Portland Observatory
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
Outside View of the Portland Observatory
Portland Observatory in 1936
Inside the Portland Observatory
View From the Top of the Observatory
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
History of the Portland Observatory
The history of the Portland Observatory, as well as the early history of Maine following the Revolutionary War, can be traced back to Captain Lemuel Moody. Although he was only eight when the war broke out in 1775, Moody began working two years later as a water boy with Captain Joseph Pride and Captain John Reed.
This early experience at sea shaped the rest of Moody’s life, and after the war, Moody left the shore to make a career as a sea captain. At the time (and although Portland was a Province of Massachusetts until 1820), Portland was one of the fastest growing port cities in the young United States.
Moody witnessed the growth of both the Portland marina as well as those of other cities, and he knew that to keep pace, Portland needed a tower so that he could view approaching vessels and alert the waterfront.
After forming the Portland Monument Ground to finance the tower and choosing the top of Munjoy Hill as its location, Moody was able to build the Portland Observatory by 1807. Known as the “Brown Tower,” the Observatory was a familiar sight in the city.
Architectural Features and Function
Although the eight-sided octagonal design for the tower may seem stylish to modern eyes, the very shape of the Observatory was essential for withstanding the harsh winds and weather blowing off the Atlantic.
The base of the structure measures 32 feet across, and it stands 86 feet tall. Within the base of the observatory, 122 tons of granite and heavy crossbeams secure and stabilize the tower. The skeleton of the Observatory includes eight 64-foot white pine timbers.
To monitor and identify ships so that he could alert the wharf of their arrival, Moody used a large telescope. When he needed to relay certain messages to the dock, he would fly sets of specifically defined from two flagpoles. Later, a third flagpole was added. By reading the groupings of flags, dockworkers would know which type of ship was approaching and how much dock space they need to reserve.
Because Moody was a captain and spent significant time atop the observatory, he also used the structure as a weather station and took careful temperature readings three times a day. From the beginning, the tower was also a tourist attraction and city landmark, and Moody would sometimes allow tourists to walk the 102 (now 103) steps to the top of the tower for a small fee.1