Gorham Historic District

The town of Gorham is located northwest of Portland, Maine, inland from the coast of southern Maine. The town's early settlement began in the 1730s, but it did not grow significantly until the 1750s. By then, the area that is now the center had begun to take shape, with School Street (Maine State Route 114) running north-south, and Main Street (United States Route 202) running east-west, accompanied by a small grid of side streets. The only surviving 18th-century buildings in the town center are the First Congregational Church (1797), and a 1760s house that was moved into the center area in the 1830s. The remaining buildings were built mostly in the 19th century, in a variety of styles. The town's growth was influenced by the founding of Gorham Academy, which opened in 1806, and whose campus, located immediately northwest of the center, is now home to the University of Southern Maine. Most of the buildings in the district are residential houses built of wood; there are a few prominent brick commercial buildings located on School Street and at its junction with Main Street.[2]

The district is roughly L-shaped, extending from the junction of School and Main north and west, including properties on the north side of Main Street between School and Academy Streets, on the south side of College Avenue between those two streets, and along School Street from Main to a point a short way north of Church Street. It covers about 25 acres (10 ha), and includes 42 buildings, all of which are historically significant.[2]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Maine