The Chase House was the summer residence and boarding house of Perley and Julia Chase. After The Chase was destroyed by fire, a new home was built on the site; the address is now known as 7 Cloyster Road. Contributed / South Portland Historical Society, Woodbury Collection

Dr. Julia Chase, graduate of the American School of Osteopathy, Class of 1911. Contributed / South Portland Historical Society

We continue our look at Loveitt’s Field this week, with a focus on the summer home/boarding house known as The Chase. When Julia Chase leased vacant land at “Loveitt’s Hill” from Sumner and Eliza Loveitt in May of 1899, the field was a relatively barren expanse, dotted with large summer homes, several of which were being used as boarding houses for summer guests. Hers was a five-year lease, with a five-year guaranteed renewal; almost as an afterthought, the lease gave her the rights to purchase the land for $500 at any time during those 10 years, by simply requesting to do so in writing. She did just that, and purchased the lot from the Loveitts in September 1899. Although there is no home mentioned on the deed, construction was likely already well underway at that time, as an August 1900 news article in the Evening Express states that “last year a notable addition was made by Mr. Perley L. Chase, who owns one of the most roomy cottages on a high bluff commanding a fine sweep of the shore.” The article’s mention of just “Mr. Chase” was a sign of that time, when women were often disregarded; it was Julia’s name alone on the lease and the deed, and she managed the home as a summer boarding house.

Her husband, Perley Chase, was born in Portland and worked as a grocer. While he learned the trade in others’ stores, by the early 1890s he had partnered with James Owen in a grocery known as Chase & Owen at 582 Congress St. in Portland. They dissolved their partnership in 1899 and Perley continued in business there as a sole proprietor.

Julia Hatch was born in Chester, Maine, around 1856 and married Perley Chase in 1873. They had two children, but only one survived: Grace. When Grace got married in June of 1900, the ceremony took place in the newly built cottage that was already known as The Chase. Grace’s marriage record was the first indicator that the marriage between Perley and Julia might not have been going well – they appear to have been living apart at that time.

In June of 1901, Perley sold his grocery business in Portland; for a short time, he worked as an insurance agent, then gave that up and went back to work as a grocery clerk. Also in June of 1901, Julia ran an advertisement in the Evening Express announcing availability of rooms for rent at the Chase cottage in Loveitt’s Field. In July, Julia advertised that she was seeking a “capable girl” to come and help with housework at The Chase. In these early years when The Chase was being used each summer, formal announcements would appear in the newspapers of “Mr. and Mrs. Chase” opening or closing their cottage at Loveitt’s Field in the spring and fall.

The marriage between Perley and Julia failed around 1905 when Perley left her and moved to New York.

A 1904 receipt for payment for rooms at the “New Chase” in Loveitt’s Field. Julia Chase began using the name the New Chase around 1904, likely due to confusion between her summer boarding house and a hotel in Portland by the same name. Contributed / South Portland Historical Society

In the very early morning of Friday, Oct. 25, 1907, the Chase house and four surrounding cottages were destroyed by fire. According to a story in the Lewiston Evening Journal, “the fire started in the rear of the Chase house. Neal K. Brewer, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Brewer, whose cottage is nearby, was awakened by a light in his window and when he looked out the big Chase house was all ablaze. He immediately awoke his folks and they had the alarm rung in about 2:40 [a.m.]. The Willard Hose Co. responded quickly but did not have hose enough to reach from the hydrant to the scene of the fire. By this time the fire had spread to the other cottages and it looked as tho [sic] every building on the point would go. An alarm was immediately sent in for the South Portland company [Ferry Village] and when that arrived at about 3:10 there was hose enough to stretch from the hydrant to the burning buildings … The Chase house which is owned by Mrs. Perley Chase of Portland was completely rebuilt and refurnished a year ago this summer and was capable of accommodating 45 guests. It was four stories high in front and two in the rear. It had all the modern improvements and was newly furnished throughout. The total loss including contents cannot be less than $15,000. The fire spread … to a small cottage owned by Mrs. B.B. Farnsworth and built last summer. The large Farnsworth cottage, situated nearby, was saved.”

This loss of The Chase had to be a devastating blow for Julia. Life as a woman in that time would have been incredibly difficult. It is not clear how she earned a living, as her name disappeared for a time from local records. A brief mention of Julia appeared in the newspaper in the summer of 1908 when she was reported to have gone on a deep sea fishing trip to Half Way Rock with Dr. C.E. Still and his family. Still was the vice president of the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri. By the following year, Julia was living in Missouri and attending school there. It’s quite a testament to her courage and bravery to have moved that far away on her own, in an attempt at improving her life. She graduated with the Class of 1911.

Julia moved to Portsmouth and set up her medical practice there. She would later file for and receive a divorce from Perley in 1924 on grounds of abandonment. Dr. Julia Chase died in 1930 and is buried at the South Street Cemetery in Portsmouth.

In this advertisement for the New Chase House, Julia Chase was offering special rates for longer-term rentals. Many of the hotels and boarding houses in Loveitt’s Field would have people come and stay for the entire summer, year after year. Contributed / South Portland Historical Society

South Portland Historical Society offers a free Online Museum with nearly 17,000 images available for viewing with a keyword search. You can find it at sphistory.pastperfectonline.com and, if you appreciate what we do, feel free to make a donation by using the donation button on the home page. If you have photographs or other information to share about South Portland’s past, we hope you will reach out to us. South Portland Historical Society can be reached at 207-767-7299, by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com, or by mail at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106.

Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society.