Timeline of Portland, Maine facts for kids

Portland, Maine, is a city with a long and exciting history! It's located in the state of Maine, USA. This timeline will take you on a journey through the most important moments in Portland's past, from its early days as a small settlement to the bustling city it is today. You'll learn about big fires, famous people, and how the city grew over hundreds of years.

Early Days: Before the 1800s

• 1633 - People first settled in the area called Casco.
• 1658 - The settlement was renamed "Falmouth."
• 1659 - George Munjoy started a settlement on what is now Munjoy Hill.
• 1668 - The Eastern Cemetery was created.
• 1676 - The village was attacked by the Wampanoag people during a conflict called King Philip's War.
• 1690 - The Battle of Fort Loyal took place.
• 1718 - The town of Falmouth was officially established.
• 1740 - The First Parish Church was built.
• 1763 - The Falmouth Library Society was started, giving people access to books.
• 1764 - About 2,000 people lived in Falmouth.
• 1768 - The Portland Fire Department was formed on March 29.

The Wadsworth-Longfellow House, a famous historic home.

• 1775
  • A conflict known as Thompson's War happened.
  • The town was burned by British forces.
• 1785 - The Falmouth Gazette newspaper began publishing.
• 1785/6 - The Wadsworth-Longfellow House was built.
• 1786 - Falmouth was renamed "Portland."
• 1790
  • The Gazette of Maine newspaper started.
  • The population was 2,240 people.
  • A lighthouse was built to guide ships.
• 1796 - The Portland Marine Society was officially recognized.

The 1800s: Growth and Change

• 1800 - The population grew to 3,704.
• 1803 - The Eastern Argus newspaper began publication.
• 1805 - The Portland Benevolent Society was formed to help people.
• 1806 - Gorham Academy was built.
• 1807
  • The Portland Observatory, a signal tower for ships, was built.
  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a famous poet, was born in Portland.
• 1819 - A meeting was held to write the state's constitution.
• 1820
  • Portland became the capital of the new State of Maine.
  • The population reached 8,581.
• 1821
  • Portland High School was established.
• 1822 - The Maine Historical Society was founded to preserve history.
• 1825 - The First Parish Church was built.
• 1826 - The Portland Athenaeum, a library and cultural center, was founded.
• 1827 - John Neal opened the first public gymnasium in the US founded by an American in town hall in Market Square.
• 1828
  • Maine's first literary magazine, The Yankee, was founded.
  • The Abyssinian Meeting House, an important church, was established.
  • The Mariner's Church was built.
• 1829
  • A theatre was built on Union Street.
  • The Western Cemetery was created.
• 1830 - The population reached 12,598.
• 1831 - Westbrook Seminary was officially recognized.
• 1832
  • The state capital moved from Portland to Augusta.
  • Portland officially became a city.
  • The Cumberland and Oxford Canal opened, connecting Portland Harbor to Long Lake and bringing more trade.
• 1836 - The Western Promenade, a scenic park, was laid out.
• 1839 - B. Thurston & Co. publishers was established.
• 1843
  • Railway service began between Boston and Portland.
  • The Portland Society of Natural History was organized.
• 1844 - The Portland Steam Packet Company was organized.
• 1845 - The Pleasure Boat newspaper began publication.
• 1846 - The Portland Company was established to build railway locomotives.
• 1849 - Portland Gas Light Co. was officially recognized.
• 1850
  • Curtis' chewing gum factory opened for business.
  • The population reached 20,815.
• 1851 - The Kennebec and Portland Rail Road began operating.
• 1853
  • The Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal began operating.
  • The Portland Board of Trade was established.
  • The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland was established.
• 1855
  • The Portland Rum Riot, a protest about alcohol laws, occurred.
  • Evergreen Cemetery was established.
  • The United States Marine Hospital was established.
• 1856 - The Chestnut Street Methodist Church was built.
• 1859 - Forest City Cemetery was established.
• 1862
  • The Portland Daily Press newspaper began publication.
  • The Maine Central Railroad Company began operations.
• 1863
  • The Battle of Portland Harbor took place.
  • Portland street car service began.
  • A large grain elevator was completed at Galt wharf for exporting Canadian wheat.

"Bird's Eye View of the City of Portland," 1876, showing the city from above.

• 1866 - A devastating fire swept through Portland.
• 1867
  • The Portland Institute and Public Library was founded.
  • The First Baptist Church was built.
  • A water company was established to supply the city from Sebago Lake.
• 1868 - The U.S. Customhouse and St. Paul's Church and Rectory were built.
• 1869 - Construction of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was completed.
• 1870 - The Cumberland and Oxford Canal was no longer used when the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad reached Sebago Lake.
• 1875 - Southworth Press was established.
• 1881 - The Young People's Society of Christian Endeavour was founded by Francis Edward Clark.
• 1882
  • The Portland Society of Art was founded.
  • The Evening Express newspaper began publication.
• 1884 - The Maine Genealogical Society was organized.
• 1886 - Portland celebrated its 100th anniversary.
• 1888 - The Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Monument was unveiled at Longfellow Square in the West End.
• 1890 - The population reached 36,425.
• 1891 - The Portland Soldiers and Sailors Monument was dedicated on Monument Square.
• 1897
  • The Jefferson Theatre opened.
  • The Maine Music Festival began.
  • St. Lawrence Church and Williston-West Church were built.
• 1898 - The Waynflete School was established.
• 1899
  • Deering became part of Portland.
  • The Portland Camera Club was formed.
• 1900 - The population reached 50,145.

The 1900s: Modernization and Growth

• 1901 - The New England Elevator Company built the largest grain elevator on the Atlantic coast.
• 1906 - The Portland Company stopped building railway locomotives.
• 1908 - The Portland Society of Arts and Crafts was organized.
• 1909 - City Hall was rebuilt.
• 1910
  • A memorial statue of Thomas Brackett Reed was unveiled.
  • The population reached 58,571.
• 1911
  • The L. D. M. Sweat Memorial Art Museum was dedicated.
  • The Portland Terminal Company was formed.
• 1912
  • The Kotzschmar Memorial Organ was installed in City Hall's Merrill Auditorium.
  • The Eastern Promenade was designed by Olmsted Brothers and laid out.
• 1913
  • The State of Maine Express began direct train service from major US cities to Portland.
  • A historical pageant took place on the Eastern Promenade.
• 1914
  • Portland–Lewiston Interurban service began between Portland and Lewiston.
  • The Green Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church and Portland Exposition Building were built.
• 1916 - The Million Dollar Bridge opened.
• 1918 - Queen's Hospital for women opened.
• 1919 - Portland was named the eastern end of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway.
• 1921 - The Etz Chaim Synagogue was built.
• 1923
  • The Portland Symphony Orchestra and Children's Theatre of Portland were established.
  • The Canadian National Railway began sending export traffic from Portland to Canadian ports instead.
• 1924
  • The Maine State Pier and Chapman Building were constructed.
  • The Longfellow Garden Club was organized.
• 1926 - U.S. Route 1 connected Portland to the national highway system.
• 1928 - James E. Barlow was hired as the second City Manager.
• 1929 - The State Theatre opened.
• 1930 - The Gull began international train service through Portland from the Maritimes.
• 1933
  • The Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport was established.
  • Train service from Portland to nearby communities ended.
• 1934 - The Flying Yankee began modern train service to Portland.
• 1940 - The East Wind began summer passenger train service to Portland for vacationers.
• 1941
  • The Portland–Montreal Pipe Line was completed.
  • Portland became a United States Navy destroyer base during the Battle of the Atlantic.
  • The Victoria Mansion museum opened.
  • Portland's street car system was taken apart.
• 1942 - Battery Steele was built.
• 1944 - An A-26 Invader crash near Portland airport was Maine's worst aircraft accident.
• 1946 - Baxter Woods municipal forest was established.
• 1947 - The Maine Turnpike connected Portland to what would become the Interstate Highway System.
• 1950 - The population reached 77,634.
• 1953 - WCSH began broadcasting.
• 1954 - WMTW began broadcasting.
• 1960 - Tukey's Bridge was built.
• 1961 - The demolition of Union Station ended daily passenger train service to Portland.
• 1964 - The Greater Portland Landmarks preservation group was formed.
• 1965 - Kennedy Park housing was built.
• 1967 - Summer weekend passenger train service to Portland ended.
• 1970 - The University of Southern Maine Portland campus was established.
• 1973
  • The Old Port Festival began.
  • WMPG began broadcasting.
  • The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies was founded.
• 1974 - The Hollow Reed restaurant in the Old Port was founded.
• 1976 - The Children's Museum of Maine was founded.
• 1977 - The Cumberland County Civic Center was built.
• 1978 - The Portland Stage Company became active.
• 1984
  • Portland established a sister city relationship with Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan.
  • The Portland Ice Arena opened.
• 1985 - Portland Monthly magazine began publication.
• 1993
  • The Portland Pirates ice hockey team was formed.
  • The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum opened.
• 1994
  • The Portland Chamber Music Festival began.
  • PORTopera was founded.
  • Hadlock Field opened.
• 1997
  • The Casco Bay Bridge opened.
  • The city's website went online (around this time).

The 2000s: Into a New Century

• 2001 - The Downeaster restored passenger train service to Portland.
• 2003 - Portland established a sister city relationship with Mytilene, Greece.
• 2006 - Maine Roller Derby and the Portland Society of Architects were founded.
• 2008 - Maine Mead Works began business.
• 2009
  • Port City Music Hall opened.
  • Congress Street was named an historic district.
• 2010
  • The State Theatre reopened.
  • The population was 66,194 in the city, and 514,098 in the wider metro area.