BRIDGTON – Twenty five years ago, Tom Johnson revealed a hidden treasure when he removed the wallpaper from his Bridgton antique shop. The walls of a parlor and the front entryway were painted with trees, rolling hills, and puffy white and gray clouds. One whole wall depicted Portland Harbor as it would have appeared in the early 1800s.
The murals had been painted by 19th century artist Rufus Porter, who spent his childhood in the Bridgton area. Porter traveled extensively in the Northeast, painting landscapes in homes where he was offered meals and a place to sleep in return. Porter was also a scientist, who patented many of his inventions and founded Scientific American magazine.
In September of last year, the antique shop was bought by Julie and Carl Lindburg, who intended to turn it into a museum dedicated to the work of Rufus Porter and other artists of his time. Thanks to the help of dedicated volunteers, the Rufus Porter Museum opened in the building at 67 North High St. in late June.
Each of the murals at the museum features tall, elegant trees. Many are framed by a living tree on one side and a dead or dying tree on the other. Some include small, faraway houses or soldiers.
“I’ve brought schoolchildren through here, and they are just fascinated,” said Beth Cossey, museum president. “They aren’t allowed to paint on the walls,” she laughed.
The museum also houses a large collection of early editions of Scientific American magazine, which Porter founded in 1845. Visitors can view one of Porter’s inventions, a revolving rifle cylinder which he sold to Samuel Colt. Porter had big ideas, Cossey said, and sold them rather than make a living manufacturing any of them himself. His patents include a floating dry dock, a fire alarm, and a steam engine.
A significant piece of Porter’s life, though, was spent painting murals. The Rufus Porter Museum recently acquired a collection of murals removed from the home of Francis Howe in Massachusetts before the house was demolished in 1967. The 15 murals are currently on display at the Magic Lantern in Bridgton. Among them is what is believed to be the only signed work by Porter. Taken from a stairwell, the mural depicts a rocky mountainside and is signed by both Porter and his son.
Cossey said the museum has had offers from people wishing to purchase the murals, but the museum committee doesn’t want the collection to be broken up. The committee hopes eventually to extend the museum’s parking area into the two acres behind the building and add an antique barn, which could house the Howe collection.
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