As hard as it is to believe, I started this website in February of 2015.

When I began, the site, then called “Found on the streets in Portland Maine, was a collection of oddities, cars. and architectural bits I had photographed around the city. That first post was a walk down Thomas Street to Spruce Street. The images were low quality and the words were few. I had no idea of how to research these homes beyond the few books I had and the 1924 tax records.

I had learned of the 1924 Tax Records from an series in the Portland Press Herald about ‘lost’ streets and houses. Portland, like many American cities, saw substantial demolition and reorganizing of streets in the 50’s, 60’s, & 70’s under the guise of ‘Urban Renewal’. The series in the Press Herald planted the seed for a ‘Then and Now’ project based on existing houses. That first post was not a hit but it garnered words of encouragement from my wife and a few others and was enough to continue.

The next month saw the “jewel box” on Vaughan Street. Here, on the 2nd post, I was looking at the 3rd John Calvin Stevens design although I was unaware of this at the time. March of 2015 also saw the first visit of the ‘Remuddlers’. Over 10 years, 41 houses have received the ‘remuddling’ badge. The term “remuddling” was created by the Old House Journal to describe remodeling that had fundamentally altered the original character of a house. 141 Neal Street met, and still meets, that definition.

Some Numbers:

• 272 articles.
• 232 separate houses looked at.
• 5 in-depth looks at notable Portlanders.
• Over 72,000 visitors.
• 235,500 words

September of 2017 saw house #100, The George West House, with house #200, The Francis Fassett House, making it’s appearance in November of 2021. In 2020 Portland House Stories even made the local news.

The most read article is The Spring Houses from August of 2016 followed by 41/99 Capisic Street from September of 2018. The ‘Temple of a Hill’ on Capisic Street is of special importance as it has been saved and restored and the telling of its story here played a small part in that. The next most popular house, 21 State Street, sits on the corner of York and State Streets and is a landmark when crossing the Casco Bay Bridge. Which would explain its popularity.

One of more interesting stories found along the way was 2-3 Mechanic Place and the sad tale of Alice Carle. That post was where I discovered a love of Greek Revival double houses. Thankfully, Portland is full of them. The carriage house on Pearl Street from July of 2015 is a perennial favorite of readers as is 102 Ashmont Street from 2022. The Ashmont Street article is among those that have elicited comments from former residents or relatives thereof. These are especially gratifying to me. Of the in-depth articles, the piece on Aurelius S Hinds of 2016 is the most popular by a wide margin.

The top 10 articles along with views.

West End Walks. The Spring houses. Of details and decay		2,230
41/99 Capisic Street						1,811
21 State Street							1,802
369-371 Cumberland Avenue					1,712
5 Eastern Promenade						1,545
Aurelius S Hinds. The story of a country boy who made good.	1,519
181 Western Promenade. House #100				1,489
318 Brighton Avenue.						1,467
46 Eastern Promenade. By Request				1,239
102 Ashmont Street						1,069

At some point, I’m not sure exactly when, I learned about city directories. Then it was census and other records found at Family Search. These greatly expanded my horizons for information. Old maps & newspapers came along adding more depth. All this while readership grew.

What’s next

• More houses. I have only ‘scratched the surface’ of Portland’s residential history.
• Requests. I have a backlog to address and am determined to cover as many as possible.
• In-Depth articles. I have one subject in mind but there will no doubt be others.
• ‘Lost houses’. I have old photos and information on houses that no longer exist but I think readers may find interesting.
• Doors. I have taken pictures of countless doors in the last 10 years. Perhaps a post or more of just doors.
• Field trips. Maine is full of interesting old homes and stories. There is a house in Buckfield that wants me to tell its story.
• More video? I have been adding vignettes of subject houses for about 2 years but I would like to develop longer items.
• City Directories. The loss of access to in-depth city directory archives has substantially limited my ability to learn about who lived in many of my subjects. I am still looking for a replacement for this data.
• Errata. I often have houses that, while interesting, do not yield a viable story. Other times, houses may have an interesting piece of history attached to them but, again, do not generate a good story. These pieces are stories that should still be told.

In closing, I would like to thank all of you, the readers, for your support. I did not start this endeavor with any idea who would read it. Your coming back and commenting is incredibly gratifying to me. I also want to thank family & friends, my wife & sister in particular, for their endless support and encouragement.

Here’s to the next 10 years!