Ephraim Sturdivant
Posted on: June 28, 2021 - 11:40am
(Photos Courtesy of Prince Memorial Library)
Tucked along Foreside Road, is the home of Captain Ephraim Sturdivant (1772-1868), who is credited with naming Cumberland!
Ephraim went to sea at age 12 and gained command of a vessel before he was 21. He participated in the war of 1812 after he received permission to operate the Reaper and Ilsley as privateers. He married three times between 1809 and 1843 and fathered 21 children. He also served in the Maine legislature and as town selectman and treasurer for many years.
In 1810, his home at 114 Foreside Road was built. The interior woodwork was lavish for the time, with flourishes like a ribbon carving round the fireplace, chair rail, and cornice. On the hill behind the home stood 12 tall pines recognized by ships mooring in Portland Harbor as the Twelve Apostles; the last of these pines fell in 1935.