Greely Institute

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Greely Institute, Main Street, Cumberland, Maine, c.1870

In 1858, Eliphalet Greely willed $27,500 to the town of Cumberland for the establishment of what would become Greely Institute and, much later, Greely High School.

Greely amassed a significant fortune over his life, having served as the president of Casco National Bank for 33 years and Portland’s mayor for five years. Although he had no children of his own, Greely wanted the children of his hometown, from age 12 to 21, to have free access to education.

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Greely Institute, Main Street, Cumberland, Maine, c.1955

His widow, Elizabeth Loring Greely, supplemented four acres of barren pasture for the site of the school, and Greely Institute opened on September 28, 1868. This photograph shows Greely Institute around 1870, only a few years after its opening.

Initially, the building included a study hall, classroom, combined principal’s office and library, and a large room for assemblies on the second floor.

In June 1880, Greely held its first graduation for six students: Roland Blanchard, Addie Dunn, Annie Leighton, Edward B. Osgood, Lena Pinkham, and Edward Warren.

Greely Institute