Today I am posting a few photos from the Stroudwater Village area of Portland, which is on the western side of town, towards the Westbrook border. I happened to walk through here with my camera after attending the open house of the new Jetport terminal earlier this month. This neighborhood was settled in 1727 and has some impressive old buildings, including the Tate House Museum.
Interesting fact about the settlement date. I once heard Stroudwater was the City's oldest neighborhood (which surprised me). Surely there are older neighborhoods downtown? Or maybe just the structures themselves are older, and more intact? Or maybe I misheard altogether. Anyway, thanks again for the photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Patrick! I agree that the oldest neighborhoods are probably downtown and it must be that this is the oldest intact neighborhood. Unlike the Portland peninsula, I don't think Stroudwater had any great fires or attacks from the Royal Navy.
ReplyDeleteNo, you heard correctly Patrick, it is the oldest neighborhood. Mr. Tate, the museums namesake, was a strategic businessman who used that location to perfectly position himself on the rivers confluence. At the time it was a heavily used port to transport timber. Though I should insets the same disclaimer too and note that my information came from my Maine History class a few semesters back. Downtown/Commercial St. wasn't so much, then, a neighborhood as it was a business and economic hub.
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