The City Takes Form


Silhouette of Zilpah and Stephen Longfellow, ca. 1805

Silhouette of Zilpah and Stephen Longfellow, ca. 1805
Item 4123   info
Maine Historical Society

Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah Wadsworth married in the parlor of the Wadsworth home on January 1, 1804.

Three years later when Zilpah's parents moved to Hiram, she and her husband and their two children moved into the Wadsworth family home.

Longfellow cradle, Portland, 1805

Longfellow cradle, Portland, 1805
Item 100191   info
Maine Historical Society

With their growing family, Stephen and Zilpah lived the rest of their lives in the house.

Stephen, a lawyer, moved his law practice to the sitting room of the house in 1814. Like his father and father-in-law, he was active in local politics.

Zilpah managed the house and raised their family of eight children.

Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland, 1821

Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland, 1821
Item 11329   info
Maine Historical Society

In 1814 a chimney fire damaged the roof of the house.

Instead of only repairing the damage, Stephen Longfellow added a third floor that provided five more bedrooms and two room-sized closets.

The renovation took several months.

A new and correct plan of Portland, 1823

A new and correct plan of Portland, 1823
Item 6893   info
Maine Historical Society

In 1820, Portland had 8,581 residents and was the 15th largest urban area in the country.

This 1823 map shows development of the commercial center along the waterfront and a new neighborhood on the west side called Bramhall’s Hill.

Coverlet, ca. 1800

Coverlet, ca. 1800
Item 100103   info
Maine Historical Society

"We are now having a furnace set in the cellar which we are promised will have the effect of warming the whole house…"
(- Zilpah Wadsworth Longfellow to her son Alexander, December 1, 1835)

The house served the family well.

Zilpah’s sister, "Aunt" Lucia Wadsworth, lived with the family and was part of the extended household throughout her life.

Their daughter Anne, who left home when she married in 1832, returned to the house three years later after her husband's death.

Franklin-style stove, Portland, ca. 1830

Franklin-style stove, Portland, ca. 1830
Item 100190   info
Maine Historical Society

Made by Nathan Winslow & Company, this stove represents the changing nature of work in Portland as heavy metal manufacturing emerged and the scale of workplaces expanded.

The Longfellows added a coal-burning stove to the house in 1831.

Plan of the City of Portland, 1837

Plan of the City of Portland, 1837
Item 4175   info
Maine Historical Society

Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, a son of Stephen and Zilpah, added notes to this map that document various parcels of land owned by his family.

The Longfellow property on Congress Street – where the Wadsworth-Longfellow house stands – can be seen divided into two parcels – an upper and lower lot.

By 1840, over 15,000 people lived in Portland.

Plan of Longfellow and Preble lots, Portland, 1838

Plan of Longfellow and Preble lots, Portland, 1838
Item 100213   info
Maine Historical Society

Alexander also drew this survey of the family property and included a drawing of the house, porch, woodhouse and barn.

A cow yard and garden can also be seen – and represent rural features that had been part of the site.

Alexander W. Longfellow site drawing, Portland, 1838

Alexander W. Longfellow site drawing, Portland, 1838
Item 100214   info
Maine Historical Society

Alexander, who worked as a surveyor, also made this drawing of the Morton property that adjoined the Longfellow lot to the west.

It provides details on the size and shape of the Morton house and barn as well as adjoining properties

Soup tureen, Portland, ca. 1810

Soup tureen, Portland, ca. 1810
Item 100104   info
Maine Historical Society

During their life in the house, the Longfellows witnessed the growth of Portland into a vibrant commercial and trading center.

The city literally grew around them.

Developers built new commercial and residential buildings on either side of their home.

Longfellow soup ladle, Portland, ca. 1810

Longfellow soup ladle, Portland, ca. 1810
Item 100106   info
Maine Historical Society

This transfer-printed soup ladle is part of a large set of china from the Longfellow house.

The set may have been a wedding gift to Zilpah from Stephen.

Ceramic items like this were imported from England by local merchants, and then sold in the shops that lined city streets.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, merchant trade fueled the commercial economy of Portland.

Portland from housetop of Andrew Scott, 1900

Portland from housetop of Andrew Scott, 1900
Item 100178   info
Maine Historical Society

The scale and nature of life became more urban with workshops, factories, and specialized stores lining city streets.

The population increased steadily each year. By 1850, the population of Portland was more than 20,000 people.

Casco Engine Co. No. 1, Portland, 1846

Casco Engine Co. No. 1, Portland, 1846
Item 17529   info
Maine Historical Society

Fire and the City

"...the whole street was full of burning cinders, flakes of fire as big as your hand – Lucia was soon at the cistern – Alex and Alex W upon the roof – all the old carpets, fire buckets, pails, and tin buckets in requisition, not forgetting the old bathtub in the garret..."
- Anne Longfellow Pierce to her sister Mary, 1849

Fire remained an ever-present concern in the growing city of Portland.

City leaders provided new hand pumpers, more and better organized fire companies, and a network of wells and cisterns to protect city residents.

In 1831, the Portland Fire Department became an official city entity.

Casco No. 1, Portland, ca. 1850

Casco No. 1, Portland, ca. 1850
Item 100108   info
Maine Historical Society

Fires were a regular and frightening fact of life, and fighting fires required armies of people to operate the pumpers and serve in bucket brigades.

Leonard Crockett, a machine shop operator, built hand pumper Casco No. 1 in 1850. Crockett’s shop was located on Fore Street.

He built at least seven engines for the City of Portland.

Speaking trumpet, Portland, 1849

Speaking trumpet, Portland, 1849
Item 100146   info
Maine Historical Society

Fire department officers often relied on speaking trumpets to make their voices heard over the noise and commotion at a fire.

On February 8, 1849, as a token of their respect and esteem, members of the Casco Engine Company No. 1 presented this speaking trumpet to their captain, Franklin C. Moody.

Moody went on to be Chief Engineer of the Portland Fire Department.

The Burning of the American House, 1852

The Burning of the American House, 1852
Item 16865   info
Maine Historical Society

On February 12, 1852, a major fire destroyed the American House hotel.

The fire started in an adjoining stable and destroyed the hotel that stood on Market Square, opposite the City Hall and a block east of the Wadsworth-Longfellow house.

In the densely packed downtown area, this one fire damaged the properties of 25 residents.

Machigonne director fire helmet, Portland, 1870

Machigonne director fire helmet, Portland, 1870
Item 100152   info
Maine Historical Society

Three weeks later, an "incendiary" or arsonist set fire to the barn behind the Wadsworth-Longfellow house.

The fire did not spread. The family removed the damaged barn from the property. Anne’s brother Alexander saved the frame and reassembled the barn at his house near Woodfords Corner.

This helmet probably belonged to Edward W. Porter, the engineer of the Machigonne 1 Engine Company. Porter was the first paid, full-time fireman of the Portland Fire Department and was an experienced machinist.

The Machigonne 1 was Portland’s first steam-powered fire engine.

Hand-pump fire engine model, Portland, ca. 1850

Hand-pump fire engine model, Portland, ca. 1850
Item 16874   info
Maine Historical Society

George Frederick Morse created this model of a hand-pump fire engine while he was in high school.

Painted on each side of the model are the words, "PORTLAND NO. 5."

Morse, an active artist and arts supporter, worked for the Portland Company, which made engines, for 45 years, first as a draftsman and then as superintendent.

"Portland burned July 5, 1866"

"Portland burned July 5, 1866"
Item 100107   info
Maine Historical Society

The Great Fire of 1866 was one of the most horrific events in Portland history and one of many fires that burned American cities in the 19th century.

The fire began on July 4 when a firecracker started to burn materials near the Brown sugar warehouse on Commercial Street.

In no time – aided by a steady breeze – the fire spread diagonally from the southwest to the northeast part of the city.

The city erected tents to provide temporary shelter for people who lost their homes in the fire. This lithograph was made from a photograph taken two days after the fire.

Notice of services for fire victims, Portland, 1866

Notice of services for fire victims, Portland, 1866
Item 20133   info
Maine Historical Society

The network of wells and cisterns did not have the capacity to extinguish the fires and without water, city firefighters were helpless against the inferno.

By the time the fire was out, 1,800 buildings were destroyed and 10,000 people were homeless. Miraculously only two people died.

Basic necessities like food and shelter became a primary concern. The day after the fire a committee of citizens began to provide food for people who lost their homes.

Fragment, Old Second Parish Church bell, Portland, 1866

Fragment, Old Second Parish Church bell, Portland, 1866
Item 100153   info
Maine Historical Society

This experience was all City leaders needed to act on plans to establish a water system for Portland.

In less than three years, fresh water was piped to the city from Sebago Lake. This system is still in place and is the basis of the Portland Water supply today.

Many people lost all of their possessions. As they picked through the ruins, they saved objects to remember the tragedy.

This fragment is from the bell of the Second Parish Church on Middle Street. The bell became so hot that it melted into globular chunks of brass.

Poodle decoration, Portland, ca. 1850

Poodle decoration, Portland, ca. 1850
Item 100154   info
Maine Historical Society

The small decorative poodle -- or perhaps lamb -- burned in the Portland fire of 1866.

It is charred and blackened, but otherwise intact. Dr. Stephen Cummings owned the decorative item.

Fire relic teacup, Portland, ca. 1863

Fire relic teacup, Portland, ca. 1863
Item 100155   info
Maine Historical Society

A cup and saucer survived intact and were decorated with the note "passed through the fire, July 4th, 1866."

Judge Nathan Webb (1825-1902) owned the cub and saucer. Webb, a native of Portland, became county attorney in 1866, and was later U.S. District Attorney for Maine, and then a federal judge.

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