Eastern Promenade
Encyclopedia
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
, 68.2 acres (27.6 ha) public park and recreation area in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. Construction of the Promenade began in 1836 and continued periodically until 1934. The 1.5 miles (2.4 km) park was designed by the Olmstead Brothers design firm and experienced its greatest expansion from the 1880s to the 1910s. The Promenade rings around the Munjoy Hill
Munjoy Hill
Munjoy Hill is an historically Irish-American neighborhood and prominent geographical feature of Portland, Maine. It is located east of downtown, and south of East Deering, the neighborhood it is connected to by Tukey's Bridge.-Geography:...
neighborhood and occupies the farthest eastern portion of Portland's peninsula. The Promenade is home to many historical sites, including a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
and the mast
Guyed mast
A guyed mast is a tall thin vertical structure that receives support from guy lines.Guyed masts are frequently used for radio masts. The mast can either support aerials mounted at its top, or the entire structure itself can function as an antenna ; this is called a mast radiator...
of a decommissioned US battleship.
Recreation
The Eastern Promenade includes a number of recreational facilities, including a 2.1 miles (3.4 km) mile paved trail, the East End BeachEast End Beach
The East End Beach is a small beach on the North Atlantic Ocean in Portland, Maine. It is located in the East End/Eastern Promenade neighborhood on Portland's peninsula.-External links:* Geographic Names Information System...
, and sports facilities including baseball fields, basketball courts and tennis courts. The Eastern Prom Trail is popular with bicyclists. The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum is located in Portland, Maine, United States. The organization was founded in 1993 and contains a collection of rolling stock and artifacts from the gauge narrow gauge railroads that ran in the state of Maine in the late 19th century and early...
is also located on the Eastern Promenade. The railway is a popular tourist attraction in the area and transported 30,000 people across the Promenade in 2009-2010. As of September 2010, the railway was considering moving due to financial concerns.
Fort Allen Park
Fort Allen Park is a 9.33 acres (3.8 ha) public park on the Eastern Promenade. The park is home to an American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
monument in the form of a granite bench dedicated in 1929. It honors the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
. Fort Allen Park is also the home of the mast
Guyed mast
A guyed mast is a tall thin vertical structure that receives support from guy lines.Guyed masts are frequently used for radio masts. The mast can either support aerials mounted at its top, or the entire structure itself can function as an antenna ; this is called a mast radiator...
of the USS Portland
USS Portland (CA-33)
USS Portland , the lead ship of her class of heavy cruiser, was the first ship of the United States Navy named after the city of Portland, Maine....
, a heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
commissioned by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1933.
1812 Cemetery
In December 1812, following the Battle of Queenston HeightsBattle of Queenston Heights
The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812 and resulted in a British victory. It took place on 13 October 1812, near Queenston, in the present-day province of Ontario...
during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the HMS Regulus, a British ship, docked under a truce flag in Portland's harbor en route from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
to Boston, Massachusetts due to the presence of fever, malnutrition and dysentery among the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
onboard. 29 of the prisoners were taken to the local hospital and a month later 21 of the prisoners had died. The dead soldiers were buried in a mass grave at the foot of Quebec Street on the Eastern Promenade, with a large boulder marking the spot of their grave. In 1887, a bronze plaque was affixed to the stone with the names of the dead soldiers.