I’m Jake Newman. The Portland Logbook is my love letter to this city: the food worth hunting down, the history that refuses to die, the corners you only find if you’re paying attention.

Built to Burn, Meant to Be Rebuilt

Dinner was on the table. Kids were in pajamas. Most of the Old Port was quiet except for the wind. Despite the title, nothing down at Custom House Wharf was purposely built to burn. But just before sunset, a fire broke out.

A three-alarm fire means more than just urgency. It means backup from multiple departments, extra ladders, more engines, more people. It’s serious. Fortunately, its doesn’t happen often in the Old Port.

Smoke drifted across the rooftops. Flames cracked through the cold. Crews worked through the night. By morning, a chunk of one building was gone. Others were blackened and wet, still hissing from the water.

Image: Brett Klein

Thank you to the Portland Fire Department. They showed up in the dark, did the work, and made sure the harbor was still here in the morning.

Here’s the thing about Portland’s working waterfront: it’s not designed to be pristine. Or even permanent. These aren’t decorative buildings. They’re made to be used. Wood over water. Traps, tanks, coolers, bait, hoses, forklifts, buckets, patched walls, frayed extension cords. You don’t build those for forever. You build them for the season. Then the next. Then the one after that.

That’s always been true down here. This part of Portland wasn’t made for tourists, even if they walk through it now. It was made to be worked. Repaired. Replaced. People patch walls with plywood, prop beams with scrap, fix what they can and work around what they can’t.

It’s not dysfunction. It’s tradition. The kind that doesn’t have a blueprint, just someone who knows which breaker trips when the tide’s high, or which shed door sticks in the cold. Who has the keys. Who knows who to call.

That’s what gets revealed in a fire like this. Not disaster, but a system that relies on memory, muscle, and practice. Not because it’s broken. Because it works.

You can see that if you look just past the wharves we can still walk on. Look at the harbor at low tide and you’ll see the outlines, hundreds of old pilings of piers that don’t exist anymore. Posts driven deep decades ago, now standing like bones in the water. The memory of what was there. The reminder that this place was always shifting, rebuilding, moving with the tide.

Harbor Fish wasn’t hit. The wharf wasn’t lost. But a few buildings were damaged, and cleanup will take time. People will haul out what they can. Fix what’s fixable. The rest will get replaced, probably with the same kind of materials, in the same way, by the same hands.

The next morning, the harbor was steaming. A few people stood at the edge of the wharf with coffee in hand, looking at the damage. Someone walked their dog. Forklifts moved bait bins like usual.

It was scary. There was real loss. Then people got to work, cleaning up and figuring out what came next.

Most of Portland didn’t see it. That’s not because it didn’t matter. It’s because the people who keep the waterfront running were already back to work.

Winter Didn’t Shut Portland Down

Once winter really settles in, it’s easy to stay inside. Early sunsets. Cold sidewalks. The couch starts winning arguments.

But then you look at what’s actually happening around town and realize Portland didn’t slow down at all.

There’s live music at the State Theatre. Quiet stuff like Silent Reading Club at Villager. Kids baking cookies in the morning. People running straight into the ocean on January 1st. Hockey in the afternoon. Yoga in museum galleries. Trivia on a Sunday night. A donut shop reopening at six in the morning like it never closed.

Some of it’s inside. Some of it’s outside. Some of it’s for kids. Some of it’s for adults who just want to get out of the house and feel human for a few hours.

So here’s the challenge. This winter, every week, pick at least one thing from the Events List below. Just one. Put on your coat. Get off the couch. Go.

Winter’s here. Portland’s still very much alive!

If a local business hosted one winter event you’d actually attend, which would it be?

THIS WEEKS CONDITIONS
☀️ SUNRISE: 7:15 AM
🌅 SUNSET: 4:13 PM.
🌊 SEA TEMP: 42.4 °F (Casco Bay,)
✨ Local Favorite Shop of the Week: Portland Trading Co.
✨ Local Artist of the Week: Nate Garrett

🏡 I write the Logbook, and I’m also a Portland-based Realtor. If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home around here, I’m always happy to talk it through. Just hit reply.

🐾 Adoptable Buddies of the Week! 🐾

🐶 Jackson – 3 yrs
Jackson is 99 pounds of heart and energy. He’s playful, loyal, and ready to keep up with an active adult-only home without other pets. He’s working with the ARLGP Training Team, so reach out if you’re ready for a big best friend who wants to learn.

🐱 Danny – 13 yrs
Danny is an older guy with opinions and charm. He needs a quiet, cat-savvy home with patience and understanding. Give him space and he’ll meet you halfway.

🐱 Blooming Onion – 5 yrs
A big cat with a big personality. Blooming Onion takes time to warm up, but for the right person he’ll be a bold and rewarding companion. Respect earns trust.

🐕 Interested? Check them out here

If the link doesn’t open anymore, it means they’ve already been adopted!