With a history stretching back to the 1600s, Portland, Maine, is easily one of the United States’ most historically significant cities. But recent archeological discoveries in Casco Bay have ignited new interest in the smattering of islands off the city’s shoreline, as well as in the region’s rich Indigenous heritage. It’s safe to say that the history near Portland, Maine is far older than its oldest buildings and easily as fascinating!
There's no doubt Portland is one of America's most beautiful cities. Its location on Maine's wild coast has developed a culture and economy as interwoven with the sea as fibers in a fishing net.
If you're like me, when you think of Portland, you'll likely think of its table-slappingly good food or the sort of beautiful, historic buildings rarely preserved in the United States.
When you walk through Portland, you encounter and become a fleeting part of the city's many, enduring stories.
General Peleg Wadsworth, a general in the Revolutionary War, built the oldest building in Portland all the way back in 1785! This sturdy brick dwelling has survived Maine weather for more than a quarter of a millennium - an impressive accomplishment that will hopefully inspire Mainers as we head into another winter.
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However, it's the waves of Casco Bay that contain the oldest stories of Portland, Maine.
There, the uncovered remains of pottery, tools, and shells illuminate the extensive trade conducted between Indigenous peoples in the bay and nations in nearby Newfoundland. The discoveries have proved so significant that researchers are now pushing for the National Register of Historic Places to protect Casco Bay. They argue that the islands comprise unique sites of Indigenous and Maine heritage.
The momentum to recognize these Indigenous sites coincides with a Portland-based movement to honor the land's first occupants.
After all, however old Portland might be, Indigenous peoples have called Casco Bay home since before the port was a twinkle in an English sailor's eye. Indigenous residents called the peninsula Machigonne, or "Great Neck," and wielded powerful regional influence through the Wabanaki Confederacy. Though Portland was controlled by the Aucucisco, the confederacy also included the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot peoples.
Portland is an American history buff’s dream vacation destination! With new archeological discoveries shedding fresh light on its oldest stories, it’s worth booking a visit to explore how the history near Portland, Maine, stretches even further back than you might think.
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