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Maine’s Historic Homes & Mansions

Maine’s Historic Homes & Mansions

You can almost feel the story of European settlement firsthand in Maine’s historic homes and mansions. Some date back as far as the 1600s, when English settlers first planted themselves in coastal enclaves. As the state grew over time, houses expanded from rustic garrisons to stately Colonial and Federal styles, and eventually to grand Victorians. Today, many of these historic homes are carefully maintained and serve as museums that reflect and showcase Maine’s rich history.

Wiscasset

Visit Castle Tucker and Nickels-Sortwell House in Wiscasset. Built in 1807, Castle Tucker is a time capsule of Victorian living, filled with original furnishings and layered with three generations of family history. You can also tour the Nickels-Sortwell House, which is a National Historic Landmark and one of New England’s finest Federal-style houses. Visitors with limited mobility can enjoy a first-floor tour of the houses and grounds, along with a visual tour of the museums.

South Berwick

The Sarah Orne Jewett House includes two houses that sit next to one another – one built in 1774, the other in 1854 – at the center of South Berwick. Once owned by the family of iconic Maine author Sarah Orne Jewett, both houses have been restored and to honor Jewett, her work and her family. Nearby, the Hamilton House is a striking Georgian mansion and a National Landmark, built circa 1785. It features two murals by the artist George Porter Fernald.

Portland

Portland has many historic house museums, including the Wadsworth-Longfellow House – the childhood home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, located in the center of the city’s downtown – and the Tate House, where the “Tate Family” house tour explores the mast trade, Captain Tate’s responsibilities and the family’s way of life in 18th-century Maine.

At the historic Victoria Mansion, you can see the remarkably intact original interiors and decorations, a unique example of the stately homes created for America’s wealthiest citizens in the pre-Civil War era. Home of the “Father of Prohibition,” the Neal Dow House is a well-preserved Federal-style mansion. You can view his personal library intact and the study where the Prohibition Bill was written.