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Stroudwater Encyclopedia

Welcome to Stroudwater.me, a place dedicated to exploring, preserving, and sharing the history of the village of Stroudwater, Maine.

Stroudwater is located in the southwest corner of Portland, bordered by the Nasons Corner and Libbytown neighborhoods to the north and east, the city of Westbrook to the west, and the city of South Portland to the south. Maine’s busiest airport, the Portland International Jetport, originally known as Stroudwater Field, is located here. Stroudwater is home to a number of historic structures, including the oldest standing publicly accessible building in Portland, the Tate House and Museum, which was built in 1755. The James Forder house, built in Stroudwater in 1730 at 1235 Westbrook Street, is recognized as the oldest house in Portland. The Stroudwater Historic District is also located here. It is home to the mouth of the Stroudwater River.

Stroudwater was founded as a hamlet which, with power generated by the Stroudwater River and Fore River, was an important producer of masts for the Royal Navy. Today, Stroudwater is considered a quiet but rapidly growing suburb of downtown Portland, though it is still officially within the city boundaries.

This site exists to bring together people who are interested in this historic village to build a collaborative community centered on genealogy, history, and shared discovery. By pooling research, documents, photographs, and personal knowledge, this project aims to create a picture of how Stroudwater evolved and fits into broader local and historical contexts.

This is a collaborative effort. Members are encouraged to contribute what they know, learn from one another, and help refine and expand the shared body of information. Over time, the goal is to build a reliable, well-documented resource that benefits both current and future researchers. Request an account today!

The project is managed by John Ellingsworth.