Sometimes we come across a photograph that is so unusual, it just begs for more research. Such is the case with the photograph this week showing a windmill in Ferry Village that had been destroyed by fire.
Shown after the fire in January 1901, a windmill and storage tank that John Edwards built on the corner of High and Stanford streets in 1900. A house just in front of the windmill was burned to the ground. Edwards also owned the house just to its right, which had its side and roof damaged by the fire. South Portland Historical Society photo
The windmill was owned by John H. Edwards. The son of a shoemaker, Edwards was born in 1864 in Otisfield, Maine. After moving to South Portland (then known as Cape Elizabeth), he opened a variety store in the late-1880s. Around 1887, that store was located on the corner of Franklin and Stanford streets (Franklin Street was renamed and is now known as Edmund S. Muskie Street). By 1888, he was operating the store on High Street, on the corner of Stanford Street. He married in 1892 and lived with his wife Cora and their son Julian on High Street.
In an 1899 copy of the Cape Elizabeth Sentinel that is preserved at South Portland Historical Society, we found a description of the store that Edwards operated on High Street:
“Mr. J.H. Edwards has been some 11 years in business on East High street, and from a small beginning and by close attention to business has built up a large and lucrative trade. He keeps a good line of neckwear, furnishing goods, confectionery, tobacco and cigars, and makes a specialty of boots and shoes, keeping a large and well selected stock at all times. No need to go to the city for these goods, therefore, especially as the prices are as low as the lowest. A leader in this line kept by Mr. Edwards are the famous Douglass shoes, he being the only agent in the city for them.”
While Edwards was operating his store, he also appears to have had big plans as a real estate developer. We see his progress in several news articles – constructing a new home on School Street in 1895; he moved his stable onto an East High Street lot in 1896, announcing plans to turn the building into a residential home.
In 1897, Edwards was having a two-story apartment house built on East High Street “near his other buildings” and, in 1898, he purchased the land and buildings on the corner of High and Stanford streets.
In 1900 on his land on that corner of High and Stanford, Edwards began an unusual endeavor. He had a large well dug and then made plans to pump and store the water above ground. In the Portland Daily Press on Dec. 1, 1900, the following story appeared: “The huge tank and windmill, constructed by John H. Edwards, to be used in connection with his big well are attracting much attention and stand out prominently to the observer as one walks along West High street. In time Mr. Edwards will be able to abundantly supply his houses with all the water needed.”
Unfortunately, Edwards’ plans went awry shortly after when a fire damaged his properties in January of 1901. The fire broke out in a home that he owned, next to the windmill. That building was completely destroyed and the fire spread to the two-family apartment building next door, which Edwards also owned.
The fire was finally brought under control so that only the side and roof of the second building were damaged. According to a news story, “At the rear of the first building, Mr. Edwards had an artesian well and wind mill pumps with a tank to supply water to his buildings. This property was damaged considerably. Mr. Edwards had started to tear down this building yesterday intending to erect a three-flat house upon the lot.”
Edwards continued operating his store on High Street through roughly 1903, then closed the store in order to focus on a career in real estate. Sometime around 1919, Edwards and his family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he worked as a real estate broker until his death in 1928.
Note: South Portland Historical Society is always seeking historic photographs and artifacts that help to document our community’s past. If you have any items to share, please contact the society by mail at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106, by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com, by phone at 207-767-7299, or message us on Facebook.
Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.
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