by long experience, Mr. Fullerton gives universal satisfaction. First class work at reasonable prices is his motto.”

The two buildings are still standing at Cash Corner today. South Portland Historical Society photo

The locations of the blacksmith shops and the harness shop at Cash Corner were ideal as there was no Maine Turnpike in those days. The main “highway” through Maine was Route 1, which in Cape Elizabeth was Main Street. The creation of Rigby Trotting Park in the 1890s was another great boon for these horse-related businesses.

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George E. Skillings was originally from Gorham. He moved his family to South Portland and opened his blacksmith shop at Cash Corner in 1896, going into direct competition with E.W. Fullerton, but with the tremendous location on the main road and adjacent to Rigby Park, there was room for another blacksmith.

A fire burned both the Skillings blacksmith shop and the Plummer harness shop to the ground in early January of 1899.

According to a story in the Portland Daily Press: “Fire broke out in George E. Skillin’s [sic] blacksmith shop at Cash’s Corner, and the large wooden building was soon a mass of flames. The harness shop of Horace B. Plummer, near by, caught from the blacksmith shop and that was also burned to the ground. The fire prostrated the Postal Telegraph Company’s wires and the whole nine wires were useless for several hours … The hose company got out its lines but could not arrest the progress of the fire.”

When Skillings and Plummer reopened their businesses, it was at 324 Main St. and 328 Main St., side by side.

An advertisement for Horace Plummer’s harness shop that appeared in the Cape Elizabeth Sentinel on Aug. 5, 1882. South Portland Historical Society image

In the 1899 article in the Cape Elizabeth Sentinel, there was also a description of George Skilling’s blacksmith business: “Mr. Skillings occupies a fine new and large shop on Main Street, Cash’s Corner, and has been established there three years. He does all kinds of carriage repairing and building, general blacksmithing and horseshoeing. Some of the best of family and trotting horses are shod at his shop. Mr. Skillings does considerable work for the horsemen who visit Rigby Park every season, always giving the best of satisfaction. All carriage work is done under cover, thus protecting vehicles from the weather. Mr. Skillings has built some very fine carriages, being not only a skillful mechanic but a practical carriage manufacturer as well.”

Around 1908, George E. Skillings brought in a new blacksmith to run his shop at 328 Main St. Orman Douglass had been working as a blacksmith for D.W. Clark Ice Company on the Portland waterfront before moving into the blacksmith shop on Main Street in South Portland. George Skillings, his wife, and their four daughters continued to live in the upstairs apartment, but George took a job working for Randall & McAllister and left Orman Douglass working the blacksmith shop on the first floor.

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Horace Plummer continued making and servicing harnesses right up until his death in 1910.

Both of the buildings at 324 Main St. and 328 Main St. are still there today. Since the days when the harness shop and blacksmith shop were in business, other than a period of time when Stephen Trombley owned 328 Main St. (1985-2000) and ran his State Farm Insurance office from that building, both buildings have been used primarily as residential apartments.

Note: The South Portland Historical Society is holding its membership drive. If you enjoy reading about South Portland history, please consider renewing your membership, or becoming a new member of the South Portland Historical Society. A one-year family membership is only $25 and supports our mission of preserving local history. Donations can be made through our Online Museum website at https://sphistory.pastperfectonline.com, or if you’d prefer to donate by check, please make it payable to South Portland Historical Society and mail to us at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106. Thank you. If you need to contact the society, we can be reached by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com or by phone at 207-767-7299.

Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director at the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.

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