Rumford’s Strathglass Park

The Neighborhood

The Strathglass Park neighborhood in Rumford Falls (listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974) was designed as one of the earliest and finest examples of mill worker housing in the country. The neighborhood, bordered by Lincoln Avenue, Hancock Street, Maine Avenue and York Street, consisted of fifty-one (now fifty) brick duplexes arranged in a park-like setting and surrounded by a stone wall, all built between 1901 to 1902. The landscaping of Strathglass Park was designed by Boston landscape architect, W.W. Gray.

The need for worker housing

The neighborhood was conceptualized and funded by Hugh Chisholm. Chisholm, among his many other enterprises, founded the Oxford Paper Company in Rumford in 1882 . With the establishment of the mill, Rumford’s population soon swelled and between 1890 and 1900, the town’s population grew by 320%. With this dramatic population boom, the lack of housing for mill workers became a huge problem. Chisholm, realizing this problem and wanting to attract a stable and qualified workforce, designed Strathglass Park to be one of the most luxurious worker housing available.

The design

There are 7 distinctive exterior designs in the Strathglass Park neighborhood. Despite the differences in the exterior, all structures featured the same amenities including cellars, attics, closets, vestibules and pantries. Each home featured a living room, a dining room, bathroom and three to four bedrooms and was equipped with hot and cold running water and electricity, bathroom and three to four bedrooms and was equipped with hot and cold running water and electricity.

Strathglass Park Today

By the mid 20th century, Rumford’s population began to decline (as many mill towns in Maine did). With the decline in population and the decline in mill employment, Strathglass Park, which had been run and managed by Rumford Realty Company (founded in 1902 by Hugh Chisholm) divested itself form the park and sold many of the homes to the occupants. In 1967 Oxford Paper Mill, which paid for Strathglass Park’s maintenance program, was sold to the Ethyl Corporation. Without the subsidy from Oxford Paper Company and with fewer stable positions at the paper mill, many of the duplexes in Strathglass Park began to fall into disrepair.

Maine Preservation’s Role

Maine Preservation is actively invested in the rehabilitation of 25 Erchles Street in the Strathglass Park neighborhood. With our expertise in Historic Preservation and the help of local, qualified craftsmen, contractors and architects, we are aiming to bring new life into this structure. Take a virtual tour of the property below and stay tuned for more details and follow along in the journey!

Virtual Tour of 25 Erchles Street