We know about the 4th of July fire that destroyed the city in 1866, but did you know that Portland was destroyed by Native Americans twice during the colonial times? Or that it was bombed by the British during the revolution? This is a great video on the history of Portland, Maine...
Did you know the very first chewing gum factory was built in Portland? Back in the early 1850's businessman John Bacon Curtis saw a market for chewing gum and set up shop at 291 Fore Street, now the Hub Furniture building.
The gum was made by boiling resin then cutting it into strips that were coated in cornstarch to prevent them from sticking together...
The City of Ships is loaded with nautical folklore and stories of salty sailors. One of the city's oldest and most famous cemeteries, Oak Grove Cemetery, is the final resting place of these famed captains and shipbuilders.
In the early 1900s, the Maine government determined that Malaga was a scar on the face of Maine's picturesque tourism industry and it was wiped out, never to be inhabited again.
The Wadsworth-Longfellow House offers guided tours but some areas are not open to the public. With the help of Kathleen Newman of the Maine Historical Society, we learned that the best kept secrets are found in the attic.
The Congress Street home is now a museum and tours are available through the Maine Historical Society, but some areas are not accessible on these tours. Dan captured the space in a way that many aren't able to see.