V. Civil War Monument

I went to the Civil War Monument on Gorham campus with my History of Maine class so when I went to the site, it was full of people looking at the names and learning about the monument's history. Generally though, I never see anyone there. In fact, I didn't even know it existed until this year when I heard Libby speaking about it. I'd walk by it and see it but I never really noticed it. What I did learn when I took the time to view it was that it was probably the first Civil War monument in the state and one of the earliest in the nation. Most Civil War monuments, and war monuments in general, were not built until five, ten, twenty years after the war had ended. This one though was built in 1866, less than a year after the fighting had stopped.

The monument on campus was constructed and set up in front of what was then Gorham Town Hall by Toppan Robie, father to Frederick Robie who commissioned Robie dormitory hall. It lists the names of all soldiers of Gorham who died in battle or of complications from battle in the Civil War. The gate around it was added later. Joshua Chamberlain spoke at it's opening as his company was one of many from Maine who lost men in the war. It was really hard to retrieve any information about the monument itself but I did find a photograph of Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine in Gettysburg from a reunion of soldiers in 1889.

Although this was only one group of soldiers from Maine involved in the fighting, I found two men on the statue that belonged to this group of soldiers who fought at Little Round Top in Gettysburg.

IV. The Augusta Arboretum

This is a photo of the piggery at the Hospital Farm which is now known as the Arboretum. When the park was first constructed in the early 1800s, it was used for farming and was owned by farms in the area. The State Hospital, now called the Augusta Mental Health Institute, purchased 224 acres of land for the use of their patients in 1835. Here, they raised crops and livestock as well as using the area as a recreational and exercise option for their patients. The land also gave the patients a chance to work which they believed would be good for their health. The park grew to 600 acres as the hospital grew, giving all the patients space to use. The piggery was closed and a new one built in 1896 and the farm land that was used for crops is now the park. All of this info and the photo were thanks to the dept. of conservation.


This photo, gathered off of the Maine Memory Network is a picture of a group of the Civilian Conservation Corps working in 1935. During the Depression, many groups of the CCC worked in parks. These men were from Jefferson and were WWI veterans who "built foot trails, foot bridges, hand rails, picnic tables, benches, and an artificial pond." This park has a long history in Augusta. Starting out with the Hospital and then as a work site for those who needed jobs during the Depression, it became a beautiful park neighboring a baseball field and well set from the road. It's a sort of quiet walk through park that is also a place of remembrance for a lot of families. Many plaques are placed on trees, bridges, benches, and wells throughout the park to commemorate all sorts of people. Some of those people are those who have made donations to the park but a lot of them are personal donations to put the name of loved ones there. The picture to the right I took with my mom and puppy when we were there last weekend. There were a few older couples there when I went and the people who visit the park are usually take their time examining signs and plants, looking at the bridges and little stone benches throughout the park. It's a very peaceful place. The park is significant to Augusta's history in particular as a place that has provided work, leisure, and a way to go and remember lost loved ones for families for more than 100 years.

III. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

This is Margery Gould Rath. In 1984 this cancer survivor created a walk-a-long with other volunteers and survivors. She was from Massachusetts and the first walk was in Boston but in the past 25 years, Maine's turn out for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk has been absolutely huge. I visited the walk this year (and last year as well). It was held on October 18th, 2009 starting at 1030am registration. It was a 3 mile walk with a 1 mile option around Portland. I attended with my sorority sisters, one of whom has a grandmother fighting Breast Cancer and so the walk had a lot of sentimental value as well as historic value.

This is me and my little sorority sister Casey showcasing our home-made T-shirts to the event! The picture on the right is from the American Cancer Society website for the 2009 walk.

Last year alone, the Portland walk had 3,000 participants and raised nearly $250,000 for the American Cancer Society. Though the walks have only been going on for 25 years, the Breast Cancer Walk is a huge part of the history of volunteer work in Southern Maine. Having been a part of Southern Maine's volunteer community for a few years now, this is the biggest community service walk-a-thon in the state.

The site is significant to Maine because it has helped to raise millions of dollars for the research of Breast Cancer. Every year the walk gets bigger and its impact on the community continues to get larger. Though it is not a stationary landmark, the walk occurs every year around the same time and is known to most who participate in it as a historical event in the city of Portland.

II. Gorham Academy

This is a photo of the old Gorham Academy building from the Gorham Historical Society. According to the University of Southern Maine website, "The Academy was chartered by the General Court of Massachusetts in 1803. A land grant was made to produce income, providing that the trustees raised $3,000 within a year. The required $3,000 for construction was raised and, on a lot of land given by Thomas McLellan valued at $350, the Academy was built. The building was dedicated on September 8, 1806 and was leased to the State in 1878 for the use of the new normal school for educational purposes. It still is not the property of USM, but belongs to the Gorham Academy Association."

This plaque sits outside the Academy along a stone wall near to the street. I took the picture with my phone (and am pretty impressed with the quality!) When I saw the site, I never thought much of it. Walking past the campus on the way to my dorm room, I'd seen the building without giving it much notice. When I did approach it the other day after work, I stopped to read the sign and then was more intrigued.

I've never seen anyone at the site or reading the sign and so I received more than one odd look from people driving or walking by. The site wasn't the best maintained either. The leaves weren't raked up and there was some litter on the ground.

The Gorham Historical Society lists the history of the academy as starting in 1803 with the incorporation of the Academy. (In 1800 the population is listed as being 2503). The next listing is in 1806 listing that the "Building erected to house Gorham Academy, fall semester of Academy opened September 9. Reverent Reuben Nason Preceptor. Thirty-three students enrolled." The female seminary that was dedicated in 1837 was a part of the Academy until the next year when it seperated. The building was known as many different names at different times. Those names include Gorham Academy, Gorham Male Academy, Gorham Seminary, Gorham Female Seminary and Maine Female Seminary.

The Academy "closed after having practically no enrollment in the previous two years." in 1877. This building is important to Maine History as beginning the cycle of schools in Gorham that would eventually become the University of Southern Maine as we know it now. Without this building first being dedicated in 1803, The school would not have evolved as it has over the past 200 years.