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A Christmas Mystery in Portland: Where’s Longfellow’s scarf?

December 14, 2017Homechristmas, jingle bells, mystery, santa
By Troy R. Bennett
Where is Longfellow's scarf?

It’s a Portland holiday tradition like the tree in Monument Square, the fancy lights and the menorah at City Hall.

That time the Civil War was fought in Portland Harbor

December 11, 2017Historycivil war, confederate, maine, ocean, portland, this week in portland history, water
By Troy R. Bennett
Portland artist Harrison Bird Brown drew the revenue cutter Caleb Cushing exploding in Portland Harbor. Brown was aboard one of the ships that chased the Cushing. (This image is item no. 96870 at the Maine Memory Network)

The revenue cutter lay at anchor in the harbor with almost no one aboard. Her skipper died the day before from a heart attack. Most of her crew was ashore on leave, yucking it up at the local taverns.

These Mainers rescued a pair of thieves off this storm tossed island

December 4, 2017Historycape elizabeth, cold, frozen, maine, shipwreck, this week in portland history, waterocean, winter
By Troy R. Bennett
Sunlight filters through clouds over Richmond Island, off Cape Elizabeth, last week. (Troy R. Bennett | BDN)

They’d stood in knee-deep ocean water for most of that December night. It was a miracle they’d survived.

The Maine politician who infuriated rivals, hurled insults and fixed Congress

November 27, 2017Historybully, house, legislature, maine, politicians, politics, portland, this week in portland history
By Troy R. Bennett

Due to his ruthless legislative tactics, his political opponents called him “Czar Reed.” They meant it as an insult but Reed liked the nickname just fine.

This Mainer is the only American ever executed for slave trading

November 20, 2017Historyafrica, erie, execution, maine, portland, ship, slave, this week in portland history, trade
By Troy R. Bennett
A period newspaper illustration shows Gordon's execution in the courtyard of the famous Tombs prison in the Five Points neighborhood of New York in 1862. (Public domain image)

In 1860, he traded whiskey for 897 human beings. Half of them were children.

A Broadway star lost his island cottage so thousands of Mainers could have clean water

November 13, 2017History1866, fire, maine, portland, portland water district, sebago lake, this week in portland history, water
By Troy R. Bennett

Malcolm Williams — who was married to the equally famous Florence Reed — was caught swimming in front of his place by a patrol boat.

On this Veterans Day: 7 Maine soldiers who quietly helped win the Civil War

November 10, 2017Historycivil war, hero, maine, soldier, veterans day
By Troy R. Bennett

One received the Medal of Honor, but we’re not talking about Joshua Chamberlain.

8 photos from Maine’s history that give a glimpse of how things used to be

November 6, 2017Historymaine, photography, this week in portland history
By Troy R. Bennett
Capt. Ed Clarke and his banjo around 190. (This image is Maine Memory Network item no. 7713)

Maine Memory Network is a website where local historical societies around the state can upload their photos and documents into one centralized, searchable database.

Promised immortality, investors only lost their shirts on this canal scheme

October 30, 2017Historyboat, canal, cumberland, infrastructure, maine, old, outdated\, oxford, portland, public transportation, this week in portland history, water
By Troy R. Bennett
A canal boat, complete with sails for getting across lakes, sits tied up in an undated photo. (Photo from interpretive panel at Stroudwater in Portland)

It was supposed to be a project for the ages. In reality, it never turned a profit and now most of it has vanished.

Portland’s iconic monument was viewed by Italian royalty, then stuffed in a boatload of sulfur

October 23, 2017Historymaine, monument square, portland, soldiers sailors, this week in portland history
By Troy R. Bennett
In the center of the Navy men Franklin Simmons sculpted for Portland's Civil War monument is Adm. David G. Farragut, hero of the battles of New Orleans and Mobile Bay. (Troy R. Bennett | BDN)

This is the twisting, two-decade-long tale of how Portland’s Monument Square statue came to be.

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