Visit Historic New England's museum properties and discover four centuries of life in New England.
Maine
A time capsule of Victorian taste Wiscasset, Maine Dramatically sited on a hill overlooking the Sheepscot River, Castle Tucker tells the story of a prominent shipping family’s life on the coast of Maine over a period of 150 years. From 1858 until the end of the twentieth century, both the Tucker family and their imposing […]
A prime example of Federal architecture Wiscasset, Maine Located on Wiscasset’s Main Street, Nickels-Sortwell House is a National Historic Landmark and one of the region’s finest examples of high Federal-style architecture. Built by successful ship owner Captain William Nickels, the house epitomizes the brief period when shipbuilding and the maritime trade brought wealth and sophisticated […]
Experience a New England classic Standish, Maine In 1796 Daniel Marrett, a recent Harvard graduate, moved to Standish, Maine, to become the town minister. He bought the most imposing house in town to reflect his status as the community’s leading citizen. Three generations of Marretts remained there for nearly 150 years. Marrett House is a […]
Discover an author’s inspiration South Berwick, Maine Writer Sarah Orne Jewett was born in her grandparents’ eighteenth-century house. She lived there with her family until 1854, when they built a Greek Revival house next door. As Sarah gained attention as an author, she and her family lived in the two Portland Street homes in the […]
Romancing the past South Berwick, Maine Shipping merchant Jonathan Hamilton built this striking Georgian mansion and National Historic Landmark c. 1785. Its picturesque situation on a bluff overlooking the Salmon Falls River made it an ideal location for Hamilton’s shipping business and, more than a hundred years later, for the summer retreat of Emily Tyson […]
Expect the unexpected York Harbor, Maine Sayward-Wheeler House overlooks the York River, which was ideal for shipping merchant Jonathan Sayward, who bought the house in 1735. A successful businessman, Sayward was a judge and leading citizen in York. He enjoyed great community respect, although his Loyalist views were in the minority during the years leading […]
New Hampshire
Comfort, convenience, early innovations Portsmouth, New Hampshire Merchant James Rundlet and his wife Jane built their home on a terraced rise and filled it with the finest furnishings available. It was both an urban showplace and home for the Rundlets’ large family. Rundlet-May House shows four generations of family possessions, ranging from original 1807 wallcoverings […]
Experience grandeur Portsmouth, New Hampshire A National Historic Landmark, Governor John Langdon House is an exceptional Georgian mansion which George Washington “esteemed the first” in Portsmouth. Its reception rooms are of a grand scale suited to ceremonial occasions and are ornamented by elaborate wood carving in the Rococo style. Admission includes both a tour of […]
Visit the oldest house in New Hampshire Portsmouth, New Hampshire A National Historic Landmark, Jackson House is the oldest surviving wood-frame house in New Hampshire. It was built by Richard Jackson, a woodworker, farmer, and mariner. It resembles English post-Medieval prototypes, but is notably American in its extravagant use of wood. Succeeding generations added a […]
An unusual monument to regional history Exeter, New Hampshire In 1709 the Gilman family built a garrison, or fortified structure, near the banks of the Squamscot River, where they owned lucrative sawmills. The interior of this unusual building reveals walls constructed of massive sawn logs and a pulley above the main entrance that was used […]
