Observations and Reactions:
The
first time I ever saw the Portland Observatory was when I walked the wrong way
on Congress Street when we went on the class trip to the Portland Museum of
Art. This is a demonstration of my knowledge of Portland. The first word that
comes to mind when you see it is “huge” or “big”. It makes sense because it is
huge. When I went to visit as a site I was 10 minutes late and it was closed so
I did not get to go to the top (it was foggy out anyways). I did, however, go
with a friend who lives in Portland and he had been to the top. He said you get
a very unique view of Portland since there aren’t very many buildings near
Munjoy Hill. I Googled some pictures from the top of the observatory and they
were pretty spectacular. The place impressed me because it was in such good
condition. Everywhere along the Eastern Promenade there were runners and
walkers. There were a ton of dogs too.
Historical Background:
The
tower was constructed as a communication tower for the harbor in 1807. It was
placed on Munjoy Hill because it had the best view of the Atlantic Ocean from
there. Captain Lemuel Moody commissioned it to charge incoming and outgoing
vessels for “signalizing” them. The tower informed the vessels about conditions
in the harbor and the conditions on the incoming ships. The signaling could
occur at about 30 miles. This allowed a tremendous amount of time for the port
to prepare for cargo offloading, emergencies, or redirect the ships to a
different port if necessary. “The tower ceased its signalizing operations in
1923, and has been owned by the City of Portland since 1937. In 1936 the
Portland Observatory was included in the Historic American Buildings Survey
(HABS), and in 1939 the tower was restored as a Works Progress Administration
(WPA) project under President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs of the
Great Depression.” The observatory is the only remaining maritime signal
remaining in the United States.
It
is in such great condition due to the number of restoration and maintenance
projects that have occurred over the years. In 1994 the building was saved from
beetles and moisture. A Portland Observatory Restoration Trust was created in
1997 to fund its continuing restoration.
$1.28 million dollars was raised by the trust to restore it to near
perfect condition. “Greater Portland Landmarks operates the Observatory as a
museum and historic site, offering educational programs and seasonal guided
tours.” The observatory is currently used for tourism and opens on May 25.
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