One of the things I love about working in real estate is how often it makes me notice the streets in Portland that I’ve driven down a hundred times but never really thought about. I was working on a house on Brackett Street recently, digging through old maps and recent sales, when I had a pretty basic question: who was Brackett?

That’s how I found an old document called The Origins of the Street Names of the City of Portland, Maine. Norm and Althea Green spent two years researching the stories behind all 850 streets on Portland’s list at the time. Their reason for doing it was pretty much the same question I had: who were these streets actually named for?

Brackett Street was named for Anthony Brackett, an early Portland landowner. At one point, he owned half of Peaks Island, a huge stretch of land along what is now Congress Street, and hundreds of other acres around Portland.

Once I started looking, some names I’ve heard forever suddenly made more sense. Munjoy Hill comes from George Munjoy, an early landowner on the hill whose family name back in England had actually been Mountjoy.

Spring Street is even more literal. There was an actual spring along the route, near where the Veteran Firemen’s Hall later stood. When the street was first laid out in 1754, the directions simply described it as running “as far as the spring.”

And Silver Street got its name from the silversmith shops that lined it in the late 1700s.

James Phinney Baxter took it even further and named eight Portland streets after his children. All eight are still here today: Alba, Percival, Clinton, Hartley, Madeline, Florence, Mabel and James.

Malilly Road has a different kind of family story. Developer Robert Carney combined the name of his wife, May, with his sister, Lillian.

May + Lillian = Malilly.

A lot of the Portland streets we know today used to have completely different names.

Center Street used to be Love Lane.

That’s the little street between Yosaku and Bread & Friends with that crazy crosswalk. And Love Lane wasn’t just some later nickname. The name shows up in Portland records going back to at least the 1700s. When Danforth Street was laid out in 1792, the directions actually started at Love Lane.

I really wanted there to be a great explanation for why it was called Love Lane, but frustratingly, the old records I found don’t say. There’s a longtime story that it was once a dark, secluded lane where couples could disappear for a while, which would certainly explain the name, but I couldn’t find anything solid enough to say that for sure.

Congress Street had a few names before it became Congress. It started as Country Road because it was the route between the country and the harbor. Then it became Back Street because Fore and Middle streets were already there and this road ran behind them. After that, it was Queen Street. The name Congress started being used for part of the street in 1823, and by 1837 the road had officially become Congress Street.

Exchange Street was originally called Fish Street when it was laid out in 1724. It was one of the main routes down to the wharves. By the early 1800s, banks, brokers and insurance companies had started filling the street, which the Greens believed is where the name Exchange Street came from.

There are little pieces of old Portland sitting on street signs all over the city. Some remember the people who owned the land. Others remember someone’s kids, an old business, or a version of Portland that doesn’t exist anymore.

I walk through Congress Square almost every day, so I’ve been watching this little wooden structure go up beside the Portland Museum of Art.

And don’t be alarmed, it is not the big PMA expansion. At least not yet.

It’s actually a temporary outdoor pavilion called PMA | AMP, and it opens this Friday. It’s on the same site where the museum eventually plans to expand, and it’ll be free for anyone to use for art, music, films, workshops and whatever else they end up doing there. Portland artist Jenna Pirello also painted a new mural for the space.

It’s built mostly from Maine timber, and the whole thing was designed to eventually come apart. When they start building the actual expansion, the pavilion can be moved and reused somewhere else.

It opens Friday, which also happens to be First Friday. Caroline’s Cup will be there in the morning, Mr. Tuna is setting up a mobile sushi bar from 11 to 3, there’s drop-in printmaking from noon to 6, and music throughout the day.

🐶 Kiko – 4 yrs
A gentle, loyal guy who loves belly rubs, couch cuddles, and being part of the family. Kiko is ready to be someone’s best friend.

🐶 Lucky – 1½ yrs
80 pounds of goofy puppy energy. Lucky can be a little nervous, but once he trusts you, he’ll stick to you like glue. He just needs someone to show him the world isn’t so scary.

🐱 Charlie – 5 yrs
Sweet, a little spicy, and very handsome. Charlie needs someone who understands cats and will give him time to settle in. Earn his trust and you’ll have a pretty special little roommate.


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

Back Cove Books Presents: An Evening with Lois Lowry & Rebecca Traister @ Westbrook Performing Arts Center | 6:30 pm | 🎟️ $12

Destroyer (solo) with Ryley Walker @ SPACE | 8 pm | 🎟️ $30

Southern Culture On The Skids w/ Poi Rogers @ Portland House of Music | 8 pm | 🎟️ $29.50

Author Talk: Mia Millefoglie @ 519 Congress Street | 7 pm | 🎟️ $10

Spencer Krug (of Wolf Parade & Sunset Rubdown) with Is She? @ SPACE | 8 pm | 🎟️ $20

Maine State Chamber Annual Meeting, Dinner & Gubernatorial Debate @ Cross Insurance Arena | 5 pm | 🎟️ $

PSO Chamber Brass & Brews @ Oxbow Beer Garden | 5:30 pm | Free

Eureka Day @ Mad Horse Theatre | 7:30 pm | 🎟️ $4

A Dolly & Tim Curry Variety Show: Be It On Purpose! @ Geno's Rock Club | 7:30 pm | 🎟️ $10.25

Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band @ Cross Insurance Arena | 7:30 pm | 🎟️ $121

The New Pornographers @ State Theatre | 8 pm | 🎟️ $40

An Evening with Min Jin Lee @ First Parish Church | 7 pm | 🎟️ $10

Equal Measure Arts Emerging Artist Showcase @ One Longfellow Square | 7 pm | 🎟️ $30

Horse Lords with An Anderson and Grace Bedwell @ SPACE | 8 pm | 🎟️ $18

Maine Craft Weekend 2026 Begins @ Statewide | Free

Alien Ant Farm @ Oxbow Blending & Bottling | 6:30 pm | 🎟️ $33

Queer Makers' Market @ Congress Square Park | 11 am | Free

October 4th Century Bike Challenge @ Bike Coalition of Maine | 8 am | Free

Convinced Friend + Chico States + TBA @ Blue | 7 pm | 🎟️ $12.30

Until next week,
— Jake Newman