On September 8, 2011 Libby Bischof, our history professor, took us on a tour of the Portland Observatory. Unfortunately, at that time this was one of the first historical sites of Maine that I have visited, aside from Fort Williams. I thought it was a very unique site. To me, it was one of those sites that has always been there, obviously, but taken for granted. I’m from New Jersey and all of my friends who are from here had no idea what it was used for nor had any information about why it was there, etc. I came to find out that it was a pretty amazing site for it being so out of sight.
Our tour guy, his name was Pete I believe, was pretty entertaining and very knowledgeable about the observatory. He had a sense of humor to him as well, which was a relief. Usually historical tour guides, at least the ones that I’ve had, can be pretty old and simply boring with extremely dry dialog. Sorry but that it was I have experienced. Anyway, this guy was not. Inside the observatory was similar to a lighthouse. It had a spiral staircase with several platforms in between. Let me tell you, the stairs were a pretty tight squeeze. It was pretty funny seeing all of us men wobbling up the steps. It stands at 86-feet tall and has an incredible view of Portland and the harbor. It really was quite surprising. You could see most of Portland. The most incredible view, to me, was the view of the harbor. I could see all the industrialized ships, sailboats, and other fishing vessel docked and also moving. It gave me a whole other perspective of Portland.
Historical Background:
Anyway, the tour guide provided the class with the basic use of what the observatory was used for. Basically, the observatory served as a signaling station for all incoming ships and what they were carrying to the merchants that awaited them on land. It was built in 1807 by Captain Lemuel Moody. Captain Moody would climb to the top with a variety of different flags and peer out at the harbor with his telescope. Each flag represented what type of ship was entering the harbor and what the ship was carrying. Moody called this “signaling”. The merchants on land who waited for these ships to come in had no idea what they were carrying, thus, leaving them unprepared for what was to be unloaded and sold. Moody had built this on top of Munjoy Hill for the simple purpose that it was a high point in Portland. Because of this, the observatory being 86-feet tall, and Moody’s telescope, he was able to see as far as 30 miles from the tower. The Merchants who subscribed to this “signaling” method would have had to pay a fee but had the advantage of knowing what type of ship and what it was carrying, thus, giving them the advantage over other non-paying merchants. The Portland Observatory eventually became a victim of technology. Unfortunately for Moody and his flagstaffs, radio on ships would prove fatal for his method of signaling in 1923. Merchants were then able to listen over the radio to the Captains instead of Moody’s flags. It was a system that was happily utilized for 116 years.
Today, the Portland Observatory is a historical landmark in Maine. It’s important because it is just one of many sites of Maine that capture the coastal essence of what Maine was and still is. During the nineteenth century, Maine, specifically Portland, was a city that based a lot of its trade on shipping. This was what coastal Maine had been and the Portland Observatory tells a story of just that. It had been restored a couple times to make sure it stays that way. Once in 1939 and the other between 1998-2000 when the structure was threatened by powder post beetles. I actually learned that they had moved the observatory for a road. I have absolutely no idea how an 86-foot tall observatory on top of granite, I think, was moved. It’s pretty amazing and I’m glad that our class had gotten the opportunity to see it. It was a great first visit.
Sources: notes and http://portlandlandmarks.org/observatory/
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