Built in 1870 for Woodbury Davis. Possibly designed by Francis Fassett
Alternative address is 1-7 Mellen Street

An iconic Italianate in the Congress Street Historic District.

This is part 2 of a 2 part look at 727 Congress Street. Part 1 looked at the life and times of the original owner, Woodbury Davis and his family.

After Woodbury Davis died in 1871, his wife, Caroline or Carrie, and daughter lived here until early 1874 when Carrie sold it to James T Champlin.

The Reverend James Tift Champlin was a native of Colchester CT where he was born in 1811. He graduated from Brown University, with the highest honors of his class, in 1834. he tutored at Brown from 1835 to 1838 when he became the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Portland. He was named professor of Ancient Languages at Waterville College in 1841. He married Mary Anne Pierce, a born in Providence RI in 1815, in Portland in 1839. The Champlins had 4 children.

In 1847, James Champlin was named president of Waterville College. He held the post until 1872. In 1865, a Bowdoinham native named Gardner Colby gave a matching grant of $50,000 to the college. In 1867, Waterville College became Colby College.

When James Champlin retired from Colby College in 1872, he and Mary moved back to Portland. Where they lived until 1874 is not clear. It may have been with James Jr and his family on Spring Street. It wasn’t for long as in February of 1874, James & Mary bought our subject from Carries Davis for what was termed on the deed as ‘valuable consideration’. When the 1880 census was taken, the couple was living here with their son Augustus, their widowed son-in-law Henry Burrage & his sons Champlin & Thomas and 2 Canadian born servants Sadie McKay and Cassie McCarthy. Henry Burrage had married Caroline Champlin in Waterville in 1873. Caroline died after giving birth to Thomas in 1875. Henry married Ernestine Giddings in 1881.

James Champlin died in March of 1882. Mary continued to live at 727 Congress Street until her death in May of 1892. Her heirs then sold the property to Dr Henry Merrill. Merrill was born on a farm in Andover ME in 1841. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1866 and married Mary Hodges in Providence RI in 1869. He was a surgeon who worked for the Grand Trunk Railroad as well as the Maine Eye & Ear Infirmary and the city Board of Health. The Merrills had 6 children including 2 sons who became doctors. Henry contracted small pox in 1902 and, according to his obituary, never completely recovered. He died in 1905. In 1907, Mary Merrill sold our subject to Charles Dalton. Dalton immediately sold it to Norman True.

The entrance to 727 Congress Street is imposing. The raised basement and steps with their heavy cheek walls lead the eye upward to the portal. The paired columns with Corinthian capitals are elegant and are matched with pilasters that flank the heavily molded entry. The doors may be original but that is hard to determine from the street. An arched transom window caps the doors. All this is covered by a flat roofed hood that carries the same details as the cornice. The 1924 tax photo shows a balustrade once surrounded the element

Norman True was a real estate dealer who lived on Forest Avenue in the Riverton neighborhood. 72 Congress Street became rental spaces that were often taken by doctors thus earning it’s place in ‘Physicians Row’, a nickname this side of Congress from State to Grove, now Deering Avenue, Streets. Looking at the 1910 city directory, we find the following;

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In 1913 Norman True sold 727 Congress Street to a native of Athens Maine named Joseph H Rines. RInes was a dry goods merchant. He and his brothers John, David & Albert ran ‘Rines Brothers Stores’ and the Congress Square Hotel. He married Anna Pritchard in her hometown of Jersey City NJ in 1883. They had 2 sons and a daughter who died at the age of 8. The Rines lived at 769 Congress. Henry RInes died in 1919. His heirs sold our subject to Harris & Barnet Feuerman in 1923.

The 1926 city directory shows 7 people at 727 Congress Street 4 were definitely residents.

1. Dr Gerald W Clifford, dentist
2. Dr Philip E Young, osteopath
3. Mabel W Frobock, chiropractor
4. Charles N Cunningham, gun repair
5. Maude E Bishop, a self-employed dress maker
   2 other names are listed here but I cannot find any information on what they did for work.
6. G Patrick Wood
7. Agnes M Foster

When Barnet & Harris Feuerman purchased 727 Congress Street from the Rines family in 1923, they took a $25,000 mortgage from the Portland Savings Bank. The note carried 6% interest and was to be paid within 1 year. Somehow, the mortgage was carried until July of 1937 when the bank foreclosed. The Portland Savings Bank retained ownership until January of 1944. The 1941 city directory listing for our subject is notable in that there are no doctors listed.

1. Virginia W Chapman Virginia was a divorcee who was a hat maker.
2. Louise Pelton Louise was a widow who shared an apartment with Virginia Chapman.
3. Gertrude Warren Gertrude was a telephone operator
4. Emma J Webber Emma was a widow
5. Estella H DeCoteau Estella was a maid at the Eastland Hotel

Ownership of 727 Congress Street was fairly stable for some 40 years. When the Portland Savings Bank sold it in 1944, the buyer was a clothier originally from Russia/Poland named Samuel Bramson. Samuel and Annie Bramson lived on Park Avenue at the corner of Mellen Street. They had 22 children. After his death in 1948, Annie inherited the property and owned it until 1954 when she sold it to Edythe Field. Edythe’s husband, Michael, was a dentist who was practicing here in 1963 but they did not live here.

Along with Michael Field, 1963 also found the following here:

• Frank E Richardson. Frank was a chiropractor who lived here as well.
• Eleanor Dudely
• Charles Delong. Charles was the maintenance man for the building.
• H Viola Smithson
• Mrs Frederick Atkins
• Gertrude Warren. Gertrude had retired from the phone company by this time.

Edythe Field sold our subject to Carroll & Lorraine Nevers of South Portland in 1969. Carroll ran a painting & wallpapering company. The Nevers sold 727 Congress Street in 1984. It was converted to condominiums sometime around 1994.

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