Sam Shupe Lives In A Blog Cabin

Coast City Comics, Portland ME

2009-12-16T07:55:00.001-08:00

Hello again, and welcome to the final post regarding my historical site visits for my History Of Maine class at USM. It has been quite an experience roaming around my city and state seeking out historical gems to photograph, research, and write about. I will be closing with a visit to a somewhat different site. A few days ago I was speaking with my professor and internship advisor, Libby, and somehow comic books came up. Comics have been a huge passion of mine for several years and they are extremely important to me for many reasons. I see them as one of the best outlets to discover and enjoy art and writing. Each and every comic is unique with different pencilers, colorists, writers, and editors. You can follow one series, Amazing Spiderman for instance, and over a few months the writers and artists will change exposing you to new and different talent, art and styles. I could go on and on about how awesome comic books are but for the purpose of this blog I will get to the point.

One of the best parts about comics is the comic book store. They are often local, run by passionate comic fans, and packed full of art. My favorite comic book store, and where I pick up my weekly books is Coast City Comics on congress street in downtown Portland, located right near Longfellow Square. They just opened this summer, but if you went in today you would think that they have been open for years. It is run by two of the nicest, most passionate and generous comic guys I know, Gerald von Stoddard and Tony Malaab. They run their business on the idea that their store is for the people and fans and it clearly shows. They carry everything from mainstream to independent books as well as the work of countless Mainers. Local artists' work is hanging all over the walls in prints, t-shirts, comics and much more. They encourage people to come in, hang out, talk comics, play card games, and relax by reading books on their couch.

They offer ridiculously awesome discounts for weekly subscribers and have multiple rewards programs that let you build towards getting free comics. I cannot stress enough how well these two guys have set up their business and their support of the local art and comic scene is just incredible. They have been super nice to me since I introduced myself as that annoying kid wandering in the store before they even opened to talk shop and see what's going on. At a recent retailer convention that Gerald and Tony went to they got the chance to meet Jeff Smith, one of my favorite artists/writers. They remembered my interest in Jeff Smith and had him sign a hand numbered poster with art form his new series RASL and when I went to pick up my weekly books at the store, the poster was set aside as a gift to me. Their generosity, thoughtfulness, and overall passion for spreading the joy of comics to their customers is truly remarkable. I strongly recommend anyone with any sort of interest in art and/or comics to make a visit to the store. You will be welcomed with open arms and are sure to leave grinning ear to ear. Gerald and Tony deserve any support and business they get because they are certainly doing their part to support Portland and it's countless talented and unique artists.

Note about these last two photos: Gerald and Tony decided to pick a regular customer once a month to select their favorite book for that month. The customer they choose gets their photo taken with their book of choice which gets framed with a short review and put on the wall next to the register. This december was the first month they decided to do it and they chose me. So swing by the store anytime this month and you will see me pictured with my choice for the month, Sweet Tooth. Sometimes being a super nerd pays off. (I seem to dress the same whenever hopping on my bike for the comic book store, tan hat, yellow raincoat, big red bag)

B.

Sam Shupe
Libby Bichof
HTY 360
December 17, 2009

Historical Significance of
Coast City Comics, Portland ME

Local businesses have been an integral part of Portland since its early conception as well as adding to its immense uniqueness today. From specialty shops providing food, books, art, bicycles, music and more to restaurants and bakeries Portland has deep roots as a close community through its citizens providing goods a services for their neighbors. Businesses run by the people for the people are truly the most organic form of growth for any community and places like Coast City Comics are providing just that. Through support of the local art scene and a genuine passion for spreading the love of comics, Coast City Comics has quickly become a strong and encouraging force bringing Portlanders together.

Through these turbulent economic times people are becoming more aware of the disease that the modern big box and chain stores bring to our communities. Often requiring a car and a trek far away from home, chain stores pull nearly every cent of every dollar that gets spent there outside of Maine. The hard earned money from local people spent at chain stores goes to a faceless CEO who most likely does not live in Maine and will also spend that profit outside of the state. They offer low prices, but at the cost of so much more. We sell our culture, fellow citizens, and uniqueness right out the door by shopping at chain stores. However, if you spend money at a locally owned business you are buying so much more than a product or service. You support your neighbor living in your city who will in turn put that profit right back into the community increasing the economy and making it grow.

Local businesses in Portland have been supporting the economy for countless generations and have set the groundwork for the local businesses of today. Coast City Comics has become one of those businesses enduring the local historic spirit of Portland by placing a heavy emphasis on being a store for and by the people of Maine. Walking through the doors of their store, the owners Gerald and Tony will give you expert knowledge and advice on anything comic related that your heart desires. They offer their precious wall and shelf space to local artists trying to make a name for themselves, providing outlets for the creativity and culture that Portland has become known for. They are continuing a legacy of passionate and hard working business owners looking to do nothing more than spread the aspects of life that have made them happy to the people of Portland.

Each and every citizen of Portland who enjoys the city’s culture and vibe owe it all to local businesses and the hardworking people behind them. Shaping the streets into colorful and welcoming environments and keeping revenue within the state is only possible through our community and citizen owned enterprises. It is vitally important for Portlanders to spend their money and time exploring the shops and boutiques like Coast City Comics that are tirelessly supporting everything that makes Portland the wonderful city it is.

The Maine Audubon Society, Falmouth, Maine

2009-12-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hello hello, and welcome back to the Blog Cabin for the second to last site visit. This visit took place at the Audubon Society/Gilsland Farm is Falmouth ME right off of Route 1. The visit was quite nice other than having to deal with an extremely cold wind raging through the air. I had been to the trails and society before but this was my first time with a camera and history on the mind. I took quite a few pictures and I hope you enjoy.
The Maine Audubon Society, Falmouth ME
Visited December 11, 2009

One of my favorite aspects of living in Portland is its very real urban feel that can be escaped in 20 minutes on a bike. I can have my coffee shops, comic book stores, thai food, and Laundromat all within walking distance and at the same time surround myself in trees over looking the water without a building in sight in just a short distance from the city. The Audubon Society is one of those precious natural retreats just outside the city. The society is now located off of Route 1 heading north out of Portland on a farm called Gilsland Farm. It started out first as the Portland Society of Natural History in 1843 where it held offices in Portland until 1936 when is acquired Hog Island where it set up a camp dedicated to wildlife education. The society then moved to its main operations to its current location in Falmouth on Gilsland Farm in 1976.

The farm is a beautiful old building with a huge barn next to it with a garden behind that. The main buildings for the society are somewhat buried back behind the farm accessible by a dirt road. There are miles and miles of walking trails that weave around and through the property. The paths sometimes cross marshy areas, long rolling hills, meadows and even through dense woods. The paths are open year round during daylight hours, but the trails can sometime be hard to find under the snow. Regardless of weather conditions it is hard not to enjoy yourself if you have any sort of passion for nature.
B.
Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
December 14, 2009

Historical Significance of
The Maine Audubon Society, Falmouth ME

The Maine Audubon Society has been working to educate citizens, preserve, and genuinely enjoy Maine wildlife since it’s conception in 1843 as The Portland Society of Natural History. They have survived for well over a century by establishing museums and places where people can learn about what makes Maine so naturally unique. They have reached the hearts and interests of Mainers all over the state and now operate under the Audubon Society name in Falmouth among other locations all over the state. Offering everything from adult classes to summer camps for children, The Maine Audubon Society has been an enormously helpful force in preserving Maine’s natural beauty through education and passion.

Through the mid to late 1800’s The Portland Society of Natural History had been mostly focused on attaining new members, preserving and collecting specimens, and eventually establishing a natural history museum. All had been well since it’s beginning in 1843 and the society had received a great deal of enthusiasm from the community of Southern Maine, however almost nothing in Portland was safe from the great fire of 1866. The Society had just blown out their entire budget on purchasing a new building next to City Hall, which was no exception to the falling in line with the 1800 buildings that burned in the great fire. Despite being broke, burned, and setback, the society came through with their true Mainer spirit and refused to quit. By the late 1800’s the society had generated enough money, artifacts, books, and enthusiasm to build a new museum and headquarters.

The rebuilding of the societies infrastructure came from the local community, greater New England community and from generous loans made by the Portland Academy. The Society has forever been grateful for the enthusiasm and support they have seen from Maine and New England and have made every effort to show their appreciation. Using their history as one of the first organization by the people to preserve natural history/science in the country, the Audubon Society has kept their appreciation and drive alive. They began calling themselves an Audubon Society in the 1930’s and joined the ranks of the national Audubon Society in 2000, during which they have made countless efforts to inform Mainer’s about smart environmental decisions, conservation, and preservation of what makes Maine so unique, our natural surroundings. The Society has buildings all over Maine dedicated to educating and celebrating the great state of and judging by their building and grounds in Falmouth; they are still doing a remarkable job to this day.

Consulted Resources:
http://www.maineaudubon.org/

The Portland Freedom Trail, Portland ME

2009-12-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

Abyssinian Church, Newbury St. Portland ME
Hello again, and welcome back to the Blog Cabin. This entry is about the Freedom Trail in Portland Me. There are thirteen stone markers that make up the self guided walking tour. The thirteen places in Portland are only a fraction of the 75 underground railroad sites all over Maine. The spots in Portland are all really close together, scattered throughout the bottom of Munjoy Hill and into the Old Port. I had a lot of fun walking around the East End seeking out each marker, which led me through a neighborhood in Portland that I recently haven't had the time to visit as much as I'd like to. Again, I would like to mention any and all pictures form any post in this blog may be enlarged simply by clicking them.

The trail began at the Franklin Street Wharf where the Casco Bay Lines is located. I arrived there around 3:30 and the sun had just begun to dip behind buildings for night. After some wandering around the ferry terminal I found the first marker and the tour began. The markers are granite towers standing about 3-4 four feet high with a plaque describing the significance of each site and after seeing the first one I was able to spot the others with greater ease. The whole tour took me a little over an hour, with a quick pit stop at Carlson and Turner, and it was a joy to walk even in the cold as the sun was setting.

What Struck me most about this site visit was the extremely close proximity that all of the markers had. There were a few on or directly off of India St. as well as Fore St. I knew that the East End of Portland has always been culturally diverse, but not until I completed this site visit did I realize the extent to which it was present throughout the area's history.

Before going on this visit I had briefly heard about the Abyssinian Church from my History of Maine class, and knew about the anti-slavery passions of state legislator General Samuel C. Fessenden. However I did not realize how the East End of Portland acted as the hub for these people and places with barber shops, meeting houses, churches, and personal residencies that housed slaves and offered space to meet and discuss anti-slavery ideas. The site visit was very eye opening and made me even more proud of the roles Mainers have played in advancing equal rights for all human beings.

B.

Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
December 10, 2009

Historical Significance of
The Portland Freedom Trail

Maine is not always thought of as a very influential state in the fight for the abolition of slavery, partly because of its far removed geographic location from what were slave states. However, Maine and Portland did play a huge role in helping slaves escape to freedom and advancing the abolitionist movement. The Portland Freedom Trail is a self guided walking tour that consists of 13 granite markers, hi-lighting important locations of anti-slavery venues, people, and buildings. It is important for the citizens of Portland to realize the amazing heritage their city has, fighting for the rights and equal treatment of all human beings regardless of skin color.

Portland has continually become more diverse and the Portland Press Herald reports in a recent article some of the new languages that will be spoken in Portland schools this year. Kelly Bouchard Writes, “New languages recognized in Portland schools this year include Kayah (Burma), Nuer (Sudan and Ethiopia), Kirundi (Burundi and Tanzania), Madi (Sudan and Uganda), Farsi (Iran and Afghanistan), Dari (Afghanistan), Azerbaijani, Cantonese, Kusaal (Ghana), Swedish, Fur (Darfur), Indonesian, Punjabi (India) and Sidamo (Ethiopia).” The communities and people of Portland have always made a conscious effort to welcome immigration to Portland and it shows as Bouchard goes onto describe what the director of multilingual services has encountered this year. She says, “Enrollment of multilingual students typically wanes after school starts in September, but Valenzuela's staff registered 44 new multilingual students in October.” Portland has been consistently welcoming for immigration and increasing diversity for a long time and it is important for new residents in the city know of the rich equal rights and anti-slavery history.

The Portland Freedom Trail Is a wonderful preservation of Portland’s past people and places who greatly helped the abolitionist cause, including politicians, churches and barbershops. The thirteen markers scattered through the heart of downtown let the current and future population know that Portland has always been a welcoming, helpful, and friendly place to anyone regardless of color. It is a place of great historical significance in the anti-slavery cause and the community along with the Portland Freedom Trail is celebrating and proving that equality and diversity have been welcomed throughout our past and is welcome now.

Article can be found at: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=297999&ac=PHnws&pg=1

*Side Note: The Kindergarten class that is the focus of this article happens to be the class that I completed a field placement in this semester at USM for an education class (I also major in early education at USM in addition to history). This field placement has been one of my favorites so far, the students and my host teacher were extremely nice and welcoming of me into their classroom. Being in their classroom for the semester really made me appreciate everything that Portland has to offer.

The Longfellow House, Portland ME

2009-12-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hello again. I welcome you back to another historical jaunt into the Blog Cabin for another entry manifesting itself in Portland. This site visit is of a tour I took of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House right on Crongress street in downtown Portland. I must regrettably inform you that this entry (like the last one to the Blaine House) will be short on pictures due to a rule that the house and museum has about no photography. Perhaps my writing and void of pictures in this entry will motivate you to get there yourself! I definitely recommend a visit.
Tours of the Longfellow house leave on the hour every hour from 10-4pm in December. They do holiday themed tours of the house through the month and close after December 31st until they begin their regular tours again in May. I arrived at 11am for my visit and was the only one on that particular tour. I actually got there a bit early and with my admission to the house I also was given the chance to tour through the museum. I walked through the museum for 20 minutes or so which was very nice, and pretty diverse. There were many different pieces on display including a copy of the Declaration Of Independence and a protest banner made by students from a 1970 protest of the Vietnam war at Colby College (saved and donated by Earle!).

Soon it was time to begin the tour and I was surprised and excited that no one else had shown up for a tour. Getting a one-on-one tour of the house was a treat. It was very casual and the guide pointed out many strange and odd artifacts in the house that he said he normally doesn't mention on other tours. We began by entering the house from the rear, which is near the MHS research library and the house's gardens. The first room we entered was a coat room where patrons could wipe their feet and hang jackets if so desired. This is also were I was given the rundown of who lived in the house, when they did, and how often Henry himself visited the house.

Next we began the tour of the house itself, which is preserved quite beautifully and with great attention to detail. I had been to the house once before with an elementary school when I was just a child, but it looked quite different than what I had remembered. After discussing this with my tour guide we came to the conclusion that my first visit was before they had done some impressive renovations culminating in 2002. The first room I saw in house was the kitchen, which was very impressively set up with fake food to emulate a potential meal. There were plates with oyster dinners on them ready to be served and fruits and vegetables in the process of being prepared. The kitchen was also highly practicle with several places to boil water for various needs of the house.

The next rooms were the dining room, living room (parlor) and a summer dining room that was set up as a children's playroom for the winter. The dining room was very nice with an formal set up on the table and even a closet that opened to a passage to the kitchen to dispose of dirty dishes. The living room had an extremely warm and welcoming feel with a portrait of George Washington, a Maine-made piano (which has plans to be restored very soon), Henry's actual flute, a fireplace, and beautiful furniture.

The summer dining room was also quite impressive for many reasons. It was explained to me that the room was expensive to keep heated year round and so the Longfellow family generally used it as a three seasons room. It had a writing desk which was used by many members of the family for multiple purposes including letter writing, and was even used by Henry himself to write poems. The room was currently set up as it would have looked for a play room for the children in the house. There were actual games, tops, and a rocking horse played with by the children who lived in the house set up on the floor and tables.

Viewing these rooms completed the first floor portion of the tour and we then moved on upstairs to the second floor to see the bedrooms of the house. The first bedroom we saw was Henry's mothers room. It looked like a somewhat normal 1800's style bedroom except for the wallpaper. It wallpaper was a bright and vibrant blue that jumps out at you immediately upon entering the room, which was explained to me to have French origins. There were also many Maine-made pieces in the room, such as the bed frame and chest of drawers.

The remaining rooms upstairs consisted of a room for children to stay in as well as Henry's sister, Anne who took care of their parents for most of her adult life. Anne's room was very unique in that it had a wonderful view of the garden in the back of the house. The children's room also had some unique features including an original desk used by Henry's nephew. The desk was covered in scratches and markings from heavy use. The room was decorated with colorful maps of mountains of the world and needle work done by the children sustaining the homey feel of the house.

The tour concluded after the upstairs portion was complete and we walked through the garden back to the museum. I was curious however, about how the house got it's water. It was explained to me that they originally used a well but sealed it to switch to rainwater. They would collect rain water that the house would collect and stored it to be pumped throughout the house. What is so fascinating is that Portland had water flowing from Sebago lake as early as the 1860's and the Longfellows never connected to it, preserving a self sufficient water supply.

B.

Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
December 9, 2009

Historical Significance of
The Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland ME

The Wadsworth-Longfellow House in Portland has housed four generations of the hugely influential and remarkable Wadsworth-Longfellow family. It was not only lived in by veteran commanding general from the Revolutionary War, Peleg Wadsworth, but also lived in by his grandson Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow, the beloved American poet. The house has been a staple landmark of Portland since it became the first all brock house built in the city in 1786. At the time of its construction it “would have been an impressive addition to the small sea port town”, but even as tall steel buildings have engrossed it’s surroundings it is still a wonderfully imposing presence in Portland.

Henry’s grandparents Peleg and Elizabeth Bartlett Wadsworth bought the plot of land shortly after Peleg finished his duties serving for Maine in the Revolution. The house quickly went under construction and was finished in 1786, the same year Portland broke away from Falmouth. Peleg was a well-respected figure form the Revolutionary War who “became Cumberland County's first representative to the United States Congress, an office he held for fourteen consecutive years.” With extensive participation in local politics the Wadsworths gained a great deal of notoriety, and so did their beautiful house in the heart of the growing city of Portland.

Peleg and Elizabeth has nine children who all lived in the house at some point, but Henry’s mother Zilpah married Stephen Longfellow in the house and raised her children there. Stephen was a prominent Maine Lawyer form Gorham who worked all over, traveling frequently to Boston. He was not only an influential lawyer but also one of the founders of the Maine Historical Society, and part of the reason why MHS has the Longfellow House in its possession for museum purposes. Stephen also followed in the political footsteps of his wife’s father Peleg, and served in the United States Congress in the early 1820’s. While Stephen was gone Zilpah raised their children at the house where Henry and his sibling enjoyed living across the street from a market and right near the ocean.

The house always had a very American and politically charged feel since Peleg, who built the house, was not only a veteran of the Revolutionary War but was also friends with political greats such as George Washington whose portraits hung in the house. Continuing with the original American spirit “Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his siblings were raised by a father whose ambition was not ‘to accumulate wealth for my children, but to cultivate their minds in the best possible manner and to imbue them with correct moral, political, and religious principals.’" The house had always been full of a genuine desire to further the mind and it shows through Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow’s beautiful poetry, and his fathers and grandfathers political career representing Maine.

The house still stands in the heart of Downtown Portland, beautifully preserved by the Maine Historical Society. The MHS received the house as a gift from Henry’s sister, Anne Longfellow Pierce when she died in 1902 and has been a museum ever since. It remains an astonishingly well kept piece of Maine and American history that provides a museum setting for the public to see into home of some of America’s most influential writers and politicians. The Maine Historical Society has done an amazing job at keeping the house available to see and sustaining their impressive research library and museum headquarters all right next to the house for public use.

References used:

©2000-2009 Maine Historical Society, All Rights Reserved.
(207) 774-1822 • info@mainehistory.org
489 Congress Street • Portland, ME 04101

The Blaine House, Augusta ME

2009-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hello all, and I welcome you back to the Blog Cabin for a truly unique site visit. I must first regrettably inform you that there will be no pictures for this entry due to the circumstances in which I was given the chance to actually see inside of the Blaine House. I wasn't originally going to use my visit to the Blaine House as a site visit for many reasons, including the facts that I had no pictures and no real proof that I was even there. However, Libby strongly encouraged me to write about my experience and I am glad she simply believes my out-of-left-field stories and occurrences that happen in my historical quests and academic pursuits.

Image taken from the Blaine House Website: (http://www.blainehouse.org/images/new/Blaine-House.jpg)

The Blaine House, Augusta ME
Visited: Friday November 6, 2009 1:30pm

Before I get into the observational portion of this entry I first must explain how I ended up inside the Blaine House in the first place. As you may or may not know I am doing an internship (which to me often feels more like a friendship than anything else) with Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., the wonderfully passionate, infinitely knowledgeable, and kindest historians, who also happens to be the director of the Historic Preservation Commission in Maine. We are working on a project based around 100 years or so of the Lewiston textile mills beginning in the mid 1800's, using photographs to describe the story of the mills and the people who worked there.

Earle is a highly respected figure in Maine history and can be described somewhat as the go to history guy for some important people in Maine government. He is a friend and abundant source of Maine historical knowledge to governor Baldacci and his wife Karen, who currently live at the Blaine House near Maine's capitol in Augusta. Earle often attends various meetings and events at the Blaine House, which is conveniently located across the street form the Historic Preservation Commission.

Here is where I come in...
I usually drive up to Augusta once a week on Friday afternoons to work with Earle on our project and to talk about all things Maine history. I usually arrive around 2:00pm and we work for a few hours. However, on the wednesday before the 6th of November I get an email from Earle asking me to come a half an hour earlier so I can walk across the street from the Preservation Commission to the Blaine House. I was to arrive at 1:30 in my tie and jacket to catch Earle and first lady of Maine, Mrs. Baldacci, at the tail end of a private luncheon. Before I knew what had happened I had spent over a half an hour getting a personal tour of the grounds of the Blaine House with historical comments from Earle about the house. The gracious tour ended with the opportunity to sit in the sun room talking with Mrs. Baldacci about my aspirations to teach 1st grade and her experiences as a kindergarten teacher.

It was an amazing opportunity and with that background to the circumstances of my visit, perhaps it is understandable why I wasn't snapping pictures as a got a tour through the house of the first family of Maine.

I began my visit by ringing the front doorbell and was quickly greeted by an employee of the Baldacci family. She welcomed me inside just as Earle, and Mrs. Baldacci were strolling down the long curving stairs form the second floor. I said hello to Earle who then introduced me to the first lady of Maine. After introductions were complete Mrs. Baldacci graciously began a tour of the 1st floor and the grounds surrounding the house.

The first room I noticed was in the front end of the house. It was full of folding chairs facing a podium, which was clearly used for publicity purposes. Some of the other rooms on the first floor included an office, an exercise room, kitchen, a huge dinning room and pantry. The pantry was stalked with home-canned vegetables that Mrs. Baldacci grew, spiced, and canned herself. She was happy to show us her impressive supply of homemade goodies that she had been preparing since the summer.

The kitchen was much different than I expected for many reasons. It had a full restaurant style dish washing machine, a walk-in refrigerator and immense supply of dishes. I assume this is for entertainment and hosting purposes that happen at the Blaine House. After being thoroughly impressed with an extensive kitchen stocked with home-made goods and restaurant style appliances it was time to move on outside.

We left through the back door arriving on the drive way looking towards the capitol building. We strolled through the gardens as Mrs. Bladacci explained what she had been growing all summer long and what her plans were for next year. The gardens also consist of a green house which as far as I can tell, is year round. Past the gardens there was a tennis court and guest house for use from the first family.

The tour ended with the chance to talk with Mrs. Baldacci in the sun room about my teaching aspirations. The room itself was quite a pleasant place to sit and chat and it was nice getting a chance to share my teaching goals and experiences with another primary educator. The whole experience was amazing and it is something that I won't forget about for quite a long time. I must thank Earle for giving me the opportunity, and for all of the time he sets aside to work and talk with me. Working with Earle has truly become some of the most rewarding ways I have been spending my time.

B. Historical Significance.

Sam Shupe
Prof. Libby Bischof
HTY 360
December 1, 2009

Historical Significance of The Blaine House, Augusta ME

The Blaine House in Augusta is located directly in the heart of the capitol located right next to the capitol building, state library, museum, and the preservation commission. It acts as the home for the first family of Maine and as a public building that is maintained by private and public means. The first family has private housing in the upstairs portion of the house while the first floor acts as a museum and public arena. Most of the planning and upkeep is organized and done by The Friends of the Blaine House, an organization including many dedicated people such as the first lady Karen Baldacci as well as my mentor/internship advisor Earle G. Shettleworth jr.

The house has a rich history and design that have been admired in Augusta, throughout the state and nationwide since its construction in 1833. According to the Blaine House website, the house was built by a retired ship’s captain named James Hall who sold it to James G. Blaine in 1862. James G. Blaine was a famous and skilled politician who not only served as a U.S. senator but also as the Secretary of State and Speaker of the House. He purchased the house as a present for his wife, Harriet Blaine Beal and they lived and raised a family in the house for nearly 60 years.

The house was donated to the state in 1919 by Harriet Blaine Beal, prompted by the death of her grandson in World War I. In 1919 she exclaimed “It is my first and strongest desire, that this house, which has been a home for so many years and in which my son was born, shall be used and maintained as the official residence for the Governor of Maine…” The first governor to live in the house was Carl E. Miliken who “commissioned the famous landscape architectural firm of Olmsted Brothers to design the grounds”.

The house in very special in that it has landscaping designed by the most well-known and practiced landscape architects of its time. The Olmsted Brothers were highly influential in developing national parks all over the country and were the leading landscape architectural firm through the 1930’s. The house also has more famous and revolutionary minds shaping than just the Olmsted’s. John Calvin Stevens the Portland architect responsible for designing over 300 buildings in and around Portland and it’s islands, also helped shape the Blaine House by remodeling much of it into a colonial style house in 1919.

Resources used:
http://www.blainehouse.org/index.html, and comments made by Earle to me while we were walking around the grounds of the house.

Irish Potato Famine Memorial, West End Cemetery, Portland ME.

2009-11-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

Hello again, and welcome. I decided to bring the blog cabin back to the West End and go to an area that I failed to mention earlier, the cemetery. The cemetery is surrounded by the Western Promenade, Vaughan St. and the back sides of houses on Bowdoin St. It was a beautiful site visit painted with red and yellow leaves falling all around me creating the wonderful crunching sounds of fall in Maine. It was a pleasure walking through the old cemetery to observe and snap photos of the often weathered looking grave stones. The cemetery it seems is best entered from Vaughan St. where a small stone archway with benches greets you and leads to one of several gravel paths twisting and turning through the cemetery. The cemetery is relatively small in comparison to some of Portland's other cemeteries like Evergreen, but it is very important to Portland and the West End itself. The West End has a substantial Irish heritage and the cemetery has certain areas with several Irish families and a memorial to victims of the Irish Potato Famine.

The Potato Famine Memorial is a very moving and serious memorial. It is somewhat hidden in the cemetery, shaded and surrounded by needles fallen from the pine trees that circle it. The stone is black with grey engravings. The top reads, "An Gorta Mor 1845-1851" meaning "the great hunger". There is also a picture engraved on the front showing an extremely thin woman with her arms around two malnourished children. The words under the woman and children read, "Sacred to the memory of the Irish who perished during, or fled hunger, disease, an artificial famine and oppressive laws during The Great Hunger in Ireland". The words are very powerful and clearly show the strong Irish heritage that the West End has and wants to preserve. Dedicated to the Early Roman Catholic citizens of Portland, the memorial serves as a physical embodiment of the roots of Irish culture and heritage here in Portland now.
B. Historical Significance.

Sam Shuoe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
November 2, 2009

Historical Significance of:
The Irish Potato Famine Memorial, West End Portland Me.

Portland Maine has a substantial Irish history that spans to each promenade and beyond. In the 19th century waves of Irish immigrants came to Maine from all over, including Canada, Boston, and as well as directly form Ireland. Often working and living near the shore of Portland, Irish people settled a great deal of the lower West End and even much of Munjoy Hill. The immigration boom that resulted from the potato famine in the 1840’s in Ireland was hard on nearly all of the families arriving in Maine and they made sure never to forget their struggle. These feelings of preservation and remembrance of Irish culture live through to the present, partly as a memorial in honor of those families that was dedicated in 1999 in the heavily Irish populated West End Cemetery.

The Irish population had been growing significantly in Maine by the early 19th century. In a chapter entitled Working Portland: Women, Class, and Ethnicity in the Nineteenth Century by Eileen Eagan which appears in Creating Portland edited by Joseph A. Conforti, Eagan describes early Irish populations booms in Maine. Eagan states, “There were enough Irish in Portland by 1833 for the building of St. Dominic’s-the first Catholic Church in the city-on State Street”(Eagan 194). With a strong Irish population and community forming in Portland, it became a desirable destination for new immigrants swept from their homeland by the famine.

The monument is a powerful black stone with the image of Bridget O’Donnell and her children that was illustrated for the London News on December 22, 1849. The image is a well-known depiction of the famine and engraved on the stone it puts faces to the famine dedication beneath it. Many families fleeing the shores of Ireland for relief from the famine often did not want to leave and therefore upheld a great deal of passion for preserving their Irish heritage and struggle upon arriving in America. The memorial encompasses many aspects of what Irish culture meant in Maine and to the people who lived here because of the famine.

The Potato Famine Memorial is important to Maine history because it helps identify a hugely important culture that shaped Portland's development. Irish Immigrants who were largely Roman Catholic helped shape the working waterfront of Portland and the peninsula's surrounding promenades. Irish immigration in the 19th century in Maine greatly added to the already rich culture and population in Portland, and it is vitally important to remember the struggles that brought such people to the wonderful state of Maine.

Sources:
Eagan, Eileen. Working Portland: Women, Class, and Ethnicity in the Nineteenth Century. Found in Creating Portland, Edited by Joseph A. Conforti. University of New Hampshire Press 2005.

The Eastern Promenade War Monuments, Portland Me.

2009-10-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hello again and welcome back to the Blog Cabin. This entry will present itself upon the eastern edge of the Portland peninsula. The Eastern Promenade in Portland ME, is a beautiful park lined with stunningly massive captains houses possessing a view over the park and into the island filled waters of Casco Bay. Just before the promenade ends, where it eventually turns into Fore St. there are several war monuments with dedications for the Civil War, Spanish American War, and World War II. I visited the monuments on a foggy and windy Halloween morning.

The Eastern Promenade War Monuments, Portland ME
Visited October 31, 2009

The promenade is a wonderful little park called Fort Allen Park which has a baseball field, playground, gazebo, walking paths and more all ending in a beach at the bottom of it all. The first and potentially most noticeable monument in the park is the World War II monument. It is a refinished mast from the USS Portland, also known as "Sweet Pea". There were many people parked in the parking lot next to the monument inside their cars, enjoying the view and protection from the spooky wind and fog on this particular halloween morning. I however was enjoying the solemn aspects of the weather and its affect on how I was taking in the monuments themselves.

The most prominent noises were those of seagulls and distant foghorns playing slow and lazy warning tones which added immensely to my visit. Each of the memorials has an emphasis on the sea, either being naval dedications or in the form of a stone bench over looking boats weaving through the islands in the bay. The Civil War monument provides a seat for all to see why the fight for the Union and why it was so important for Mainers in the first place.

The seagulls flying and cawing through the fog with warning horns playing the soundtrack to their landings on the monuments made it clear why the monuments were placed where the were. They are all honoring and remembering the work of people who gave their lives to America by giving them a permanent view of a city by the sea, seagulls, sailboats, and the sounds of distant horns included. I have probably passed these monuments numerous time in my life here in Portland but I have never seen them in this form. It simply took a moment to take in all of what they had to offer.Explanation of the mast and story of the USS Portland.

Cannon form the USS Maine, sunk 1898.

B. Historical Significance.

Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
November 1, 2009

The Eastern Promenade War Monuments

The war monuments on the Eastern Promenade are not only tributes to the people who gave their lives fighting for the causes of America but also reminders as to what we were fighting for. The memorials include remembrances of the USS Maine, a 19th century warship, the USS Portland, a World War II warship, and a Civil War Monument dedicated to Union lives lost in the war. The naval memorials may not be remembering particular Mainers, but they are making clear the reasons why Maine was given the honor of having naval ships named after it and how the beauties of Maine and America are worth fighting for.

The memorial for the USS Maine takes form in a cannon form the Maine mounted on the promenade pointing towards the ocean. The USS Maine was a war ship built in the 19th century in Brooklyn and was named after the state of Maine itself. The ship has been known to be one of the leading causes towards violence and the beginning of the Spanish American War. The Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana Cuba where it had been placed to monitor increasing tensions between America and Spain. It was soon determined that a foreign mine had caused the destruction and death of two hundred and sixty six men and the Maine. The sinking of the Maine greatly added to the efforts of a war with Spain and soon enough a few months later, war had begun.

The USS Portland Memorial is the most prominent on the banks of the Eastern Promenade. It consists of a piece of the actual ship’s mast mounted into the ground over looking the sea. The ship, named after Portland, also became known as “Sweet Pea” and was built out of the depression era in Quincy Massachusetts and became a highly decorated and effective battle ship. It served from 1942 until it’s decommissioning in 1946 where it was sadly dismantled and sold for scrap.

The Civil War monument in the Fort Allen Park is in the form a small stone bench that also looks out into the sea. The Daughters of Union Veterans of The Civil War dedicated the bench on September 9, 1929. It serves as a reminder to the causes and reasons why we have fought and still fight for our freedoms and unity as a country. The memorial reads, “Eternal vigilance/ is the price of liberty/ One country and one flag/ In memory of/ The Grand Army Of The Republic.” The memorial is there to remind us of the Maine soldiers who gave their lives fighting for the Union.

The monuments of Fort Allen Park are bold and thoughtful reminders of the life we have here in Maine and why we protect it. The memorials are extremely powerful given their position on the water and provide much more than information. They are significant to us now as we study Maine history because they provide the base for the views that remind us of what we have had to turn to violence to protect throughout America’s history of war.

Sites used:
http://www.ussportland.org/
Information accessed and retrieved November 1, 2009.

Hermit Island, Phippsburg ME

2009-10-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

*I would first like to note, any and all pictures in this blog can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Hello all, lets all come together again here at the blog cabin located for this entry on a little island off the coast of Southern Maine, Hermit Island. I got the chance to camp overnight with my co-workers from Flatbread Pizza Co. on the shores of the beautiful little island and come full circle with the true Mainer inside me. It was a wonderful time, and I have to thank Libby for letting me miss class to attend this camping trip. Thank you Libby.

Hermit Island, Phippsburg ME
Visited October 5, 2009

Hermit Island is about an hours drive north from down town Portland on 295 . The drive itself was a wonderful reminder of all the colors that Maine has to offer in the fall months. The island is completely accessible by car and each campsite has parking spots for vehicles. You first arrive at a small building containing the front desk and information. We were instantly greeted, given a map of the island and directions to our campsite. After driving through hilly and forested dirt roads for 10 minutes or so we found the site which had numerous picnic tables and a sea grass covered path leading to a beach. The views from the beach were the equivalent of thumbing through a dozen Maine postcards at the Portland Jetport, except sand was actually beneath my feet. Jaw-dropping beauty with every turn of the head.

There were many other islands scattered out across the horizon with one or two breaks in the land allowing for a glimpse at the vast Atlantic. True to name the coast was indeed rocky which allowed for extended views from the beach. On the beach itself we were allowed to dig a fire pit which in the spirit of all things Maine we used for a good ol' Maine lobster bake with corn, potatoes and lobsters(caught off the Maine coast by a gentleman who was friends of my manager and who was actually there with us), all steamed in sea weed over hot rocks for over an hour. The experience was a bold sampling of many staples of Maine culture directly into all of my senses. It was truly a wonderful visit, ayuh.
Lobsters awaiting the deadly steam.
Walking paths

A few of my co-workers sailed from Portland to the campsite.
Good times for all.

B. Historical Significance.

Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
October 24, 2009

Hermit Island, Phippsburg Me

The coastal islands of Maine share a unique history of inhabitants due to their accessible and convenient locations by the sea. Natives had visited many of them frequently for thousands of years before Europeans came to Maine and began taking advantage of the rocky coast. Hermit Island provides yet another backdrop for a historically colorful island, loved and defended by the people who have called it home. It is currently a well-maintained campground open for the public to spend time and camp on its beautiful shores.

In the late 17th century Hermit Island housed a trading post for a man named Francis Small. Small had chosen a smart location off the coast of Maine to fish and trade. The Hermit Island Campground website describes, “Apparently our first settler lived a long and successful life, narrowly escaping death at the hands of attacking Indians”. The work and life of Francis Small is preserved and maintained through the islands harbor being named after him and there is also a conservation effort named after him called the Francis Small Heritage Trust, Inc. The trust focuses on preserving land that Small acquired from Natives including, “Limington, Limerick, Cornish (formerly named Francisborough), Newfield, and Parsonsfield.”

Through the 1700’s Hermit Island became an increasingly busy fishing and trade location with fortifications and buildings being built to accommodate the influx of people and business. The Island’s website explains, “A stone fort was built ‘by the ingenious Dr. Belcher Noyes, at his own charge,’ who also "undertook a Fishery, sufficient to employ twenty vessels at a time. This fishing venture was subsidized by bounty paid by the King of England and Bounty Cove Beach on Hermit Island thus acquired its name.” However just as in other parts of the new colonies, trade was consistently interrupted by poor treatment and misunderstandings with Natives, and the forts were often attacked and burned.

Hermit Island is an important place for Maine because it encompasses a large piece of the journey that Maine has taken. Through conflicts with Natives, productive fishing, trade, natural resources such as trees for lumber, and now tourism via camping in this case, Hermit Island has become a representation of Maine’s growth and history. It’s vibrant histories and stories are only rivaled by its natural beauty and small glimpse into the vast rocky shores of Maine.

Sources:
http://www.hermitisland.com/historyandnature.html
Accessed and retrieved: October 26, 2009

http://www.fsht.org/sandy.html
Accessed and retrieved: October 27, 2009

The West End, Portland ME

2009-10-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I welcome you back for another historical trip to the old blog cabin. This entry will pertain to a place in Portland that is not only full of history but very special to me personally. Portland's West End was the home of my first apartment and after moving to a new place out of the area I realized I had a hole in my heart and the only thing that could fill that hole was moving back to the West End where I currently live again. Countless times, I have explored the winding streets and brick sidewalks at all hours of the day and night. No matter how many times you walk it's streets it has a different and unique feel each time. It is a place where I have ridden my bike and skateboard for countless hours meditating through the flat and level streets which are perfect for effortless rolling around, allowing an undisturbed visual expierence. I had been to the West End for academic purposes before with my Culture and Community class where we did a walk about in the area to get a feel for how the neighborhood functions. However, this was my first time roaming the West End with a historical theme on my mind. I must say the West End can be what you make it and different mental approaches provide different experiences.

A. The West End, Portland ME
Visited: Friday, October 2nd, 2009. 4:00pm

The West End of Portland is a wonderful little neighborhood with just about everything you need in oder to never leave. Grocery stores, pizza places, jazz clubs, public and private schools, community centers, and hospitals are all part of the unique fabric of the the neighborhood. Although there are some of the most astonishingly extravagant homes in Portland located in the West End, there are also affordable apartments and other housing for the more modest individual to live. This wide diversity varies drastically from multi-million dollar homes (some can see Mount Washington through their windows on a clear day), to more affordable apartments for those who are rich in spirit and attitude instead of their pockets. Regardless of your economic income the West End just may be the welcoming little neighborhood you need to call home.

Such great diversities and aspects of culture don't just appear out of nowhere and many questions must be asked to find their origins. Who built these houses and why? How did The West End avoid being built into a business oriented neighborhood? What's the deal with all the brick? How did multifamily apartments get built next to houses big enough to have their own billiards room ? Why are there countless building marked with dates, names and "Portland Landmark" signs? Who is John Calvin Stevens and why is his name labeled on various buildings? Understanding the answers to these questions and the complete History of the West End can be a large and complicated task, but it is vitally important to the history of Portland and Maine and worth the effort.

B.
Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY 360
October 3, 2009

The West End, Portland ME
Historical Background

The Peninsula of Portland, Maine is divided into several different neighborhoods with Eastern and Western Promenades holding it together. The Western Promenade is a largely residential neighborhood over looking the old Union Station where some of the first trains to Portland arrived and beyond that you can see all the way to Mount Washington. It is a beautiful neighborhood with houses that once were called home by hugely important Maine figures such as John Calvin Stevens who designed hundreds of buildings, and many small parks in the city after Portland burned in 1866. It portrays a long-time struggle that Maine has had with new development and building without robbing the people of their state’s natural beauty. The West End is a unique and wonderfully diverse gem in the neighborhood makeup of Portland.

The beginning of major development in the West End began 1877 when the then civil engineer in Portland, William A. Goodwin, began the necessary steps needed to utilize the rough patch of earth that was the Western Promenade. Earle Shettleworth Jr. writes of the building process in “Portland’s Urban Landscape”, a chapter he wrote for a book called Creating Portland. He describes the first steps to be taken towards development of the promenade, “Goodwin Recommended that the approaches to the promenade, Danforth, Bowdin and West streets, be widened, flattened, and planted with a double row of trees”(253). The idea was to turn the West End into a pleasant neighborhood that would be the first sight that people would see upon stepping off the train at Union Station. It quickly became a place favored for new homes and people and it’s potential came to reality with the death of J.B. Brown who owned quite a bit of land in the area.

Mr. Shettleworth describes how Brown’s death lead to the West End becoming populated with prominent Mainer’s. He says, “Following J.B. Brown’s death in 1881, his estate began to sell house lots on the south side of Bowdoin Street. John Calvin Stevens purchased one in 1884 as the site for the new home that he completed there the following year”(254). With the great architect John Calvin Stevens living within the West End himself it was no surprise that he and his firm were chosen to design public shelters and parks for residents to enjoy on the eastern and western promenades. Stevens quickly became largely responsible for how the West End took the shape that it did.

Many different Maine people and places influenced Stevens in his designs, which becomes apparent in the work he completed. Mr. Shettleworth explains his “Shingle Style shelters” for the public walking spaces along the promenade, he says, ” Stevens had first encountered the concept of shelters and outlooks in 1883 when still a partner with Francis H Fassett. That spring Fassett accompanied Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., John C Olmsted, and Charles Eliot on a tour of Cushing’s Island in Casco Bay to lay plans for a summer colony there”(257). Taking inspiration from Maine’s very own islands he constructed the Shingle Style shelter in Bramhall Park in 1890 and virtually shaped the promenade through his designs and ideas.

As more and more people moved into and developed the West End, a higher demand came for more space. Brown’s estate began selling and trading more land adjacent to the promenade towards the close of the 18th century. With the famous James P. Baxter taking over William A. Goodwin’s position as the civil engineer in 1892 the West End development became over shadowed by Baxter’s visions for the Eastern Promenade and Boulevard projects. The groundwork and layout had been laid out by Stevens and Goodwin for the West End of Portland and it soon became home to many of Portland’s elite. However as time has passed by, the area has become a neighborhood full of people from all walks of life. It offers public schools, parks, restaurants, laundromats and everything in between that any family would need. Shaped by influential architects with scenic approaches, the West End has become a beautiful neighborhood that defines the balance between development and preservation of natural and man-made beauty that Maine has achieved so well.

Shettleworth Jr., Earle. "Portland's Urban Landscape". Found in: Creating Portland edited by Conforti, Joeseph A. University of New Hampshire Press. 2005.

The Maine State Museum

2009-09-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Hello to all who read this blog/journal. It is a documentation of ten visits to sites of historical significance in Maine for a history of Maine course I am taking at USM. My goal is to make my visits as diverse as possible and to always supply an abundance of pictures. Welcome to my blog cabin. -Sam

Entry #1:
The Maine State Museum, Augusta Me.
Visited: Friday, September 25th, 2009 1:00pm.

A. My first site visit was to the Maine State Museum while on a trip to Augusta for my internship at the Historic Preservation Commission. The museum is adjacent to the capitol building, close enough so that they share a parking lot. It is Conveniently within the same building as the state library and archives called The State Cultural Building. It was extremely easy to find given the proximity to the prominent State capitol.

There were several people bustling in and out of the archives and library and I wasn't sure what to expect for the museum, not having been there since elementary school. As it turns out the museum was quiet and empty with one employee working the desk, which was ideal for pictures and undisturbed wandering. I paid an extremely reasonable two dollars to get in and was given a map and enthusiastically told of the various exhibits and their corresponding floors.

The lighting was dim inside which allowed the exhibits to have their own interesting lighting which provided a realistic look. On the first level there were displays of various Maine industries, including canning, fishing, lobstering, farming, apple picking, and many others. There was a careful attention to detail in each of the exhibits and many of them had real pieces of Maine history within them. The sardine exhibit had a large framed piece including numerous cans from Maine's canning past. Hanging on one wall there were scale models of the vast variety of ocean creatures that have supplied the catch for maine fisherman for centuries. I was thoroughly impressed with the amount of detail that went into each display of Maine's past and present industries.

There was also an entire section dedicated to wildlife in Maine. The displays set up behind glass that included many different ecosystems that have supported life throughout Maine history. These were also illuminated wonderfully to provide a realistic feel.
B. Reflection and Historical Significance

Sam Shupe
Libby Bischof
HTY360
September 28, 2009

Reflection and Historical Significance

The Maine State History museum is a wonderful resource provided by the state of Maine to foster knowledge and information in a visual and often hands-on manner. It has a great significance to the history of Maine through its immense body of knowledge contained through the exhibits and its employees who work there. It is extremely important to Maine and the preservation of history because it allows Mainers from all walks of life, young and old to see for themselves the events, people, and places that have given the state its current identity. Since being founded in 1971, it has been a wonderful resource for all who care to know. I strongly encourage a visit.

On the front page of their website the director of the museum, Joseph R. Phillips, states its purposes quite perfectly. He says, “The Maine State Museum provides an excellent overview for the first time visitors and a place for life-long residents to refresh their memories.” I had not been to the museum since I was in elementary school and was curious as to what I would remember and what would seem new. As it turns out I remembered most all of the permanent exhibits such as the cannery, fishing and most of the wildlife displays. The set up and arrangement of the props and models is created in a way that stays with you and this is a very important feature of a museum that aims to cater to a wide audience.

Many people, especially younger children, may wander through the museum without ever reading a single word, just as I did when I visited in my younger years, and it is not a bad way to experience the museum at all. It is extremely engrossing and you can learn through observation how quarries, fishing, ice, farming, mills, and many other industries that have helped shape modern day Maine hundreds of years ago. The museum also accommodates the natural features of Maine. There are beautiful wildlife displays to help you get a strong grasp on the plants and animals that make up the ecosystems in Maine. You can see beavers, moose, and eagles and nearly every kind of fish that has ever swam the gulf of Maine, all without reading a word.

The museum is an important, well maintained and fully equipped resource that allows individuals to create their own an experience with Maine history that can be achieved by simply wandering around with an open mind. It is significantly important to Maine and its history in that it provides a comprehensive visual guide to what makes Maine unique and what has helped shape its identity.

The Maine State Museum. http://www.maine.gov/museum/index.html. Retrieved September 28, 2009.