Working with students from McAuley High School, which is itself located on the former Smith estate, several pits were explored based on the scant knowledge known about the estate.
"Forest Home" was the beloved estate of Maine Congressman, newspaper editor, and entrepreneur, Francis Ormand Jonathan Smith (1806-1876). It was situated near Steven's Plain in the town of Deering, then a part of the city of Westbrook.
1871 Map of Deering, Maine
1871 Map of the Town of Deering, ME
The Location of Francis O.J. Smith's "Forest Home" is Shown
Photo Courtesy: Maine Historical Society - Portland, ME
In 1835, Smith commissioned noted architect, Asher Benjamin (1773-1845) to build what would become a grand residence, the scene of much "high living and lavish expenditure" as local newspaper clippings of the day described it.
Smith's legacy, as it is, remains largely unknown. In politics, he is remembered as a Jacksonian Democrat who supported the Union in the Civil War but not the abolition of slaves. His business dealings with Samuel F. Morse (1791-1872), in the invention of the telegraph, left the partnership in tatters. His prolific and provocative newspaper dealings earned him a host of enemies. His lavish lifestyle and shady banking practices left him penniless, when he died of heart disease at Forest Home in 1876.
In 1878, the estate was sold to James Phinney Baxter (1831-1921). Baxter, in turn, sold most of the estate to Bishop Healey (1830-1900) of Portland in 1881. However, Baxter tore down "Forest Home" and his son, Percival (1876-1969) deeded the remainder of the land to the City for use as a bird sanctuary in the twentieth century."
I had never previously seen any marked archaeological evidence from the multigenerational Dodge Pottery (circa 1790s-1876) in Portland until the archaeology report from this site was brought to my attention by the Maine Historical Society in Portland. The Dodges produced skilled red earthenware in a variety of forms, which included a prized vibrant green-glaze often applied to flowerpots; whereas, archaeologists recovered a marked sherd that partially read, "B. DODGE / PORTLAND," which is a very-rare impressed mark used by the Dodges in the 1800s. There are only a small amount of objects known today that bear this mark, which include a pan and flowerpot owned by Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, two flowerpots and an urn owned by the Maine Historical Society and at least one piece owned privately.
Note: There will be an article that I have written about the Dodge family's production in New Hampshire and Maine in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which is scheduled to be published in the February 2018 edition of Maine Antique Digest.
Portland Pottery Sherd Recovered at the Site of Francis O.J. Smith's Forest Home
19th Century Red Earthenware Sherd from the Benjamin Dodge Pottery in Portland, ME
The Sherd is Marked "B. DODGE / PORTLAND"
Made Before 1876
Recovered at the Site of Francis O.J. Smith's "Forest Home" in Portland
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Maine Historical Society - Portland, ME
2 comments:
Map says P Bodge
Didn't see that! But unfortunately the name is unrelated to the sherd.
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