
The Cleeves-Tucker Monument at the Juncture of Congress Street and the Eastern Promenade on Munjoy Hill has Been Damaged. The Fence has Been Removed.
There is an on-going investigation by the Portland Police Department about damage done to a fence surrounding the monument at the juncture of Congress Street and the Eastern Promenade on Munjoy Hill according to information received by the Department spokesperson today. The monument is the Cleeves-Tucker Memorial in honor of the two families who founded Portland.
The damage done to the fence was caused by a stolen vehicle crashing into it. Officers spotted the stolen vehicle, a 2006 Silver GMC, near Congress and Temple Streets around 11:36 pm. Tuesday. They attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver took off. No chase ensued. Later, callers relayed to Dispatch that the reported vehicle had crashed into the monument. The vehicle was later located over the Hill, but the suspect was not located.
The monument was erected in 1883 and situated at this location overlookng Casco Bay. It was designed by William Goodone, an engineer in Frederick Law Olmstead’s firm, the well-known firm that deisnged the Eastern Prom and Central Park in New York City. The monument was donated to the city by Payson Tucker, a descendant of Richard Tucker, to commemorate the two families thought to be the first settlers of Machigone Neck, one of the original names of Portland. Sir Fernando Gorges, an English lord awarded the Province of Maine by King James 1, granted them the right to fish and trade here.
The monument is made from granite in a quarry in North Jay, Maine.