Portland High School, Portland, Maine on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Portland High School is a
Established on Exchange Street in 1821, originally as a boys' school, Portland High School is one of the oldest high schools in the United States. Joseph Libbey was its first principal. A separate school for girls was added in 1850, and in 1863 the school moved to Cumberland Avenue, its present location. The original school building on that site, which is now the middle wing of the modern school, was originally divided into two by a brick wall running from top to bottom of the building to divide the girls from the boys. Much of the wall has been removed, but its remains can still be seen in the basement.
The main school was constructed between 1915 and 1918, according to the plaque by the front entrance. On February 15, 1919 the new Portland High School along Cumberland Avenue, opened. It was designed by Miller & Mayo. The new school had a lecture hall and mechanical arts classrooms. It also had two kitchen classrooms, three sewing rooms and two classrooms for typing. The school was added to the
Portland High School homepage
provided by schooltree.org
Portland High LacrossePortland High Football
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1821 Public high schools in Maine High schools in Portland, Maine School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine 1821 establishments in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine Portland Public Schools (Maine)
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
established in 1821 in Portland, Maine
Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...
, United States, which educates grades 9–12. The school is part of the Portland Public Schools district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
, and is one of three high schools in that district, along with Deering High School and Casco Bay High School. It is located at 284 Cumberland Avenue
Cumberland Avenue (formerly Cumberland Street; colloquially known as Cumberland Ave) is a downtown street in Portland, Maine, United States. Part of Maine State Route 100, it runs for around from Merrill Street, on Munjoy Hill, in the northeas ...
in downtown Portland. Along with its sister school, Deering High School, a family can choose which of the two to send their students to.
History
Established on Exchange Street in 1821, originally as a boys' school, Portland High School is one of the oldest high schools in the United States. Joseph Libbey was its first principal. A separate school for girls was added in 1850, and in 1863 the school moved to Cumberland Avenue, its present location. The original school building on that site, which is now the middle wing of the modern school, was originally divided into two by a brick wall running from top to bottom of the building to divide the girls from the boys. Much of the wall has been removed, but its remains can still be seen in the basement.
The main school was constructed between 1915 and 1918, according to the plaque by the front entrance. On February 15, 1919 the new Portland High School along Cumberland Avenue, opened. It was designed by Miller & Mayo. The new school had a lecture hall and mechanical arts classrooms. It also had two kitchen classrooms, three sewing rooms and two classrooms for typing. The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on November 23, 1984.
In 1989 a new annex was opened containing more classrooms, a cafeteria, a theater/auditorium (named for John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...
) and an athletic facility.
Approximately 700-1000 students are enrolled each year. In June 2010, 174 students graduated from Portland High School.
Sports
Portland High School uses the off-campus Fitzpatrick Stadium, Hadlock Field, Portland Expo, and William B. Troubh Ice Arena for the school's sporting events. The Deering High School and Portland High School football teams have played each other eachThanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...
since 1911, except for 1920 and 2020.
Notable alumni
* W. Edward Crockett, state legislator * Ted Lowry, heavyweight boxer * Wyatt Allen, Olympic gold and bronze medalist in rowing *James Phinney Baxter III
James Phinney Baxter III (February 15, 1893 in Portland, Maine – June 17, 1975 in Williamstown, Massachusetts) was an American historian, educator, and academic, who won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book ''Scientists Against Ti ...
, faculty member at Colorado College
Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...
and Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
, won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book ''Scientists Against Time''
* Paul Franklin Clark (1882–1983), bacteriologist and virologist
* John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...
(then known as John Martin Feeney), film director
* Robert Hale, U.S. Congressman (1943-1959)
* Gail Laughlin, first woman from Maine to practice law and founder of the National League for Women's Service
* Dave Littlefield, Former Major League Baseball executive, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
* John Lynch, U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
* Admiral Robert E. Peary, explorer, first to claim to reach the North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
* Quinton Porter, professional football player
* Thomas B. Reed, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...
* Lois Rice, corporate executive, scholar and education policy expert
* George Thompson Ruby, first Black graduate of Portland High School and a prominent black Republican leader in Reconstruction-era Texas
* Reginald Bartholomew, U.S. Diplomat/Ambassador (1936-2012)
* John Calvin Stevens, architect, pioneer of Shingle Style
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, MaineNotes
External links
Portland High School homepage
provided by schooltree.org
Portland High Lacrosse
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1821 Public high schools in Maine High schools in Portland, Maine School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine 1821 establishments in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine Portland Public Schools (Maine)