Built in 1875 for the Estate of Samuel Rumery.
A large Stick Style home in the West End neighborhood.
“Built for an estate” is unique to say the least.
We are looking back to May of 2015 for 380 Danforth Street. The photos were less than stellar and the story was light on history. Now, with 8, YIKES!, years of knowledge and better photo/video technology, let’s take a deeper look.
The fact that is was built for “the estate of Samuel Rumery, is certainly enough to raise interest. This reference is contained in the Portland Historic Resources Inventory of 1976. The deed history confirms this and only adds to the story.
Samuel Rumery was born in Eastport in 1826 and started working in the canning industry there in the mid 1840’s. He married Rachel Ann Card, also of Eastport, in 1850. Samuel and George Burnham formed Rumery & Burnham Packing in Portland in 1852. In 1855 Samuel & Rachel adopted a newborn who they named Samuel Dayton. This is a bit of an odd situation as there are records of Samuel being born to the couple but deeds, and other documents, state repeatedly that he was adopted. They lived on Myrtle Street, just off Congress.
Clipping from the January 5, 1867 Portland Daily Press. Newspapers.com
in 1867, Samuel Rumery & George Burnham dissolved their partnership. Both partners would go onto much bigger things with Burnham partnering with George Morrill to form Burnham & Morrill, B&M, Canning. Rumery partnered with James P Baxter & William G Davis to for the Portland Packing Company. That very same year, they won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition.
Star Brand Lobster label from 1867. Maine Memory Network
Advertising card for the Portland Packing Company. Ca: 1870. Maine Memory Network
Samuel Rumery died of heart disease March 12 of 1873. He was 46 years old. At the time of his death, the family was living on Deering street. His estate was valued at $248,235.25
Samuel’s will was complex and gave Rachel the house on Deering and shares of the other properties he owned. These included the house on Myrtle street as well as several factory and warehouse locations. It also gave Rachel $100,000 in cash and bonds. Samuel Dayton also received shares to be held by a trustee as he was not yet of age. Another requirement of the will was that a home be built for Samuel Dayton when he did come of age. This is where the story of 380 Danforth Street begins.
In December of 1874, Edward Noyes, acting as the trustee for Samuel Rumery’s Estate, purchased a lot of land on Danforth Street from Harriet Pope. She had inherited the land from her father, Thomas R Jones, who was a somewhat successful merchant. Edward Noyes was the assistant treasurer for the Portland Savings Bank. He also lived next door. It was on the lot that our subject was built.
The main block of 380 Danforth Street measures 20′ on the street and is 64′ deep. It is 2 full stories with a third in the garret. On the northeast side, there is an ell that starts at 9′ and grows to 12′ wide. On the southeast side, there is a 9′ x 15′ projection housing the entry. A small bay, with very tall windows, projects from the street facade.
Edward Noyes was not Samuel Rumery’s first choice as trustee. He had named his brother-in-law, William Dennett, for the role but William declined. Rachel declined as well. Edward was the third name given and he accepted. Noyes and the administrator of the will, Frederick Fox, ended up in court over provisions of the will and how they were executed with Noyes being given all the remaining assets of the estate after Rachel was paid.
Samuel Dayton Rumery married Emeline Rollins in October of 1875. Emeline was born in Vassalboro in 1859. Her parents, George & Margaret, were farmers. Emeline’s brothers, Albert & Fred, both came to Portland and lived for various periods of time, with the Rumerys. There were 3 children born to Samuel & Emeline, Ralph in 1876, Harold in 1878, and Margaret in 1882. Samuel & Fred operated Rollins & Rumery Coffee and Spice Mill on Fore Street before moving to Commercial Street until the partnership dissolved in 1882. After that, Samuel ran the business under his own name.
Portland Daily Press. October 3, 1895. Newspapers.Com
The trustee/estate status of 380 Danforth’s creation led to some unexplained machinations of deeds. In 1880/1881, Samuel & Emmeline Rumery & Edward Noyes exchanged no less than 6 deeds for the property. In 1891, a further 2 deeds were exchanged which left ‘official’ ownership in the hands of Edward Noyes. It would remain in his name until 1911 when he transferred it to his son, Sidney. Interestingly, the 1910 city directory showed the house as vacant.
Sidney Webb Noyes was born in 1879. He graduated from Portland High School and Bowdoin College. Sidney married Abby Clark of Bath in 1906. They 4 sons and a daughter. He worked as a stock broker with an office on upper Exchange Street. The Noyes family lived at 380 Danforth Street until 1919 when it was sold to an ophthalmologist named Albert Moulton and his wife Alice.
380 Danforth Street checks nearly every box for the Stick Style then adds some extra bits for good measure. The Stick Style is defined by the applied elements, ‘sticks’, that in theory articulated the structural elements of the building. Here on Danforth Street, as in many cases, the applied elements don’t so much speak of the structure as much as give a glimpse of interior spaces. Although the style saw its antecedents in the 1850s as a much less ornamental expression, the style was very mature by the time of the construction of our subject. The addition of spiral columns, cabochons , and other decorative elements show where the style was headed into what is known as the Queen Anne Style. 380 Danforth Street has no architect attribution. In his 2003 catalog of John Calvin Stevens work on the Portland peninsula, Earle Shettleworth Jr had noted Stevens did ‘alterations’ to the home in 1881.
Albert W Moulton was the son of an ophthalmologist. Born in 1887, Albert attended Portland High and Bowdoin College from where he graduated in 1909. Albert followed his father as an ophthalmologist. He married Alice Turner of South Portland in 1914. They had 2 sons before purchasing our subject. The Moulton’s lived here until 1928.
Clipping from the December 14, 1919 Portland Sunday Telegram. Newspapers.Com
380 Danforth Street in 1924. Maine Memory Network
In 1928, 380 Danforth Street was purchased by Lillian Melaugh. Lillian Conneen was born in Portland in 1881. In 1908 she married Frederick Melaugh who was born in Portland in 1877. Frederick worked as a clerk in various fields and was the president of JH McDonald Seafood on Commercial Street. Lillian was McDonald’s niece. In 1927, she was given all the “residual estate, real, personal, or otherwise” in James H McDonald’s will. Lillian & Fred Melaugh had 2 sons. In 1936, they sold the property to Royal Realty.
When Royal Realty bought 380 Danforth Street in 1936, it became a rental property. Royal owned it until 1943 but the next owner did not live here full-time and rented it as well. During the time of Royals ownership, it was occupied by Harry & Clara Freeman and their son and daughter along with various lodgers. Harry worked as a clerk for different businesses in the city. Harry was from Prospect ME where he was born in 1881. His father died when he was young and his mother, who was 17 when he was born, raised him on her own. Clara Chace was born in Providence RI in 1884. Her father was a salesman. When she came to Maine is not clear but, by the 1910 census, Clara was living in the Shaker Community at SabbathDay Lake and working as a teacher. She and Harry married in Portland in 1914. At that time, Clara was working as a nurse.
Lt. Colonel William M. Altenburg 1942-45. Kennesaw State University, Department of Archives, Rare Books and Records Management.
William & Barbara Altenburg resided at 380 Danforth Street during 1947-48. William grew up on State Street and attended Portland High, Bowdoin College, and the Harvard School of Business. He worked in research for a Boston shoe company before the war when he served in the Air Corps. He married Barbara Underhill of Manchester NH in 1938. They had 2 sons. William was the treasurer of the Portland Pipe Line in South Portland along with running his own industrial research lab in the Chapman Building.
From 1949 t0 1959, 380 Danforth Street was occupied by Murray & Pauline Strout. He was a Windham native born in 1915. He married Mary Pauline O’Conner of Portland in 1944. She was his 3rd wife. Murray worked as a truck driver and as a sheet metal worker. They had no children.
In 1959, Harry and Irene Freeman purchased 380 Danforth Street. Harry was the son of Harry and Clara Freeman. He was a building contractor. The Freeman family remained here until 2004. The current owners purchased the home in 2017.
380 Danforth Street is listed as a 3-family home. The condition is very good.
Portland House Stories 