PORTLAND, Maine — On July 4, 1866, Portland was ravaged by a fire that was started by a child’s firecracker at the corner of York and Commercial streets. The New York Times reported that “every newspaper office, all the banks, every lawyer’s office” were destroyed.
The fire ultimately destroyed nearly one-third of the city’s commercial district. Four people were killed, 10,000 were displaced and 1,800 buildings were destroyed. At the time, it was the most destructive fire the United States had seen.
These 12 images, courtesy of the Maine Historical Society, show the destruction, and how much Portland has changed since then.
At 4:15 p.m. Monday, the city will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the fire in Monument Square.
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