The Portland daily press., 1881-05-20
ANOTHER LANDMARK GONE.
Removal of the Old Mcclellan House on
Congress Street,


Down tile old house goes
! The removal of we'll known dwellirs
which stood nearly alone, and was a land
mark at the commencement of the present Ger
fury awakens an interest to know its agp, 1T
builder, and its subsequent history.
A few days ago noticed that the Josepl
Mcclellan house on Congress, above Brown
street, was undergoing the process of demoi
ton. fortunately have it in my power to Fl,
the date of its erection from rnque stionablt
notwithstanding less than the testimony un
der oath OF one of its builders given in 1903.
will give it in his own words:
"T, William Mcclellan of Gorham. aged sew
enty-fve years, testify and say, that about the
year 1746, my father, Mr.. Hugh Mcclellan
late OF 0orham, WHO lived there at that time
being IN fear OF the Indians, purchased of Mr.
Stephen Jones of Falmouth, now Portland
i've acres OF land, and my mother with four OF
her other children and myself, moved to said
Falmouth into room which my father pro-
cured OF John Miller. About week after we
moved down, went to live with Rev. Mr..
Smith and lived with him about two months
and then went to Gorham. In the fall of the
year after Governor Shirley's treaty was made
If54) my father and [ began to frame house,
and the next spring it was brought down and
raised upon the said lot, and we worked upon
1t and hired men to help us, and when it was
nearly finished, my father conveyed said lot
and house to my brother-in-laW, Capt. Joseph
Mcclellan, who has lived in said house to this
time (18O8) have lived in Gorham but have
been in Falmouth and Portland and have seen
the same every year since"
Capt. Joseph Mcclellan, son of Bryce, who
lived at tie easterly end of High street, had
formed matrimonial alliance with Mary, a
RI ,far, Of =
house and lot was presented to his son-in-law
on their marriage. Capt Joseph Mcclellan
was for many years most prominent citizen,
and treasurer of the county, and in connection
with his son, Mayor Hugh, was the largest
ship owner in Maine. They were among the
founders of Union Wharf in 1893, and were
the first to occupy it after its completion.
They had previously occupied wooden store
where Blake's bakery now is, in the corner of
the five acre lot. The firm of Joseph McLel-
Ian and son, were nearly as well-known in
Liverpool as at home, but with most other bus
ness men, they were entirely Frustrated by the
embargo and non-intercourse laws which be-
gun in 1907 and continued to the close of the
war of 1872. Joseph Mcclellan died in 1916.
in the house where he had lived sixty years,
aged Sc.
AT the time that house was erected it was the
most easterly house on "Main," now Congress,
street except two-Benjamin Larrabee's one
story house near where Oak street enters Con-
gress, and which within my recollection was
occupied by his daughter, Mrs. DAME. Green,
where she died. The ether was Joshua
Brackets, on Congress, near the head of
High street, both on the northerly side of the
only country road, now Congress street. Ex-
cept where the woods interviewed there was
then an unobstructed view from the Mcclellan
house, of the harbor and islands, and of Back
Cove and the houses on its margin. When the
house was built it stood in the midst of large
garden. and consisted of two parts. The two
story or main house stood as it did lately, but
several rods further back. From the north
east side, at right angle and parallel to the
street, extended one story wing of two rooms
in length, with dormer windows; in the cen
ter of this wing was the main entrance the
door of which bore heavy brass knocker of or
namental design. The walks were neatly
kept, and were bordered with overgrown box
At the time of my first knowledge of the
house-nearly sixty years ago-it was occupied
by Charles Morris, of the firm of Haines &
Morris, grocers, who had a store below. Sub
sequently while on its original site, it was &C.
cupied by Deacon Joseph Libby, and by Dr.
Eliphalet Clark.
In October, 1912, about II o'clock p. m, a
fire broke out in a two story wooden building
next below the house in question, occupied by
George Clark cabinet maker. A northwest
wind was blowing nearly gale, which drove
the fire first to a three story tavern house on
the corner Of Brown street, which it crossed
and swept away all the buildings on both sides
to Free street, except the Davies house on the
lower corner, (now Asa Hanson's, corner of
Congress and Oak streets) The fire turned up
Free street consuming the Parson Kellogg
house, then owned by Benjamin Willis, and
occupied by his son, VIM. Willis. AT the
commencement of this fire the Mcclellan
house took, and was with difficulty kept from
burning with buckets-all the engines being
required to prevent the spread of the fire at
the leeward. At the time of this fire the Nc
Lellan house was occupied by Butterfeld of
the firm Of ''Butterfield & Small, )" in the Nor
ton block. In the rear of the house, with the
entrance below the firm had yard for the
p,iling Of cooper's lumber. Of which there was
then large quantity which was saved.
In about 1S45 to Z, the heirs of Capt Arthur
Mcclellan decided the Joseph Mcclellan house
and lot-175 feet on the street and 100 feet
deep-to Mighill Nutting, a painter, who
took in several partners, includingiJ ames APP
pletoD, Jr., who finally became owner of the
lower half, and in 1858 decided So feet on Con-
gress street to Eben Steele and Neal Dow
Mr.. Dow is the present owner.
The one story wing of the house was de-
tatched by Nutting, and in 1866 was removed.
1t is now the western-most house but one on
the southerly side of treble street: the origi-
nal projecting windows on the roof are yet in
place.
There are only two, known to be, older
houses than the one described, in the city
Windham, May 16. W. G.