While following this little tour one will pass by many other points of interest in downtown Portland. The purpose of this tour is simply to guide one past much of the history of the city. The tour begins at the south end of downtown and ends at the north end.
We begin at
State Street Church. This large red sandstone church has stood on Portland's State Street for 169 years, as of 2021.
Construction on the William Washburn designed church was begun in 1851, with completion in 1852. Originally built with a wooden bell tower and steeple, a bolt of lightning in about 1892 changed that. A second architect, John Calvin Stevens, designed a new red freestone (sandstone) façade for the church in 1892-93 to replace all the damage from the lightning strike. This left the church with a quite unique façade showing three separate steeples, a large square one on the southwest corner of the building, a smaller, taller octagonal tower and spire behind it and a lower octagonal tower and spire on the southeast corner. With extra finials and crenellations on the square tower, its pyramidal roof and windows in the rear tower, it leaves one with the impression of a medieval structure. The two octagonal towers may or may not be purely decorative or all three towers may hold bells.
The second stop is the nearby
Monastery of the Precious Blood. Though it doesn't show its age, this building was built in 1807. Since 1934 it has been a monastery and prior to that a girls' school.
At one time cloistered in at least twelve monasteries, the
Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood are now housed in seven, this being one of the seven. The order was founded in 1861 by Catherine Aurelia Caouette in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. At one time their monasteries could be found from one end of the continent to the other, from Portland, Oregon in the west to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in the east.
This monastery, built in 1807 as a private residence, remained a private resident, passing through several hands, until being purchased by Bishop Louis S. Walsh of the Catholic Church in 1918. On January 6, 1919, the building was dedicated as a girls' school called King's Academy, remaining open until 1926, at which time the students were transferred to St. Joseph's Academy in Deering. In October of 1934, ownership of the property was transferred to the
Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood, who remain there still.
From the monastery we head out to the water front and the
Franklin Street Wharf. This marker is located at a small plaza on Commercial street at the land end of the Maine State Pier. It is one of sixteen that make up a walking trail highlighting the people, places and events associated with the Underground Railroad and the anti-slavery movement in Portland.
Next it's inland to the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The stately Gothic Revival Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, of the Catholic Diocese of Portland, was designed by noted church architect P. C. Keeley of New York.
When construction of this Cathedral began in early 1866, no one suspected that they would have to start anew in just a few months. This is, however, just what happened when the Great Portland Fire of July 4, 1866 levelled the Cathedral, along with half of the city. Rebuilding began in 1868 and the Cathedral was dedicated on September 8, 1869.
Restored in 2000 (the Millennium Restoration), it had also been restored in 1921 and renovated in 1969. The interior is 186' by 70' and the vaulted ceiling rises 70' above the floor. The length of the main aisle is 150'. There are 7 pillars on each side of the nave which form 7 Gothic arches. The Cathedral seats 900 people.
We continue the tour with a second Underground Railroad marker, at the
Elias and Elizabeth Thomas House. This is the seventh of the sixteen underground railroad markers arrayed throughout downtown Portland. They constitute a walking trail which leads from marker to marker through the series.
This marker is located at the site of the house once owned by Elias and Elizabeth Widgery Thomas, at the corner of India and Congress Streets. It is one of sixteen that make up a walking trail highlighting the people, places and events associated with the Underground Railroad and the anti-slavery movement in Portland. The trail was officially established on November 9, 2006.
We end our tour with a final Underground Railroad marker, at the
Eastman Barbershop. This is one of the final ones of the sixteen underground railroad markers arrayed throughout downtown Portland. They constitute a walking trail which leads from marker to marker through the series.
This marker is located at the site of the barbershop once owned by James E. Eastman, at the corner of North and Congress Streets. It is one of sixteen that make up a walking trail highlighting the people, places and events associated with the Underground Railroad and the anti-slavery movement in Portland.