Greely Institute in Cumberland was established through the will of Eliphalet Greely, who was born in 1784 on Greely Road, named after his ancestors. There was at the time no high school in Cumberland. Though he and his wife, Elizabeth Loring Greely, also born on Greely Road, had no children of their own, they felt that Cumberland children between the ages of 12 and 21 should have a free secondary education. Having established himself financially, he designated in his 1858 will $27,500 to the town of Cumberland to erect a school to accommodate that need. After his death, Elizabeth made arrangements to do so. The doors opened on Sept. 28, 1868, with much ceremony.

In commemoration of Maine’s bicentennial this year, The Forecaster is featuring historical highlights from our communities’ past 200 years. This feature can be found in print and online every other week.