As we were researching the Lamport family recently, my friend Jackie Dunham came across some great news articles related to Charles and Thomas Phinney and their ice cutting operations on the west side of South Portland. Our historical society does not have any photographs of the Phinney ice houses, unfortunately, but I hope that this column is able to reach some Phinney descendants who might have something to share with us. Let’s take a look at the information we have been able to develop so far.

An 1881 advertisement for Charles and Thomas Phinney’s new business, Phinney Bros.

Charles G. and Thomas R. Phinney were brothers, both born in South Portland (back when the name of our town was Cape Elizabeth), Charles in 1852 and Thomas in 1855. They were the sons of Major Crockett Phinney and Rebecca Roberts Phinney – the Phinneys lived in a home on the western side of town, near Crockett’s Corner (the intersection of Broadway and Westbrook Street). When Charles and Thomas were growing up, Major supported the family as a farmer. After the children were grown, Major worked as a shoemaker in the Ligonia neighborhood.

Charles Phinney married Matilda Allen in 1874. They had four children: Lilla, Charles W., Hattie and Alverdo. Charles and Matilda were married over 50 years and lived in a home at 1837 Broadway throughout that time (the home was near the intersection of Westbrook Street and was formerly known as 671 Brown St. – the house no longer exists). In 1912, Charles and Matilda also purchased both a summer cottage on Raymond Lake, in Raymond, Maine, and a farm in Scarborough.

Thomas Phinney married Sarah Abbie Davis in 1876 – they lived at Sebago Lake for a year, then Portland for a year, before moving to their home at 503 Westbrook St. in Cape Elizabeth (South Portland). The street numbering along Westbrook Street was different than it is today; 503 Westbrook St. was located at Crockett’s Corner (see accompanying map that shows the 503 Westbrook St. location). Thomas and Abbie had four children: Carrie, Clarence, Carroll (a son who died in childhood) and Clinton.

In 1889, Thomas Phinney was running his own ice company in Cape Elizabeth, and doing some joint advertising with other area ice dealers. South Portland Historical Society image

In July of 1880, Charles Phinney obtained three leases from owners of land along Long Creek. One lease was for six years, the other two leases were for 10 years. The leases gave Charles the right to operate a dam on Long Creek and flood an area for ice cutting. Starting that winter, Charles and Thomas, now operating as a partnership known as Phinney Bros., began harvesting ice. In April, 1881, they began advertising in the local paper, looking for customers for the coming summer season. They made arrangements for potential customers to leave their orders at Street Sprinkling Co., 97 Cross St. in Portland.

Under this 1880s partnership, Charles and Thomas were cutting ice and storing it in ice houses at Long Creek and in Ligonia. We know that there was a “Phinney’s Pond” located behind the Charles Phinney property on Broadway (that pond disappeared when Interstate 295 was built). We also know that Clark’s Pond itself was called Phinney’s Pond in the 1930s, but we have been unable to establish whether the Phinneys actually cut ice at Clark’s Pond or if the pond was called Phinney’s Pond because of Thomas Phinney’s large farm that was adjacent to it in later years. In Ligonia, the ice cutting in the 1880s was taking place on Calvary Creek, the creek that empties into the Fore River.

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Charles and Thomas remained in business together until March, 1886, when they dissolved their partnership and Charles went back to farming for his livelihood for a time.

After Charles worked as a farmer for several years, he petitioned for and was declared insolvent in 1892. He then became listed as a “foreman” from 1893 to 1896, which we believe was related to him going back into the ice business. From roughly 1897 to 1909, he was listed as a “teamster.” At that time, a teamster was simply a term for a delivery person utilizing a wagon and team of horses or oxen. We believe this was the occupation he gave as he was dealing in ice delivery once again, only in large volumes as a wholesaler (no longer delivering to individual homes with an ice cart). This would be supported by a 1906 advertisement for “50 tons of ice, delivered in any part of the city, in one ton lots or more, C.G. Phinney, 671 Brown Street, South Portland.”

In November, 1909, and November, 1910, Charles obtained two leases giving him the rights to operate a dam and cut ice along Long Creek again, for a period of 15 years. With these leases, he now began listing his occupation as an ice dealer once again, now under the name of Charles G. Phinney Ice Company. A 1923 news article confirms that he was harvesting ice from Sticky River (that flows into Sebago Lake), as well, and shipping the ice in bulk by train to areas around the state. Charles’ sons, Charles W. and Alverdo, were both also active in the business.

Portrait of Charles G. Phinney. South Portland Historical Society photo

In 1925, Charles retired and sold his business to a Boston firm, New England Cities Ice, which continued the business as “Phinney Ice Company” with Alverdo Phinney working as the new company manager. The new Phinney Ice operation was harvesting ice from the pond behind the Phinney house on Broadway. Charles and Matilda’s house was at 1837 Broadway and the Phinney ice house was listed next door at 1787 Broadway.

Charles Phinney died in 1930 at the age of 77. He and Matilda had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Charles and Matilda are buried together at Forest City Cemetery.

After Charles had left the Phinney Bros. partnership in 1886, his brother Thomas had continued in the ice business by himself, continuing to cut and store ice at Long Creek. Thomas remained an ice dealer through 1890 when the leases at Long Creek expired and he petitioned for and was declared insolvent. Also in 1890, his father Major Phinney died, so his mother Rebecca came to live with him and his family (Rebecca died in 1900).

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For the next decade, Thomas worked at Union Station, cleaning railroad cars. Around 1901, he left the railroad and became a dairy farmer, selling milk from his farm at 503 Westbrook St. Also during this time, Abbie began taking children into their home to “board.” Thomas and Abbie would end up adopting three children – Benjamin, Frances and Geraldine. Around 1909, they moved to 33 Gorham Road, near the intersection of Westbrook Street. Their farm on Gorham Road covered about 165 acres of land where they kept many animals, including a herd of about 20 cows.

Thomas R. Phinney, standing on the steps of the former Westbrook Street School. South Portland Historical Society photo

After his wife Abbie died in 1934, Thomas began an interesting hobby – visiting a different church every Sunday. A story in the Portland Sunday Telegram in 1936 said that Thomas was 81 years old and had visited 32 different churches already in the past year. “Mr. Phinney cares not what the denomination or creed of the various churches are, his one thought is to worship in holiness. His feeling is universal for his visits so far have included not only Methodist, Baptist, Congregational, Universalist, and Episcopalian churches, but also the Lutheran, Italian, Greek and mission churches, such as the Holy Rollers and Sailloft.”

The article went on to give a feel for the daily life of Thomas Phinney: “To meet and talk with Mr. Phinney would never give the idea that he is 81 years old. His health is wonderful and his interest in life is keen with each morning’s sunrise. He sees the sunrise, too, for he is up and about at 5:30 o’clock, busy with the cows and chores on his large farm…now that he has reached four score and one, and could, as well as not, sit about on his pleasant porch, he much prefers to be called from the pastures, barns, or gardens, when someone arrives to see him.”

Thomas Phinney also liked to play the accordion and kept a closet full of them; he would play occasionally at public concerts or community events. Thomas also enjoyed writing poems and rhymes, usually with a bit of Maine humor. He wrote this poem about his neighbor’s rooster, after his neighbor had lost all of his hens:

Mr. Douglas had a rooster,

A wise guy you know,

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Every morning bright and early

To his neighbor’s he would go.

There he’d linger, there he’d ponder

Until he thought no-one could see;

Then he would start yonder

To his home up in the tree.

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He is lonesome. Can you blame him?

Since his master lost all his hens,

But he still can go to Thomas Phinney’s

And find a host of lady friends.

On this section of a 1914 Richards Atlas, the various homes and farms at Crockett’s Corner can be seen. Thomas Phinney’s first home at 503 Westbrook St. can be seen on the lower corner of the intersection; Charles G. Phinney’s home at 671 Brown St. (later known as 1837 Broadway) is near the opposite corner. Thomas Phinney’s farmhouse at 33 Gorham Road is shown in the upper left with his barn and other farm buildings just across the street; his farm covered roughly 165 acres, including the area now covered by Redbank.

Thomas Phinney died in 1941 at the age of 86 years, in a way that he probably would have thought was appropriate – he died of a heart attack while out in the milk shed on his farm. Thomas is buried with his parents at the Brown’s Hill Cemetery in South Portland. During World War II, the government took a portion of the old Thomas Phinney farm, through eminent domain, so that it could build Redbank Village to provide housing for shipyard workers.

If you have photographs or other information to share about South Portland’s past, we would love to hear from you. South Portland Historical Society can be reached at 207-767-7299, by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com, or by mail at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106.

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

This 1930s-era census map provides a good view of the dirt road (marked by dotted lines) leading from Broadway toward the tributary of Long Creek that ran behind the Phinney property. The dirt road led toward a Phinney ice house and blacksmith shop (buildings are not indicated on the map). South Portland Historical Society image

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