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Munjoy Hill is a neighborhood and prominent geographical feature of
Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
. It is located east of downtown and south of
East Deering Portland, Maine, is home to many neighborhoods. Arts District Portland's Arts District is based around Congress Street in downtown Portland. The District includes the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum of Maine, the Maine College o ...
, the neighborhood it is connected to by Tukey's Bridge. The neighborhood historically had a large Irish and Italian American population.


Geography

At the northeastern end of Portland's peninsula, Munjoy Hill overlooks the downtown and harbor to the south,
Casco Bay Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its s ...
and its islands to the east and north, and shallow Back Cove to the west. The
Eastern Promenade The Eastern Promenade (Eastern Prom) is a historic promenade, public park and recreation area in Portland, Maine. Construction of the Promenade began in 1836 and continued periodically until 1934. The park was designed by the Olmsted Brothers de ...
rings the neighborhood and offers panoramic views of these features, as well as two lighthouses, Mason Station power plant, and the stone battlement of Fort Gorges. Though less than a mile from the heart of downtown Portland and Interstate Highway 295, Munjoy Hill is relatively free of traffic. While densely settled, it is almost exclusively residential and due to the shape of the peninsula it is isolated from the major commuter routes. Congress Street, downtown Portland's main artery, ends quietly at the Eastern Promenade. Washington Avenue, crossing from the other side of Back Cove, might be considered the boundary of the neighborhood, with Fox Street and India Street areas merging into the downtown and Bayside areas. The most significant land feature of Munjoy Hill is Eastern Promenade, a park designed by the
Olmsted Brothers The Olmsted Brothers company was a landscape architectural firm in the United States, established in 1898 by brothers John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920) and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957), sons of the landscape architect Frederick Law O ...
design firm, as was Baxter Boulevard, which rings part of Back Cove. This Olmsted park has water vistas wrapping from the sunset view at the Loring memorial above the shore for over a mile to a sunrise view over the Calendar Islands of Casco Bay and Portland Head Light, and ending at Fort Allen Park with a full sweep of Portland Harbor. The park includes a series of broad rolling fields, public gardens, monuments, playgrounds and ball courts on top of the bluff and, along the waterfront, East End Beach, picnic areas, and a municipal boat launch. The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum operates 2-foot gauge steam and diesel tourist trains along the Casco Bay shore of the peninsula. The shoreway trail, which begins in South Portland, runs next to the railroad line and connects with the Baxter Boulevard trail, all suitable for walking, running, and cycling. The small public beach is a favorite of kayakers, families, and, after 5 PM, dog owners and their pets. The launch is often used to ferry heavy equipment to the city's outlying islands, including
Peaks Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...
, Little Diamond and Great Diamond Islands. Near the northern end of the Eastern Promenade, a monument to
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
pilot Charles J. Loring, Jr. offers sunset viewing over Back Cove, plus an occasional glimpse of Mount Washington, about away in
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
's White Mountains. Another park, Fort Sumner Park (also known as Standpipe Park), on North Street, offers views of downtown. The East End Beach is a small beach on the eastern side of Munjoy Hill.


Prominent buildings

At the center of Munjoy Hill, on the crest of the hill (between Kellogg and St Lawrence Streets) are the Portland Observatory, the neighborhood fire station (housing Engine 1, Ladder 1, and Ladder 5) and Hilltop Superette. Nearby on Congress Street are a laundromat, Rosemont Market, Hilltop Coffee, and three restaurants – Blue Spoon, The Front Room, and Lolita. Housing in the neighborhood is a mix of single- and multi-family structures. There are many triple-deckers, especially on Vesper, Morning, and North Streets. Many of these are rental units, with some condominiums. Only a small proportion have more than three units. Until March 2006, the neighborhood had two elementary schools, Jack Elementary School and the Marada Adams School. Jack was found to be contaminated with mold, closed and was demolished. Its students were relocated to other city schools pending the construction of a unified East End School to replace both Jack and Adams. The East End School opened to students in September 2006. The local polling place and public library branch services from the Adams school were moved to the East End School as well. The Portland Public Library's Munjoy Hill branch, within the East End school, was closed in 2010. The space now holds the school's own library. There is a small, arts-based, neighborhood preschool, on Lafayette Street, called The Schoolhouse. The St. Lawrence Arts Center is home to Good Theater Productions and other arts events year-round. The J.J. Nissen Bakery building on Washington Avenue at its peak employed around 250 workers. It ceased production in 1999 and was then converted into office space.


Education

Beginning in 2006, the neighborhood was served by the East End Community School, which was built following the closure of Jack Elementary and Marada Adams schools.


Parks

Munjoy Hill is home to a number of parks. The
Eastern Promenade The Eastern Promenade (Eastern Prom) is a historic promenade, public park and recreation area in Portland, Maine. Construction of the Promenade began in 1836 and continued periodically until 1934. The park was designed by the Olmsted Brothers de ...
is one of Portland's most scenic and highly used public spaces. Other parks include Fort Sumner Park (also called Standpipe Park) on North Street. The park is now privately owned, and the origin of the name is unknown. In the 1950s and '60s - perhaps earlier - neighbors referred to it as "Shailer Park", likely due to its being next door to Shailer School. When publicly owned, it was officially Fort Sumner Park, named for the fort which had been located there. (The area at the end of North Street named erroneously on many maps as Fort Sumner Park is Loring Memorial Park. There was a stand pipe in the area, but it, and a reservoir, was located at the corner of North and Walnut Street where there are now apartments.)


Fort Allen Park

Fort Allen Park, which covers and abuts the Eastern Promenade to the south, was built in the 1890s, designed by the city's Chief Engineer William Goodwin and backed by Mayor James P. Baxter, according to a plaque in the park. Fort Allen was probably originally built in 1775, may have served as part of
Fort Sumner Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo. History On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of For ...
, and was rebuilt by the city and used to guard Portland during the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
due to its high vantage point overlooking
Casco Bay Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its s ...
. The park is home to a 6-inch gun from the (the ship whose explosion in Havana, Cuba started the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...
), the foremast and bridge structure of the
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
cruiser , two Civil War-era 4.5-inch siege rifles, an
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
memorial bench A memorial bench, memorial seat or death bench is a piece of outdoor furniture which commemorates a dead person. Such benches are typically made of wood, but can also be made of metal, stone, or synthetic materials such as plastics. Typically mem ...
erected in 1929, and an historic bandstand which was built in the 1890s. In 2012, a local non-profit group, Friends of the Eastern Promenade, sought to restore Fort Allen Park to its original look. As of 2016 this has resulted in additional interpretive plaques throughout the park, along with other improvements. Some sources state that Fort Allen dates from 1775 and was originally named for Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen. It was initially a half-moon battery mounting five guns. After 1794 it may have served as the "detached battery" of nearby
Fort Sumner Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo. History On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of For ...
, as described in the
Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
's report for 1811.Wade, p. 241 Fort Allen was rebuilt in 1814 with city resources, adding a magazine and barracks due to the British capture of Eastport and Castine in the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
.Portland forts at NorthAmericanForts.com
/ref> A plaque at the park states that at this time it was named for Master Commandant
William Henry Allen Master Commandant William Henry Allen (October 21, 1784 – August 18, 1813) was an American naval officer during the War of 1812. Early life Allen was born in Providence, Rhode Island and was appointed a midshipman in the United States Navy on ...
, a naval officer mortally wounded in the War of 1812.


Notable residents

*
Justin Alfond Justin Loring Alfond (born January 8, 1975) is an American politician and real estate developer. He served as a Democratic State Senator from the 8th District, which represents much of Portland. Alfond was first elected to the State Senate in 20 ...
, state legislator * Joseph E. Brennan, Governor of Maine (1979–87) and Congressman (1987–91) * Benjamin F. Dudley, state legislator *
John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
, film director * J. Elizabeth Mitchell, state legislator and healthcare advocate * Anne Rand, state legislator *
Diane Russell Diane Marie Russell (born August 9, 1976) is an American politician who served in the Maine House of Representatives. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Political career When Russell first ran for the State House in 2008, she was workin ...
, state legislator


See also

*
Seacoast defense in the United States Seacoast defense was a major concern for the United States from its independence until World War II. Before airplanes, many of America's enemies could only reach it from the sea, making coastal forts an economical alternative to standing armies o ...


References


Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization

History of Portland, Maine (1865)


* *


External links


City of Portland, Maine

Portland Observatory -- Greater Portland Landmarks

St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center



Portland Fire Department -- Munjoy Station

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum

Historic District
{{Portland, Maine Geography of Portland, Maine Irish-American culture in Maine Irish-American neighborhoods Italian-American culture Neighborhoods in Portland, Maine