We recently took a look at Charles and Thomas Phinney of Crockett’s Corner in South Portland (the intersection of Broadway and Westbrook Street). The Phinneys operated a busy ice cutting operation in that area. Let’s take a look this week at their neighbors, the Rundlett family.

William, Charles and James Carlton Rundlett were brothers who operated a spruce gum manufacturing company in Portland. All three were born in Pittston, Maine, but moved to Portland and South Portland (then called Cape Elizabeth) in the mid-1800s.

William F. Rundlett was born in 1831 and first followed in his father Cyrus’ footsteps by learning the blacksmith trade and farming in Pittston. He then moved to Newcastle where he was living on a farm when the Civil War broke out.

He served as a second lieutenant with the 21st Maine Volunteer Infantry. The 21st Maine was a nine-month regiment that organized in Augusta and mustered in on Oct. 14, 1862. They were first stationed at East New York, then sent by steamer to Louisiana in January, 1863. Most of their action was involved with the siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, before they were ordered home and then mustered out in August, 1863. Luckily, William survived, though the regiment had suffered greatly in Louisiana due to sickness. Out of the 1,048 men listed on the regiment’s rosters, 172 men were lost, 145 of which were due to disease.

James Carlton Rundlett was born in 1838 and was working on his father’s farm when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted as a corporal with the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry, mustering in at Camp Berry in Cape Elizabeth on Aug. 29, 1862. He had been promoted to first sergeant when he fought at Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

In 1864, he was promoted to second lieutenant. He was wounded at Cold Harbor, Virginia, in June, 1864. In May, 1865, he was promoted to captain and transferred to the 128th Infantry Regiment, United States Colored Troops. The 128th Regiment was organized at Hilton Head, South Carolina, in April, 1865, and was comprised largely of newly-freed slaves from South Carolina. The 128th Regiment was mustered out in October, 1866.

Charles F. Rundlett was born in 1834 and married Mary Curtis in January, 1860. After their marriage, they lived with Mary’s parents, John and Mary Curtis, and her brother John B. Curtis was also living in the home. This played a huge part in the future of the Rundlett brothers because Curtis is considered the inventor of commercially-sold chewing gum.

Even before 1850, John B. Curtis was experimenting with the sap from spruce trees, boiling it on his stove and finding a way to create a product that could be cut into strips, wrapped and sold. He convinced his father to go into business with him, creating the company known as Curtis & Son in Portland, Maine.

The even bigger challenge than inventing chewing gum (which they had named “State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum”) was to create a market for it when people didn’t know what it was. Curtis took it on the road, selling the chewing gum alongside patent medicines and other health-related products. In 1860 when Charles Rundlett was living in their home, both John B. Curtis and his dad listed their occupations as “apothecary” on the census, but were selling chewing gum.

Charles Rundlett worked for his father-in-law and brother-in-law at Curtis & Son for a time, learning how to make the spruce gum. As early as 1873, he gave up his former trade as a carriage maker and instead began making his own spruce gum. He was soon joined by his brothers, William and J. Carlton, who had now moved to homes on Brown Street (Broadway) in Cape Elizabeth (South Portland) near Crockett’s Corner.

The gum manufacturing company became known as “Rundlett & Bros.,” and they leased space for their gum factory in a building on Fore Street, on the corner of Plum Street (that street no longer exists – it was between Exchange and Union streets). The building address was 201 Fore St. at first, but the street was renumbered around 1882 and the address changed to 413 Fore St.

Around 1877, Charles left the business; he continued working as a spruce gum manufacturer in Portland, but working on his own, under his own name, separately from his brothers and in another location. William and Carlton continued operating the original gum business, now simply called “Rundlett Bros.”

The year 1882 would prove to be a time of experimentation and growth for William, J. Carlton, and their business. In June of that year, Carlton filed for a patent on a new invention that he had been working on – a rack for eggs that would allow the eggs to be rotated all at once.

According to his patent, which was issued in August, 1882, “The invention is based upon the well-known fact that eggs, if kept upright on either end and frequently turned over, so as to prevent the yolk from adhering to the shell, will remain fresh for a longer period than if permitted to rest constantly in one position.”

Rundlett Bros. began selling these rotary egg racks along with their spruce gum.

In November of 1882, William and James Carlton Rundlett purchased three adjacent lots of land along Mitchell Road in Cape Elizabeth where a natural spring was located (the property is now the site of 403 Mitchell Road). They immediately began building a water distribution business, putting the water in casks and transporting it by ship to customers in Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

By 1884, they had named the water business “Dirigo Mineral Water” and announced the water for sale to the general public. In a June, 1884, promotional piece, they announced that “the water gushes up from the spring pure, clear and cold, through the solid ledge, and its taste is agreeable, refreshing and appetizing. Its solvent and healing qualities in all affections of the kidneys, stomach and bladder, as well as in building and strengthening the constitution, is fairly acknowledged by hundreds who have given it a thorough trial. It is slightly cathartic, and its continued use imparts to the weakened constitution the glow of health, elastic vigor and feeling of buoyancy almost miraculous.”

By 1886, William Rundlett’s son Fred, now 21 years old, was working as a foreman in the business. After William’s death in 1890, Fred became a partner in the business with his uncle, J. Carlton Rundlett. After Carlton’s death in 1896, Fred H. Rundlett became the sole proprietor of Rundlett Bros. and its Dirigo Mineral Water business.

In 1899, Fred Rundlett made the decision to join many other companies in joining the new gum trust that formed in New Jersey, known as the American Chicle Company. As a result, in addition to Rundlett Bros. continuing to operate as a gum manufacturer, a second company was formed, known as Rundlett Mnfg Co. with its principals being E.M. Lang, Jr. and Fred H. Rundlett.

According to the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University (holder of the early papers of the company), American Chicle Company “had operations in Brooklyn, Cleveland, Chicago, Louisville (Kentucky), and Toronto, as well as factories and forest land in Yucatan. Its products eventually grew to include breath mints, antacids, cough drops and other items.”

In exchange for partnering with the trust, members received shares in the American Chicle Company.

In 1905, Fred H. Rundlett died unexpectedly at the age of 40 and the company closed. Also about that same time, Charles Rundlett discontinued his own spruce gum manufacturing.

In May of 1923, the land formerly owned by James Carlton Rundlett, around the house that is still located at 1689 Broadway, was sold to the A.H. Chapman Land Company and was developed into the house lots that are now located along Hobart, Linton, and Hall streets.

South Portland Historical Society offers a free Online Museum with over 16,000 images available for viewing with a keyword search. You can find it at https://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 would love to hear from you. 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 for the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.