The day was perfect for a 4th of July celebration. Crisp clear air, blue skies, bright sun, and a nice strong breeze. The money was gone. There was nothing for me do but walk around and take pictures. And the day would be rich source of images.
I walked into Portland via the Thomas Knight Park trail and the Casco Bay Bridge...
Oriental Poppy Pods.
View of the East End of Portland from across the harbor.
Horse chestnut at the park.
Two guys fishing way at the end of the breakwater.
Portland was at top form. The city seems made to host such grand and location-appropriate events. Portland's rich history is important to US history in every way. Before 1820 Maine was considered part of Massachusetts. At that time Portland was called Falmouth.
To show just how significant Portland's history is to this nation consider this... On October 16, 1775, Henry Mowat led the British Navy's northern fleet into Portland's (Falmouth's) outer harbor and moored there. He sent word to the citizens that the city would be punished for its rebellious stance, and that they were to evacuate or surrender and swear an oath of allegiance to the empire.
You will recall that on April 19 of the same year the British got a good whacking from the Patriots in Lexington and Concord Massachusetts. It is quite appropriate that I myself had spent so much time in that area only a month ago, writing a great deal about it, and even sleeping at the North Bridge, where the "shot heard round the world" happened.
The British were out for blood. And they aimed to teach the colonies a severe lesson about their little rebellion. In hindsight, the act that was shortly to occur in the city in which I now stood, would be one of the worst judgement calls England would ever make.
The deadline for surrender or destruction came at 9:00 am on October 18. Mowat waited again (for 40 minutes) for the town to surrender but no oaths were forthcoming. Determining that it was fairly well evacuated on that morning, his ships blasted the city with incendiary cannon fire. They also lit up everything in the harbor that they couldn't capture. But not satisfied with the rate of destruction, Mowat then sent marines ashore to torch any structures still standing.
Bravely, a few Patriots fought against this onslaught. They even killed a few British marines. But most men were helping their families and friends escape. When the day was over, the scene was complete and utter devastation. We'll let Wikipedia tell the tale...
More than 400 buildings and houses were recorded as damaged or destroyed by fire. In his report to Graves, Mowat stated that eleven small vessels were destroyed in the harbor itself, and four captured, at the cost of one man killed and one wounded. The people were left to fend for themselves for the winter. A visitor to the town reported that, a month later, there was "no lodging, eating or housekeeping in Falmouth".
On October 26, the town formed a committee to raise funds for the distressed families. More than 1,000 people (out an estimated population of 2,500), including at least 160 families, had been left homeless by the raid. The authorized £250 to be paid to the distressed families, and arranged for the distribution of up to 15 bushels of corn to those left destitute. As late as 1779, additional grants were made to needy families in Falmouth. Despite numerous earlier entreaties to a wide variety of parties, significant recompense was not made until 1791, when Congress granted two tracts of land as compensation. These tracts became the towns of New Portland and Freeman. The town of Falmouth accounted losses in the raid at over £50,000.
The citizens of Falmouth began rebuilding their town. In 1784 they built over 40 homes and 10 shops. By 1797 over 400 homes had been built, or rebuilt, along with factories, offices, and municipal buildings. Part of the Falmouth Neck was politically separated in 1786 to form the city of Portland.
When news of what had happened in Falmouth reach the rest of the colonies they were outraged. The raid hardened the hearts of Americans who at that very point decided that this country would be our land, and not ruled by an overseas monarchy.
But on this 2016 day, the focus was on another Portland fire, the one on July 4, 1866. It was far more destructive, burning 1,500 structures and leaving 10,000 people homeless. The event was made all the more awful by being the first July 4 celebration since the troops had returned from the Civil War. And, it was a little kid lighting a firecracker who started it all. See the AP reports from 150 years ago, here.
This is not an event that Mainers have forgotten, as I would see...
But on this 2016 day, the focus was on another Portland fire, the one on July 4, 1866. It was far more destructive, burning 1,500 structures and leaving 10,000 people homeless. The event was made all the more awful by being the first July 4 celebration since the troops had returned from the Civil War. And, it was a little kid lighting a firecracker who started it all. See the AP reports from 150 years ago, here.
This is not an event that Mainers have forgotten, as I would see...
How many times did I play at this place?
A ceremony for Portland's unfortunate heritage of big fires, specifically the 1866 blaze.
I thought it a shame that less than twenty of us listened to the dramatic account.
Cathedral Hall. I used to watch the soup lines gather here.
And I wrote a song about this place that will soon be heard.
A new place (to me) along Washington Avenue.
It was quite something for me to climb old Walnut Street to 89 and see the house that I co-rented with my old roommate. Always loved this place and I have a lot of great memories about it...
The Eastern Promenade was filling up. They had fenced off most of the areas, but there was plenty of room left for the expected 60,000 fireworks spectators...
Love to see all the local vendors...
Not a good time to be hungry.
The stage set for the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
I am both proud and hesitant to mention that Portland is a must see destination for anyone interested in New England. My pride is for self evident reasons. My hesitation stems from a desire to see the city and its state remain unspoiled by the hypermall culture that is slowly spreading over the nation like a commercial blight. How anyone can see the pictures I am posting of this hallowed land, shore, and sea and not want to at least visit if not live here is beyond my capacity to understand. There is a damn good reason why I called and still call this place home. Even the harsh winters are not enough of a reason to live somewhere else--unless, like me 20 months ago, you only have the choice of a snow bank or being forced to migrate south...
The little narrow gauge train that runs between the East End and the Downtown.
Even Portland residents forget that there is a nice ample beach to relax at, lots of tide pools and the most fantastic view of the Islands of Casco Bay...
Always easy to find Yarmouth as one looks out across the bay.
The stacks of Central Maine Power located on Cousins Island mark the town's presence.
Were it up to me, I would name the sea rose as Maine's true flower.
It's fragrance is intoxicatingly sweet. They are also edible (as I described in detail five years ago)
when I used to eat the flower petals because I had no food.
The white are sweeter and rarer than the pink. I ate them on this day too.
The white are sweeter and rarer than the pink. I ate them on this day too.
A good account of why the fort was built here.
Making a circuitous route around The Hill I ventured back down toward the Congress and Washington intersection, where I saw a great and typical Portland apartment. It had just been renovated and had a great view of the harbor, which a future tenant would definitely pay for...
An interesting modern building thrown into the mix.
If I only could, I would.
One of my sister's old apartments.
I circled around back to the Prom as the evening grew golden...
Some of the most valuable real estate in the state.
It was time to stake a claim on the grass. I walked around the most heavily occupied areas near the stage, taking some pretty cool panoramic images, but ended up settling in the most eastern section. I was glad I did, as the fireworks were still quite visible and it was actually kind of nice not to have the music distracting me. As great as the PSO is, sometime it's just good to hear the booms....
Pathway leading down to a nice private and quiet spot that I found and will remember.
I made a video to fill in for scenes that I did not photograph. There is also a good amount of fireworks footage from different times during the display...
All during the display people were cheering "America!" and "freedom" Mainers love both of these things sincerely and with great loyalty.
The walk back to South Portland when it was over gave a real sense of being part of something...
Maybe, just maybe Maine can lead the country again. Perhaps there is a new revolution growing in this nation and Maine will stand up for what is right against unjust might, like it did when its people chose not to surrender to Mowat on that terrible October day back in 1775. On this night, whether it was simple passion or perhaps my own need to live a new life, I KNEW this would be the case.
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