Hancock County Maine History

Radnor Cottage // c.1907

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The historic summer cottages for middle-class summer residents of Maine have little written about them, but oh are these little cottages beautiful!! This is Radnor Cottage, a charming waterfront dwelling in the Haven Colony in Brooklin, Maine. The summer colony is comprised of a dozen quaint cabins (most historically without running water) for those of more modest means that wanted to escape the city for peace and tranquility on Maine’s rocky coast. The colony was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a respite for academics and more who did not want to flaunt their credentials or social prestige. This home was purchased a few years ago and the inside looks like it’s never been altered! This is a dream home!

Beth Eden Chapel // 1900

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Almost at the southern, most remote tip of the Blue Hill Peninsula in Brooklin, Maine, I was stunned to come across this enchanting chapel. Completed in 1900, the Beth Eden Chapel is a small wooden frame building that appears to have been the first religious facility erected in the Naskeag area of Brooklin. Although it was erected by the Methodist Episcopal Church of Brooklin, the building was dedicated to the use of all Christian sects who wished to worship in the more remote section of town. Interestingly, the vernacular church employs some late 19th-century detail including the shingled flared siding and triangular motif. The chapel appears to remain open for summer months.

Wolfers House // 1947

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In 1947, world-famous German-born architect Walter Gropius and his architectural group, The Architects Collaborative (TAC) were commissioned to design a simple summer house for his friends Arnold Wolfers, a noted political scientist, and his wife, Doris, whose father was president of the Swiss Parliament. The site was a wild bluff on the end of Naskeag Point in Brooklin, Maine, with broad views of Blue Hill Bay and Mount Desert Island in the distance. The Wolfers’ wanted a house that was not a typical shingled house, provided sweeping views of the natural scenery, and also fit within its surroundings. Gropius nailed it with this house. As originally built, the house was comprised of a main block with large living room, kitchen, laundry room, service hall, and bathroom. A breezeway connected the house to a wing of three bedrooms along a long corridor. Walls of glass frame the waterfront side to take advantage of the views, while the street-facing facade has less glazing to provide additional privacy. After Doris Wolfers’s death in 1987, the house was purchased by an investment banker and his wife and it was listed for just the third time in over 75 years, and has maintained its architectural integrity the entire time.

Amen Farm // c.1850

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Can I get an “Amen”?! Amen Farm was built in the mid-19th century on 47 acres in Brooklin, Maine, overlooking the Blue Hill Bay and Acadia National Park in the distance. The Cape house, like many on Blue Hill peninsula, is modest and was enlarged by telescoping ells as space was needed. The house was long owned by the Bowden Family who farmed the land, later adding a small gas station to the side of the road (since removed). Later owner, Joseph “Roy” Barrette (1896-1995) likely helped give the home its name. Barrette got his first look at Maine in 1919 from a ship, when he was a deck-hand on an 800-ton coal barge, hauling West Virginia coal from Norfolk to Portland. He had bought this farm in 1958 and was looking forward to his retiring years, which he intended to spend in a library of some 3,000 volumes and indulging his hobbies as a gardener, a gourmet, and a connoisseur of fine wines. John Wiggins, associate editor of The Ellsworth American newspaper, impressed by Barrette’s garden, his literary tastes, and his writing style, persuaded him to write a column, which he called “The Retired Gardener.” He wrote many essays and three books from this home in Brooklin where he never fully retired. Roy died in 1995 and the property was eventually listed for sale in 2019. The house is undergoing some work and landscaping upon the time of the photos.

E. B. White House // 1795

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The coast of Maine has long been a refuge for those looking for an easier way of life and access to natural splendor. One of the more well-known residents of Maine was author E.B. White, who lived on this farm in Maine for 48 years. The estate sits on 44-acres and was built in 1795 for William Holden by Captain Richard Allen, a local housewright. The property was purchased by E. B. White in 1933 as a summer residence, but it became a full-time home where he and his wife, New Yorker editor Katharine Angell, raised sheep, geese, chickens, pigs, even spiders all with a historic barn and tire swing. Sound familiar? It is from this house that he wrote the iconic children’s book, Charlotte’s Web (and Stuart Little) among others. White was a private person, and despite his internationally famous books, he did not advertise the location of his home while he was alive. In 1977, he convinced an interviewer to report that “he lives in ‘a New England coastal town’, somewhere between Nova Scotia and Cuba“. Katharine died in 1977, and E. B. in 1985. The property was inherited by their son, who summered there for years. The most recent owners, Robert and Mary Gallant of South Carolina, who have summered there for the past 30 years and preserved the house immaculately, selling it a few years ago.

First Baptist Church of Brooklin // 1853

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There is likely nothing that screams “New England architecture” more than the wooden white-painted church, I think every village in New England has at least one! This vernacular Greek Revival style church is the First Baptist Church of Brooklin, right in the center of the charming coastal town of Brooklin, Maine. The building was constructed in 1853 and is a great example of local vernacular Greek Revival architecture. The temple-front with pilasters, multi-staged belfry, and paired entry doors are a common sight in churches of the mid 19th century.

Whereaway // c.1840

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In a town of 850 residents (2,800 in the summertime), Brooklin, Maine was an absolute treat to explore. The winding roads terminate at abrupt ends where the rocky Maine coast begins and hand-made wooden ships are docked in protected harbors. I stumbled upon this absolutely charming Greek Revival style Cape house with just steps to the ocean. The siting beyond a sweeping field and adjacent to the calm harbor presents the perfect example of what makes Maine so special. The house is a short term rental and named “Whereaway”. If only I was rich, but I can dream right??

Brooklin IOOF Hall //1896

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Welcome to Brooklin, Maine! Constructed in 1896 by local builder Ralph E. Bent, the coastal town’s I.O.O.F. Hall is one of Brooklin’s largest and most architecturally significant nineteenth century buildings. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a historic and long-running (somewhat secret) fraternal organization which has branches all over the world. In Brooklin, this building was designed to accommodate commercial uses on the first floor, community functions and theatrical productions on the second floor and lodge meetings in the upper/mansard story. The building saw disinvestment by the turn of the 21st century, and by the time the building came on the market in 2017, the hall had languished for years, and the structure was in a serious state of disrepair. The building needed new plumbing and electrical wiring, a new foundation and roof, foundation repairs, and heat; its roughly $270,000 price tag reflected the amount of work it would need to be rehabilitated. John Ike, an esteemed architect, and frequent visitor to Brooklin, formerly of Ike Kligerman Barkley and now of Ike Baker Velten, had long been enamored by the decaying building, and felt compelled to act. With his two friends, Robert Baird and Steve White, the trio restored the old building which continues its connection to the small town’s history and became a vibrant contributor to its present. The upstairs space can be rented short-term, which helps sustain the maintenance of the old building.

“Reach View” // 1797

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Reach-View has been home to members of the Currier family and their descendants since the late 1700s. Richard Currier (1773-1837) first built a small home on land he bought in 1797 from his future father-in-law, Rev. Ebenezer Eaton, one of the original proprietors and settlers of the future town of Sedgwick, Maine. In 1799, Richard married Abigail Eaton, daughter of Ebenezer and Abigail Herrick Eaton. They lived together in Reach View until Richard died in 1859. Richard willed Reach View to their unmarried son Ebenezer “Eben” Eaton Currier, who lived there with his mother until her death in 1870. He was responsible for rebuilding much of the house after 1864. Eben’s sister would later purchase Reach-View and add the piazza (porch), bays, and interior detailing. The home remains a true family estate in the sleepy coastal town of Sedgwick.

“Maplehurst” // 1837

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Wyer Groves Sargent (1810-1900) was a descendant of the famous Sargent and Choate families and at the age of seven, arrived to the sparsely developed town of Sedgwick, Maine in 1817 with his parents. Twenty years later, Wyer has this house built in 1837. The original house was a one-story Cape house with a central chimney and an ell connected to a barn. He worked in the village of Sargentville in the town of Sedgwick as a merchant, operating a store, and traveling extensively to buy and sell goods along the New England coast. Operating a lucrative business allowed him to expand his outdated and cramped home in 1868 to the current configuration. It was then known as Maplehurst. Wyer raised the house and extended the front by adding a floor beneath it. When Wyer died in 1900 the house went to his daughter Martha Spooner. Martha sold it to Dr. Frederick Sweet. Last known, the home is still owned by Dr. Sweet’s great-granddaughter.