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1916 Map of Portland

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Portland
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

Cumberland Mills and the industrial corridors of Westbrook anchor this landscape during a period of significant rail expansion. Multiple rail lines, including the Boston and Maine RR and the Maine Central RR, converge at Deering Junc, illustrating the connectivity of the early 20th-century Maine coast. The map meticulously documents the transition from the dense urban developments of Portland and South Portland to the rural school-and-church network of the interior.

Evidence of local social structures is visible in features like the Town Farm in Windham and the State Reform School near Cash Cor. The coastal area shows established summer and residential patterns, from Prouts Neck to the beachfront at Old Orchard. Along the Presumpscot River, small industrial points like Gumbo Falls and Thurstons Mill reflect the river-powered economy that defined these communities before modern modernization.