Raymond author’s book remains popular with Maine residents

By Ed Pierce

A Raymond author continues to be amazed at the success of her book about growing up with 10 siblings in a reportedly haunted apartment building in Portland.

Raymond author Cheryl Blanchard's
book '236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, 
Maine: Strange Happenings in our
Young Lives' remains popular with
Maine readers more than three years
after its publication.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

Cheryl Blanchard’s book "236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our Young Lives," is a thorough recounting of tales from the author and her siblings' recollections that haven't been spoken of for more than half a century. Published by Newman Springs Publishing, the book remains popular more than three years after it was first published, and especially among Maine residents.

"There are such a lot of memories for a small child at the age of 6, along with five brothers and five sisters who were also very young,” Blanchard said. “All of those memories are still living in the minds of all of us. We haven't talked about them in over 50 years. I would like to thank the Maine historian Herb Adams for asking me about the house up over Botto's Market that I lived in as a child."

In the book, Blanchard describes how she and her siblings would suddenly catch glimpses of silhouettes and shadowy figures looming on walls in their home without a human nearby to cast the silhouette or shadow. She also discusses in detail finding a tunnel underneath the building she lived in, and many frightful memories associated with that.

Blanchard’s family eventually moved away from the building and the trauma and bad memories she and her siblings experienced living there. The entire block has been demolished since the family moved from there in the early 1970s.

A few years ago, one of her friends asked Blanchard to share some of her memories about growing up there and that led to the creation of "236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our Young Lives.”

Once her book was published, Blanchard was interviewed on the Maine television show “207” and she also received a personal note from renowned Maine resident and author Stephen King, who is a master of telling “haunted” stories. In 2019, she was a guest of book groups that met at public libraries in Augusta and in Windham to discuss her book.

Despite being subjected to what she calls “paranormal occurrences” while growing up on Cumberland Avenue in Portland decades ago, Blanchard has gone on to lead a happy, productive and normal life otherwise.

Married, and a mother and a grandmother, Blanchard is retired from a career in the nursing field. Many in the community know her from her time serving as a substitute teacher in Windham schools or for creating the first cheerleading squad for Windham Youth Football.

Published by Newman Springs Publishing, Blanchard's lively tales in the book are peppered with vivid descriptions of the historic district of her childhood and photos. Blanchard recalls everything from the smell of her mother's home cooking on the wood stove, to the numerous accounts of unexplained supernatural phenomena that the children experienced in their apartment over Botto's Market.

The stories contained in “"236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our Young Lives" serve as a primary document that offers a glimpse into life in a bygone era. Blanchard remains humble and appreciative that people find the book interesting and has a simple message to readers.

“Just remember how truly blessed we truly are and I hope you hold your loved ones, always reach out and feed the hungry and clothe the less fortunate,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard’s book "236 Cumberland Ave. Portland, Maine: Strange Happenings in our Young Lives" is available for purchase at select bookstores in Maine, or online at the Apple iBooks Store, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. Copies may also be purchased by contacting Blanchard at cherylblanchard43@gmail.com<