Painting On Portland Maine Building — HDR Image by kenne
Often I think of the beautiful town That is seated by the sea; Often in thought go up and down The pleasant streets of that dear old town, And my youth comes back to me. And a verse of a Lapland song Is haunting my memory still: “A boy’s will is the wind’s will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”
I can see the shadowy lines of its trees, And catch, in sudden gleams, The sheen of the far-surrounding seas, And islands that were the Hersperides Of all my boyish dreams. And the burden of that old song, It murmurs and whispers still: “A boy’s will is the wind’s will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”
— from My Lost Youth by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Born February 27, 1807, Portland, which at the time was in Massachusetts.)
Fort Gorges in Casco Bay, Portland Maine — HDR Image by kenne
Named after Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Fort Gorges was built 1861-1868 by Ruben Smart and is modeled after Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Fort Gorges was planned and constructed as one of three forts in Portland Harbor in reaction to the threat of foreign naval powers, initially provoked by the War of 1812. It is a D-shaped, two-story, enclosed fortress, constructed entirely with local granite, and hosted 56 gun emplacements on the south, east, and west facades. When completed in 1864, Fort Gorges was already deemed obsolete due to technological advancements in rifled artillery and high-explosive ammunition developed during the Civil War. Fort Gorges hosted a live-in caretaker after the Civil War, and acted as a storage facility in both World War I and World War II. Declared surplus property in 1960, the United States government conveyed Fort Gorges to the city of Portland, which continues to own the property today. — Source: Portlandlandmarks.org
U.S. Custom House, Portland Maine (August 20, 2021) Image by kenne
Located near Portland’s waterfront, the U.S. Custom House is a testament to the city’s maritime history. It was built to accommodate the city’s growing customs business, which, by 1866, was collecting $900,000 annually in customs duties—making Portland one of the most significant seaports in the country. The building is typical of the notable designs completed under the direction of Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1865 to 1874. Constructed between 1867 and 1872, the U.S. Custom House combines elements of the Second Empire and Renaissance Revival styles. — Source: Wikipedia
Fort Preble Window, South Portland, Maine (August 2021) — Image by kenne
“Fort Preble was a military fort in South Portland, Maine, United States, built in 1808 and progressively added to through 1906. The fort was active during all major wars from the War of 1812 through World War II. The fort was deactivated in 1950. It is now on the campus of Southern Maine Community College.” — Source: Wikimedia
“Extending into the harbor from the grounds of Fort Preble on the Southern Maine Community College Campus in South Portland, visitors will find a conspicuous profile in the landscape at the end of a 950-foot breakwater. It is Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, a caisson-style lighthouse built in 1898 to warn mariners of a dangerous ledge in Portland Harbor upon which it sits.” — Source: visitportland.com
