Back to Portland Maine

The Portland Monument

So my one day return trip to Portland Maine did not allow me a lot of time to see a lot of things so I decided that I would hop on a trolley tour so that I could see as much of the city as I could. Here are some pictures from along that trolley tour.

This is the view of Portland Harbour from my hotel room.

This is the top of Portland City Hall.

Victoria Mansion. This home (like a few that I will post pictures of later from Newport Rhode Island) was built as a summer home for a wealthy luxery hotel owner from New Orleans. It was built between 1858 and 1860. Many wealthy families from southern states built their summer homes in New England because the summers were not as hot but they still got to spend their holidays on the water.

This sits outside the Portland Museum of Art

The Portland Observatory. Back in the day this was the highest point in Portland. You could see for miles in all directions. It was used as a communication point for all kinds of things. For example, if someone needed a doctor, they would tell the guy in the tower, he would put out a flag, the doctor would run up to the tower and then he would be told which house to head to. It was also used to watch the water to let merchants know when their supply ships were coming into port.

After touring around the downtown and harbour area, the trolley made its way across the harbour bridge to Fort Williams. Opened in 1873 this fort guarded the entrance to Casco Bay (which Portland sits on). It was an active military base until 1964. Now it is just a great place to stop and take some pictures. The trolley tour actually stops here for 15 minutes so I was able to get out,walk around and get some great shots. However I had to be very careful because the area is full of poison ivy...but they did put up signs to warn us all it was there.
At Fort Williams. It looks like this cannon has seen better days.

The entrance to Casco Bay is behind me. The ferry made its way past here on my way to and then on my way back from Nova Scotia.

Me with with Portland Head Light. This is Maine's oldest and most photographed lighthouse.

Portland Head Light

After the trolley tour, I made my way to The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum. I found the pamplet for this place at the hotel and thought I would check it out. They offered train rides along Casco Bay. I had no idea what the two-foot railroading history in Maine was so this was a great opportunity to learn. Basically, in the latter half of the 19th century Maine used these trains to service rural areas in Maine. They were unique because the rails are only 2 feet apart (hence narrow gauge). Anyone who has been anywhere near a railroad track before knows that this is not standard but I learned that Maine did this in an attempt to save some costs. Of course they eventually went out of use because they could not be linked with the trains used in the rest of the US.

Me with the little train engine. This one was diesel but the museum also has several steam powered engines that they still use to pull the trains.

The little train. At first I didn't think it was a real train but I assure it is. Many of the original cars are being restored in the museum.

I am not sure what the name of this fort is but it sits out in the middle of Casco Bay. In this picture (taken from the train) you can see the island it is built on but only because the tide is out. When I was heading to Nova Scotia on the ferry the tide was in and you actually could not see any of the island. It looked like the fort just popped up out of the water.

Julie