Jewish History

Reminiscing about South Portland

Olsen takes us through a tour of South Portland a neighborhood that was home to the Jewish and Italian immigrant communities in early 1900s. Olsen touches base on significant spots within the neighborhood such as Lair Hill Park, The Neighborhood House (Now called the Cedar Wood Waldorf School), and the Corkish Apartments, one of the first apartment complexes established in South Portland. In addition, Olsen tells amazing stories of former South Portland residents such as Gussie Reinhardt and Portland's own opera singer, Mona Paulee. Olsen later explains how most of this neighborhood unfortunately fell to the wrecking ball of Portland's Urban Renewal plan in the 1960s.