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1916 Map of Portland

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Portland
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1934
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1934

About this map

Portland and its surrounding coastal townships are defined by a dense network of early 20th-century electric and steam rail lines, including the Maine Central Railroad and the Portland and Windham Electric. The landscape shows the transition from the bustling waterfront at Back Cove and the Fore River to the inland agricultural and industrial hubs of Westbrook and Gorham. Local history is deeply etched into the topography through sites like the State Reform School and the City Farm, alongside numerous family-named landmarks such as Kennedy Hill and Mosher Corner.

Along the coast, the geography stretches from the marshes of the Scarboro River to the prominent peninsula of Prouts Neck. The interior is marked by small settlements like South Windham and Dunstan, supported by infrastructure like Thurstons Mill and the Bodge School. This era captures the region just before modern highway expansion, when the Boston and Maine Railroad and various electric divisions were the primary arteries connecting the Atlantic shoreline to the mills and farms of Cumberland County.