One of our volunteers, genealogist Jackie Dunham, has recently finished a major research project for the South Portland Historical Society. Jackie spent several months researching the Brown family, for which Brown’s Hill in South Portland is named. She created a family tree for the society, starting with John and Hannah Brown who moved here in […]
local history
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry
A Window on the Past: Asa Littlejohn, a well-known sea captain in Ferry Village
Researching and documenting some of the interesting people of our community’s past is a satisfying endeavor in itself, but we are also sometimes hoping that putting stories out there will help us to find additional information. It is a wonderful day when we hear from a descendant or someone else who has found the story […]
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Posted inSouth Portland Sentry
A Window on the Past: Joshua Brackett – Knightville shoemaker, postmaster and Civil War veteran
We were recently visited by South Portland residents Bob and Ann Morrill, who brought in a few treasures to donate to the collections of the South Portland Historical Society. One item was a certificate from the state of Maine, signed by then-Gov. Joshua Chamberlain, testifying that Joshua Brackett had served honorably as a volunteer during […]
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry
A Window on the Past: Gideon Burbank, veteran and longtime resident of the Willard neighborhood
We covered Ezekiel Wescott last week, captain of Company I of the 25th Maine Volunteer Infantry. Let’s take a look this week at local resident Gideon Burbank, who served in Wescott’s company during the Civil War. Gideon Hatch Burbank was born in Hiram, Maine, in 1825 or 1826, the son of Israel and Rhoda Hatch […]
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry
A Window on the Past: Capt. Ezekiel Wescott – and historical society lecture covering the Civil War, May 22
On Wednesday, May 22, at the South Portland Community Center, the South Portland Historical Society will hold a lecture by historian Paul Ledman, author of “A Maine Town Responds: Cape Elizabeth & South Portland in the Civil War.” Ledman will discuss how the Civil War impacted the town of Cape Elizabeth and how its residents […]
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry
A Window on the Past: The Emery family and the mill at Mill Creek
When we looked at the Marean family last week, we noted that, in 1848, Joshua and William Marean had purchased an estimated 80 acres of land in Knightville along with “one half of the grist mill and privilege belonging to said mill.” This is the mill that used to operate at Mill Cove (next to […]
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A Window on the Past: Deacon Joshua Marean and the Marean family of Knightville
We’ve been looking at some of the early families who lived along Highland Avenue in the 1800s. Deacon Daniel Anthoine lived near the top of Anthoine Street and his neighbor, John D. Buzzell, lived near the top of Scamman Street, across from where Hinckley Park is today. Let’s take a look this week at Buzzell’s […]
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A Window on the Past: Hiram Hamilton, stone sloop captain
We briefly mentioned Capt. Hiram Hamilton in this column two weeks ago; his wife was a daughter of Deacon Daniel Anthoine, the farmer who had a homestead farm on Highland Avenue, near the intersection of Anthoine Street. Let’s take a closer look at Captain Hamilton and the dangerous life of early captains and sailors […]
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry, Southern Maine Weeklies
A Window on the Past: Fascinating tools and the industries that employed them
The South Portland Historical Society’s upcoming exhibit, “Tools and Industry in South Portland,” will be introduced at a lecture at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, at the South Portland Community Center.
Posted inSouth Portland Sentry, Southern Maine Weeklies
A Window on the Past: Early history of Anthoine Street, Anthoine family
It can be very interesting to look at South Portland’s neighborhoods on the 1871 F.W. Beers & Co. atlas. Of course, our community was known as Cape Elizabeth back then and, in view of the early homesteads, it’s easy to see how some of our streets got their names. Let’s take a look at Daniel […]