Editing Cape Elizabeth, Maine (section)

==History==

First explorations by the Kingdom of Spain set a map with the location of Cape Elizabeth, naming it "Cabo de Arrecife" in 1525. 
English explorer [[Bartholomew Gosnold]] arrived at Cape Elizabeth in May 1602, during his explorations of what would later be called [[New England]]. At the southern tip of the promontory, [[Richmond Island]] was visited around 1605 by French explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] and was the site of a [[trading post]] in 1628. [[John Smith (explorer)|John Smith]] explored and mapped New England in 1615, and gave names to places mainly based on the names used by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]]. When Smith presented his map to [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]], he suggested that the king should feel free to change any of the Indian names to English ones. The king made many such changes, but only four survive today, one of which is Cape Elizabeth, which Charles named in honor of his sister, [[Elizabeth of Bohemia]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Stewart |first= George R. |author-link= George R. Stewart |title= Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States |url= https://archive.org/details/namesonlandhisto0000stew |url-access= registration |orig-year= 1945 |edition= Sentry edition (3rd) |year= 1967 |publisher= [[Houghton Mifflin]] |page= [https://archive.org/details/namesonlandhisto0000stew/page/38 38]}}</ref>

The first habitation by [[European ethnic groups|European]]s was on Richmond Island. Without title, [[Walter Bagnall (settler)|Walter Bagnall]] (called "Great Walt") in 1628 established a trading post, dealing in [[rum]] and [[beaver]] skins. "His principal purpose appears to have been to drive a profitable trade with the Indians," writes historian George J. Varney, "without scruple about his methods." His cheating caught up with him in October 1631, when he was killed by the Indians, who also burned down his trading post.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Varney
  | first = George J.
  | title = Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Cape Elizabeth
  | place = Boston
  | publisher = Russell
  | year = 1886
  | url = http://history.rays-place.com/me/cape-elizabeth-me.htm }}
</ref>

Two months later, the [[Plymouth Company]] granted Richmond Island to [[Robert Trelawney]] and Moses Goodyear, merchants of [[Plymouth]], England, who made it a center for [[fisheries]] and [[trade]]. By 1638, Trelawney employed 60 men in the fisheries. The first settlers on the mainland were George Cleeve and Richard Tucker, who settled in 1630 on the shore opposite the island, near the [[Spurwink River]]. They worked at planting, fishing and trading. Two years later they were driven off by John Winter, Trelawny's agent. In 1636, [[Sir Ferdinando Gorges]], lord proprietor of Maine, gave Cleeve and Tucker a grant of {{convert|1500|acre|km2}} including the neck of land called Machegonne—now [[Portland, Maine|Portland]]. In 1643 [[Roundhead|English Parliamentarian]] [[Alexander Rigby]] bought the large existing Plough of Lygonia patent, which included Cape Elizabeth.<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book  | last = Coolidge  | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield  | title = A History and Description of New England| publisher = A.J. Coolidge  | year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n119 85]–86| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>
[[File:Union Brass Band Cape Elizabeth.jpg|thumb|left|225px|Union Brass Band in 1873]]

The Cape Elizabeth settlement on the [[Fore River (Maine)|Fore River]] was known as Purpoodock. It was attacked during [[King Philip's War]] in 1675. During [[King William's War]], in Major [[Benjamin Church (ranger)|Benjamin Church]]'s second expedition a year later on September 11, 1690, he arrived with 300 men at [[Casco Bay]]. He went up the [[Androscoggin River]] to Fort [[Pejepscot, Maine|Pejepscot]] (present-day [[Brunswick, Maine]]).<ref>Drake, ''The Border Wars of New England''. p. 66</ref>  From there he went {{convert|40|mi}} upriver and attacked a native village. Three or four native men were shot while retreating; Church discovered five captive New Englanders in the wigwams; six or seven prisoners were summarily killed as an example;<ref>Drake, p. (67);</ref> and nine prisoners were taken. A few days later, in retaliation, the natives attacked Church at Cape Elizabeth on Purpooduc Point, killing seven of his men and wounding 24 others.<ref>Drake, p.69</ref>  On September 26, Church returned to [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]].

In 1703, during [[Queen Anne's War]], the town was destroyed. It was resettled about 1719 or 1720.

Cape Elizabeth became Maine's 23rd town on November 1, 1765, when it separated from Falmouth, as Portland was then known. Its first town meeting was held on December 2, 1765.<ref name="Coolidge"/> [[South Portland, Maine|South Portland]] separated in 1895 from Cape Elizabeth, which contains a number of houses designed by [[John Calvin Stevens]].

In 1872, construction of a US Army coast artillery fort began around [[Portland Head Light]], which in 1899 was named [[Fort Williams]], after Major General Seth Williams of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. The fort was to guard the southern entrance to Portland Harbor. Active between 1899 and 1962, the fort was then purchased by the town for about $200,000. Today, [[Fort Williams Park]] includes Portland Head Light and museum, some remains of the military fort, the ruins of Goddard Mansion, tennis courts, a baseball diamond and grandstand, and other recreation facilities. The park is maintained by the town and has a pay display parking system to assist with park repairs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fortwilliams.org/hist_01.html |title=History of Fort Williams |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726062217/http://www.fortwilliams.org/hist_01.html |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Cape Cottage Casino, Cape Elizabeth, ME.jpg|Cape Cottage Casino in 1908
File:Cape Cottage Theatre, Cape Elizabeth, ME.jpg|Cape Cottage Theatre in 1908
File:Entrance to Fort Williams, Cape Elizabeth, ME.jpg|Entrance to Fort Williams in 1907
File:Making Lobster Traps, Cape Elizabeth, ME.jpg|Making [[lobster trap]]s {{circa|1904}}
</gallery>