By Harriett Train
With possible new development at Cassidy Point and Merrill Marine Terminal on the Fore River, this part of Portland has been in the news quite a bit lately. It got me thinking about something I realized I didn’t know as much about as I thought I did: what has actually happened on this piece of waterfront over the years, and why this particular location has mattered to Portland’s port?
So, I decided to dig into its history.
What I found was a story that reaches much further back than the Merrill Marine Terminal. The history of this waterfront is tied to the development of Portland as a port, to the changing ways Maine moved goods, and to the connections between Maine’s inland communities, its industries and the rest of the world.
It starts with location. Along the Fore River, just inside Casco Bay, it has access to deep water, rail and major transportation routes.
The Cumberland and Oxford Canal was completed in 1830, connecting Portland’s waterfront with Sebago Lake and the interior of Maine. Goods could move inland from Portland, while lumber and other materials traveled toward the coast. Historic maps show the canal running along the Fore River through the area around what would become Thompson’s Point and the Vaughan Bridge. As railroads expanded through Maine, they offered a faster way to move freight, and the canal was abandoned in 1872. (Maine Historic Preservation Commission; Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Historic Sources of Pollution in Portland Harbor.)
The transportation system changed, but the location remained important.
Thompson’s Point developed into an important railroad and industrial area, while the shoreline changed with new industries and ways of moving goods. Through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Portland’s waterfront handled lumber, coal, fuel, paper products and other materials tied to Maine’s economy.
That history eventually brings us to the Merrill family. Paul E. Merrill purchased his first truck in 1929, beginning what became Merrill Transport Company. The business grew into a major Maine transportation operation, expanding into lumber, energy and heavy equipment. (Maine Historical Society, Records of the Merrill Companies, Coll. 2894.)
In 1979, Paul D. “P.D.” Merrill returned to Maine and took over operations of Maine Lumber Company and Eastern Pier and Coal Corporation. He became instrumental in developing Merrill Marine Terminal, which opened in 1982 and was dedicated in 1983. (Maine Historical Society, Records of the Merrill Companies, Coll. 2894.)
The terminal handled newsprint, wood pulp, coal, salt and scrap metal, with shipments involving ports from Newfoundland to Sweden, China, Thailand, Chile and Egypt. Maine Historical Society describes it as the largest dry freight marine terminal in the state. (Maine Historical Society, Records of the Merrill Companies, Coll. 2894.)
For me, this is where the history becomes particularly interesting: the cargo was never only about Portland. Salt arriving by ship could ultimately end up on roads throughout Maine. Paper and wood products connected to mills and manufacturers across the state. Coal, machinery, steel and other materials supported industries well beyond the city.
The canal mattered because it connected Portland to Maine’s interior. The railroad expanded those connections. The marine terminal continued that function in a different era, connecting Maine businesses and communities to markets by water.
Cassidy Point, then, is not just a Portland story. It is part of the transportation system connecting different parts of Maine.
Merrill Marine Terminal remained under Merrill management until 2004, when it was leased and eventually sold to Sprague Energy. Its cargoes and operators changed, but its connection to marine commerce continued. (Maine Historical Society, Records of the Merrill Companies, Coll. 2894.)
The shoreline looks very different today. Rail lines, roads, buildings and docks have changed, but the geographic advantage remains: commercial water access connected to land transportation and positioned between Portland Harbor and routes leading into Maine.
That makes the current conversation about Cassidy Point worth considering historically. If the property is developed for uses different from marine cargo, it would not erase its history. But deep water, rail, roads and industrial space in one location are a specialized combination that can be difficult to recreate.
Whatever happens next, the history is worth remembering.
For nearly two centuries, this stretch of the Fore River has helped connect Maine communities, industries and businesses to the water. From canal boats carrying goods from the interior, to railroad cars moving freight through Portland, to ships carrying cargo around the world, this waterfront has played a role in Maine’s economy far beyond the city limits.
