Widgery Wharf is an historic wharf

Wharf

A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...

 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...

. Built in in the late 1700s, the wharf is named for the Widgery family which controlled the local molasses

Molasses

Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...

 trade at the time of completion. Members of the Widgery family include Congressman William Widgery

William Widgery

William Widgery was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Devonshire, England, Widgery immigrated to America with his parents, who settled in Philadelphia.He attended the common schools.He engaged in shipbuilding....

. The precise date of the wharf's building is unknown, with possible years including 1760, 1774 and 1777.

As of the 2000s, much of the wharf was covered during the laying of Commercial Street

Commercial Street (Portland, Maine)

Commercial Street is a street downtown Portland, Maine. In 2008, it was named one of the 10 best streets in the United States by the American Planning Association. It was built upon old piers in the 1850s. Fill was pushed into Casco Bay to accommodate the growing railroad and warehousing needs of...

 in the 1850s. Despite this, it was one of if not the oldest standing structures in Portland. Nearby Union Wharf was completed in 1793.