Hometown History: Final Paper
Lila Gaudrault
The University of New England
History 278: Environmental History of the World since 1500
Professor Eric Zuelow
April 5th, 2022
Hometown History: Final Paper
Introduction
It has been said that a city divided against itself will not stand. The original context of this quotation comes from the Bible, where Jesus himself speaks these words to a group of Jewish Pharisees after they accused him of casting out demons using the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demonic forces. And while the history of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, is a far cry from this famous Christian story, the words of Jesus remain quite relevant. Cape Elizabeth, a quiet, coastal town, found itself experiencing a sharp divide following the rise of industrialization in Southern Maine. One side of the town quickly became home to a bustling assortment of neighborhoods, factories, and shops. It grew into a smaller version of Portland, the nearby city that served as the state capital at the time. Yet the southern end of town remained the rural, agricultural-based section it had been since Cape Elizabeth’s inception. These two fundamentally different sides of town, as this paper will explore, would soon experience not only a clash over taxation, but also a conflict of town character. Residents were forced to ask themselves what their town truly stood for. Was it an industrial hotspot, a prime location for development and commerce, or a quiet, rural community, making its living by working the land and promoting natural resource and land preservation over industrialization? Cape Elizabeth’s eventual split with South Portland not only proves that such dividedness in a small town is difficult to maintain, but also serves as a major turning point in town history that solidified Cape Elizabeth’s identity as an agricultural-focused, conservation-oriented town.
In her 1954 dissertation, historian Marian Peabbles Johnson outlines the conditions that led to Cape Elizabeth’s split with South Portland. As the 19th century drew to a close, tensions arose over a water piping dispute in town. The Sebago watershed was used to pipe water to the town’s northern end, and residents in southern Cape Elizabeth, angered by taxation for a service they did not profit from, sought to divide the community. Yet the nature of this conflict had, in fact, been brewing since the beginning of the town’s urbanization, when a number of new roads, sidewalks, sewage systems, and street lights were constructed at the expense of all Cape Elizabeth taxpayers but benefitting only those in more populated neighborhoods. Isaac Esty, a pastor at Cape Elizabeth’s North Congregational Church, even wrote in 1831 of the town’s “dark and discouraging” religious prospects from the constant fighting, and frustrated farmers composed short poems where they described the “fractious village on the flats…we are tired of our endless spats, and wish to be well rid of you.” Following the split, which occurred in 1895, the section that encompassed the “new” Cape Elizabeth was much more rural in character, with the more developed end of town taking the name of the bustling city that it bordered.
While it may appear from this account that Cape Elizabeth’s split with South Portland resulted from taxation and economic tensions, it becomes clear that the dramatic differences between the two ends of town played a large, if not the largest, role in the conflict and eventual division. To have a town with two such distinct characters–one focused on subsistence and working the land, the other on development and industrialization–is to essentially have two separate communities. This paper will explore the ways in which Cape Elizabeth’s early history contributed to this division, and argue that the eventual breakup was ultimately the result of a conflict of town character. Disagreements over taxation may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it was the fundamental differences between the two ends of town that led to this split.
Background
The area that is known today as Cape Elizabeth, Maine, has a substantial history of its occupants surviving and making a living from working the land. Long before its official founding in 1765, and even prior to European settlement in the 1630s, the rocky coast in and around Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was populated by Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Micmac peoples. These tribes, who collectively formed the Wabanaki Confederacy, utilized the vast coastline to their advantage, both for transportation, food, and recreation. An abundance of fish and shellfish made fishing a necessity, and the heavily forested land was also utilized to construct wigwam structures and birch canoes. Before European settlement in the 17th century, Native peoples lived on Maine’s coastline for an estimated 13,000 years, following the retreating of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.
The earliest evidence of European presence in Cape Elizabeth dates back to 1529, when Diego Ribero, a cartographer from Spain, composed a map including an area entitled Cabo de Muchas Islas, or, “cape of many islands.” Cape Elizabeth, with its rocky cliffs, low-lying beaches, and islands, is thought to be the inspiration for this title. Over half a century later, in 1604, French colonist Samuel de Champlain made landfall, and European presence became more prevalent in the subsequent decades. Cape Elizabeth was officially settled by colonists in the 1630s, named in honor of Princess Elizabeth, sister of Charles I of England. With its rocky yet fertile soil, the town quickly became known for its agricultural potential among colonial settlers. Early colonists grew a variety of crops, oftentimes under the instruction of local Natives, who willingly taught techniques for planting maise and farming successfully in the rugged environment. Prominent market farms were established by families including the Jordan’s, who acquired “long pockets of good soil” (footnote 1), which they cultivated using strip-farming techniques, creating long, rectangular-shaped plots to allow for oxen plowing, a method developed in medieval Europe. Like their Native counterparts, the lives of early colonists were dictated by the seasons, with growing and harvesting taking place in the warmer months and winters being reserved for hunting, tool repair, and maple tree tapping. European settlers also introduced a number of new species that allowed agriculture in the town to flourish. Among the first were pigs. By 1634, it was noted that they numbered around 70 on the mainland. The next year, 1635, brought a flock of sheep on the English ship Speedwell. Cattle and goats shortly followed suit. The introduction of livestock proved successful, although wolf and bear presence remained an obstacle. In fact, the population of goats on Richmond Island, an offshore trading post, grew so large that settlers complained that there were too many of them!
Colonial settlers also attempted, with varying degrees of success, to establish a robust trade in Cape Elizabeth. Early efforts to trade with Native Americans yielded mostly poor outcomes, with English merchant John Winter noting that he had received “only three skins” (footnote 1) for some liquor in the mid-17th century. Yet in time, Richmond Island, which early French explorer Samuel de Champlain praised for its “fine oaks and nut trees…soil cleared up, and many vineyards bearing beautiful grapes in season…” (footnote 1) became a notable trading post. In the early years of settlement, the post was run by Winter, who, in the 1630s, wrote that he had cultivated a garden on the island that “produced divers (sic) sorts of barley, peas, pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic, radishes…and other sorts of herbs.” From Richmond Island, fish oil, as well as dried and salted fish, were sent to England in the early years. This later expanded to include beaver skins, clapboards, and pipe-staves. Wine and fruit were imported from Spain and Portugal, and wheat came from Chesapeake Bay. Cape Elizabeth soon became well regarded for its fishing industry, as this was its principal export. By 1753, Cape Elizabeth’s prosperous trade was widely known, mostly stemming from a growing relationship with the West Indies. With the town composed of just 150 families, Cape Elizabeth participated in more commercial trade than the nearby, much larger capital city of Portland.
Though Cape Elizabeth was involved with agriculture, trade, and modifying of the land since its official settlement in the 1630s, it should be noted that the town was essentially a “deserted, no-man’s land” for most of the late 1600s and into the 18th century. Those who did call the town home lead simple lives, using the town’s natural abundance to make their living, thus establishing Cape Elizabeth’s rural reputation. Because of this, as the Industrial Revolution swept through Southern Maine in the mid-19th century, changes to certain sections of the community soon served to divide the fundamental character of Cape Elizabeth, leading to the polarization of the two ends of town.
Industrialization Divides the Town
Following the end of the Civil War, Cape Elizabeth saw a number of industrial developments, most of which took place in the Ferry Village and Knightville neighborhoods, areas whose proximity to nearby Portland made them appealing to city workers. Thus, the town’s population growth was highly concentrated in these areas. To accommodate the increasing population, a schoolhouse, town hall (complete with an auditorium and general store), and popular baseball park were built, which further attracted workers and families. Additionally, Cape Elizabeth saw the development of a number of industries. Among the first and largest of these was Portland Kerosene Works. Located next to the Fore River, the factory converted coal to kerosene, also producing naphtha and paraffin products in the process. Crude oil was shipped by railroad from Pennsylvania, where it subsequently provided the first “dependable supply available for local use” (footnote 1). The plant was composed of six brick buildings and covered roughly two acres. At first, the company resold oil from the Boston Kerosene Oil Company, but eventually, as it grew, shifted to producing its own products.
Another flourishing industry, built in 1864, was the Portland Rolling Mill, which manufactured iron products, including railroad. This business became especially profitable, with workers producing over 14,000 tons of rail annually. Iron bars were imported from New Jersey, where they were unloaded by hand and manufactured by smelting into wrought iron, then rolled and shaped. This difficult process required “a great amount of skill,” (footnote 1), and often proved dangerous. Removing impurities and molding the iron to the desired shape, a process called puddling, required that the worker know exactly when to remove the iron from the furnace by watching its color. It was noted that “a moment too soon or too late would spoil the entire lot” (footnote 1). Yet the industry, though dangerous (workers protected themselves from flying cylinders by wearing leather aprons), proved quite successful.
With its coastal yet forested location, Cape Elizabeth also became home to a prominent shipbuilding industry. Especially in the early years, a great number of white pine, hemlock, beech, and maple trees were harvested for building. The first recorded ship, the Richmond, constructed in 1637, traveled along the coast with wine, fish oil, and peas. Later, boats that “challenged the fastest ships other yards could make” (footnote 4) were constructed for various purposes, including for the King of England’s Naval Fleet.
Yet despite their economic success, these plants contributed to the pollution seen in Casco Bay, which includes the waters of Cape Elizabeth, and began recording troubling levels of water contamination. A 1993 report by Dr. Edward L. Hawes examined the extent and origins of this pollution. In the early 1980s, samples of sedimentation taken from Casco Bay found “a broad array of chemicals” in higher levels than other estuaries nationwide (footnote 14). In fact, contamination was high enough that it posed a risk to marine plants and animals. Shipyards, including one run by Benjamin Pickett in the Ferry Village neighborhood, also contributed to this pollution with its lead and copper bottom paints. The Casco Bay Estuary Partnership called Portland and the surrounding area during the latter 19th century a “steaming, smoking industry…an impressive sight” (footnote 14). Yet all of these industries existed with the help of the abundant water’s power – the same water that, ironically, they were heavily polluting.
As the 19th century drew to a close, Cape Elizabeth had had enough. The uneven development of town, the pollution, and, of course, the taxation led to the heavily supported decision to divide the town. Following its split with South Portland, Cape Elizabeth retained its reputation of a quiet, agricultural-based town, with the steady growth of tourism also helping the economy.
Cape Elizabeth Today
By 1940, there were approximately fifty farms in town, however, that number declined to ten by the end of the 1960s. Many of these farms were taken over by development in the later 20th century, but others were simply abandoned and left to be reclaimed by nature. Among the most prominent examples of this is Robinson Woods, a parcel of land that is permanently preserved by Cape Elizabeth Land Trust today, but previously was home to a farm, homestead, and airstrip. There remain a number of stone walls in Robinson Woods, evidence of the livestock that used to graze in the fields. In the 1950s, the land was used for haying, and later, upon being given to CELT, restored to native grassland habitats. This is a story that is echoed throughout the town. Many pieces of previous farmed land–844 acres, to be exact– have been preserved by the town Land Trust. This fact is proof of Cape Elizabeth’s commitment to long-term conservation, a sentiment that is seen today in town residents. A 2021 poll conducted at a local election found that Cape Elizabeth citizens consider protection of natural resources to be the most important local issue–topping the economy, diversity, and even school infrastructure.
Yet in recent years, Cape Elizabeth’s agricultural industry has actually flourished, with nearly thirty profitable operations in town today, encompassing a broad range of products and specialties, from Christmas trees and lobster, to berries and flowers. Additionally, as can be seen through its commitment to land preservation, Cape Elizabeth has maintained its rural character, a defining feature of the town that has been shaped through the generations both before and after European settlement. Though this character was threatened by industrialization and the subsequent conflicts that ensued within the town, Cape Elizabeth’s history reveals that the town is, in fact, a place where the land is among the most valued and heavily utilized resources. With a population that regards the land so highly, it is no surprise that Cape Elizabeth’s bout with industrialization turned out the way it did. Indeed, a town divided against itself cannot survive, but Cape Elizabeth’s choice to remain true to its character and break away from the industrial giants of the age cemented its legacy of commitment to environmentalism. Cape Elizabeth is on a path to remain a rural piece of land that will retain its natural beauty and abundance for generations to come.
