Captain L. Moody Who Founded the Portland Observatory in 1807. He Staffed it Until 1846 and His Death.
The Portland Observatory, 138 Congress Street, Sits Beside a Guesthouse Owned by Pliny Reynolds. The Guesthouse Was Once the First Free Methodist Church, 140 Congress Street.
A Gift and Souvenoir Shop is on the First Floor of the Observatory. A Copy of the Highly Recommended Moulton Paperback Book is Available There. Amazon Also Carries It.
History Buff and Volunteer Dan Strauss Shows Visitors the Ground Floor Granite Rocks that Secure the Observatory Despite Hurricanes and All Manner of Weather.
A deep water port, one of the deepest on the east coast, was one of the essentials that led to the establishment of Portland as a major commercial port on the east coast and during World War 11 as an important base in the maritime defense of the state.
Back in 1807 Portland, still part of Massachusetts, was a busy port, “Commerce was thriving, mostly by the sea,” wrote John K. Moulton, in his unsurpassed paperback book “PORTLAND OBSERVATORY.”
Ships arrived near the foot of Munjoy Hill. Then they turned toward the giant Portland wharves where they found docking and waited to be unloaded. One thing was missing according to the fascinating Moulton paperback book. Ship owners who lived largely on the west end of Portland had no way of knowing that their ships full of cargo, sometimes perishable, had arrived in Portland. Ship owners needed time to locate crews that could unload at wharf spaces that needed to be reserved – both expensive considerations.
It was Captain Lemuel Moody, a Portland resident with a passion for the sea, who solved the problem. He constructed the 86 ft. high Portland Observatory with financial support from the Portland Monument Society.
Because of its height and location, Munjoy Hill was selected as the spot for the octagonal Tower’s construction. No foundation was dug for the Tower. Rather, it is secured by earth-level tons of granite stone.
The Captain devised a system of communication via flags and pennants for a fee with ship owners. When he identified a ship or ships entering, he’d raise the appropriate signal flag from three flagpoles above the Observatory. Other cities on the east coast constructed similar signal towers, but Portland’s Observatory is the only one that remains today. As such, it is a very popular destination for tourists from all over the country fascinated by this piece of maritime history.
At one time, the property also contained a dance hall and a bowling alley.
In 1993, the Observatory was donated to the city of Portland by descends of the Captain. In 1994, it was closed because of powder post beetle damage which made the Observatory unsafe for human occupation. Between 1993 and 1998 a fundraiser occurred that raised $1.2 million for the restoration of this key piece of Portland’s maritime history. It reopened in 2000 and has been open since then according to one of the three part-time on-site managers, Karen Hamilton.
From June 2021 to August 14, 2021, the Observatory had 6,000 paid visitors to it according to Hamilton. In the same time span in 2019, there were 14,000 paid visitors to the Observatory. Hamilton says that the reason for the lower numbers are three-fold. First, the Observatory opened later this year than in the past. It opened in late June than May in past years. It is open five days a week now and tours that go up the “different sized steps” – so please watch your step – to the top are limited to ten people per tour. These are precautions taken to help stop the spread of the COVID-19.
Be forewarned though: Be prepared to possibly be asked by the highly knowledgeable and helpful Hamilton: “What did you like best about the top?” The answer is often: “The view!” It used to be said that on a clear day, visitors to the Observatory could see the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
The city of Portland owns the Observatory, but it is managed by Greater Portland Landmarks. Tickets for the guided tours may be purchased on-line at Greater Portland Landmarks website. Or call (207) 5561 x. 104 for more information. Reservations for tours to the upper floors are required as are face masks. However, visitors may visit the first floor of the Observatory, free, without a reservation. But they must remain on that floor and not navigate the different size steps to the cooler top. The Observatory will remain open until mid- October.
Visitors from away will appreciate this unique look into Portland’s maritime history by the well-informed staff.
Please read post herein dated February 27, 2019 for more information on the conversion of the former First Free Methodist Church into a Hostel.