Haunted Streets: Portland's Ghost Signs

with Anastasia Azenaro-Moore and Derek Gambale

Saturday, May 6 at 11:00 AM

Estimated duration: One hour

Portland’s downtown contains unique ghost signs that represent a broad spectrum of businesses from hotels to stables to bakeries. These signs help us to travel back in time to understand not just what Portland looked like 100 years ago but what Portland felt like. Let's time-travel together with this 90 minute tour of Portland's ghost signs from the wharves off Commercial Street to Congress Street. In this tour, we'll learn about the businesses that these signs advertised for, the history of sign painting itself, and the different approaches to preserving these signs.

Accessibility: The route will follow city sidewalks and will not require steps or inaccessible pathways.

Starting point: 267 Commercial Street

Ending point: 16 Forest Avenue

For questions about this walk, please email janeswalkme@gmail.com.

Step into the Past, Historic Main Street Belgrade Lakes Village

with Eric Hooglund and Dianne Dowd from Belgrade Historical Society

Saturday, May 6 at 11:00 AM

Estimated duration: One hour

Main Street Belgrade Lakes Village has an unique collection of 19th century buildings on a stretch of road between Great Pond and Long Lake, two of the seven bodies of water that make up the iconic Belgrade Lakes region. Participants will learn about the history of the village as it progressed from a farming community to a fisherman's paradise and well-known tourist destination. As we walk along Main Street, a guide from the Belgrade Historical Society will tell the story of not only the buildings but also of the folks who worked to make this area so special.

Accessibility: The route will be a waking tour on a brick sidewalk.

Starting point: St. Helena Catholic Church parking lot

Ending point: Gazebo at Belgrade Village Green

For questions about this walk, please email janeswalkme@gmail.com.

W.T. Grant Building: The Rise & Fall of the Great American Department Store

with Mandy Reynolds and Sean Ireland from the Grant Building & Union + Co.

Saturday, May 6 at 11:00 AM

Estimated duration: One hour

Bath is known as the City of Ships for its rich history in wooden and steel shipbuilding since the 18th century. Bath is also well-known for its 19th century brick Italianate-style buildings. Its population and prosperity boomed & busted with the shipbuilding industry. In addition to providing a workforce gainful employment, the shipyards also somewhat insulated the City from the worst of the Great Depression and later, increased the City's military importance during WWII. However, the 20th century spelled a decline and exodus to suburban shopping centers. This is the story of Bath’s retail & department store landscape writ large, fueled by further modernization and suburbanization. On this walk you will experience this downtown history through one property's story: The Grant Building. Built exclusively for the W.T. Grant Department store in 1936 and expanded in 1945, Grant’s flourished as a result of a consistent population with predictable employment at Bath’s major shipyard. We will walk this 22,000 square foot building and discuss how adaptive reuse of historic buildings is vital to honoring the history of Maine's small cities and towns and for providing much-needed services to its residents. Join us!

Accessibility: The building has four floors (lower level, ground, 2nd, 3rd). There is no passenger elevator. Tour participants will need to be able to climb stairs or join for only the ground floor portion of the tour. On-street parking is available around 31 Centre Street.

Starting and ending point: 31 Centre Street

 

For questions about this walk, please email janeswalkme@gmail.com.

Making Connections at Coleman's Cove

with Donnal Miller Damon and Mary Holt from Chebeague Island Historical Society

Saturday, May 6 at 11:00 AM

Estimated duration: 90 minutes

Coleman's Cove has a long fishing history, but it was also a transportation hub—home to two steamboat wharves. In addition, there was once a store, a boarding house, a gas pump, and almost a church! While erosion threatens the road and a shell midden, part of the Cove is protected by a conservation easement and public access to a sand beach adjacent to a deep water anchorage. Join the walk and learn about this neighborhood’s connected history!

Accessibility: This is a walking tour but is accessible by golf cart if required.

Starting and ending point: The intersection of South Road and South Shore Drive

 

For questions about this walk, please email janeswalkme@gmail.com.