It was chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on February 27, 1794 while Portland was still part of that state.
It was located in a new brick building on Congress Street, close to the Wadsworth-Longfellow House.
Instruction began in 1803 and, in 1808, a three-story brick structure was completed and became the academy's longtime home.
Many of its alumni were from the city's elite families, such as the Browns, Dows, and Longfellows.
[1] Henry Wadsworth Longfellow studied at Portland Academy from 1813 to 1821.