Lincoln County Maine Architecture

Margaret Hamilton House – Witch’s House // 1852

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Photo by Paul VanDerWerf

This house sits alone on Cape Island off the southern tip of Southport, Maine and has been known as the “Witch’s House” for decades. The island was purchased by actress Margaret Hamilton and her son, Hamilton “Ham” Meserve in 1961. The 20-acre island is about 900 feet from the mainland and includes this adapted farmhouse, originally built in 1852. Margaret Hamilton, best-known for her role as the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz, spent her summers in this house until her death in 1985. The island to this day is lovingly referred to as the Witch’s Island, a nod to a great actress and woman, Margaret Hamilton.

Southport General Store and Barn // 1895

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In 1882, Edward Everett Pinkham, known as Everett, opened a new store in one side of his house on Hendrick Hill in the island community of Southport, Maine. The store was known for years as E. E. Pinkham and Son. Everett soon built a proper store adjacent to his house. He served the Town of Southport in many capacities: Postmaster, Town Clerk (1887-1905) Treasurer (1883), and Selectman (1888-1893). Sadly, on May 21, 1895, the store and house burned along with all of the old town records inside. The community helped Everett rebuild the present general store before the busy summer season. Edward’s son “Charlie”, would take over the business and the building has served as the town’s social center ever since. Year-round and summer residents bump into eachother at the store, catch up, and share local news, like every general store should be! Sadly, in so many communities, the “general store” has been replaced by big box retailers or convenience stores, removing the sense of community or place, so these businesses are more important than ever!

Southport United Methodist Church // 1904

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The Southport United Methodist Church of Southport sits cross the street from the Town Hall of Southport, Maine, and is one of the best examples of a Shingle style church in the state. The modestly sized church was built in 1904, shortly after a fire destroyed the local Methodist congregation’s former church building. Members hired the great Maine architect, John Calvin Stevens, who had just joined in a professional partnership with his son, John Howard Stevens, to design the new church. It remains as one of the more notable architectural landmarks in the town of roughly 600 year-round residents.

Southport Town Hall // 1866

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While staying at the Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, I took the chance to visit the nearby island-town of Southport! The town of Southport incorporated in 1842 when it separated from Boothbay and became known as Townsend, Maine. Just eight years later, in 1850, Townsend changed its name to Southport, after Southport, England. The town has a population of just over 600, which grows in the summer months as the island and nearby Squirrel Island (also a part of Southport) has many summer homes dotted along the coastline. The present-day Southport Town Hall was built in 1866 by the Ladies Sewing Circle of the Southport Methodist Episcopal Church as a meeting place for the women of town to meet and socialize, it also was rented to the town for town meetings. Eventually, the town purchased the building in 1900, where it has remained the town hall ever since.

Bayville Post Office // c.1920

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Bayville, is a quiet and picturesque coastal village on Linekin Bay, in the eastern part of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The small village is comprised of roughly 40 cottages and a small post office. This post office was built around 1920 and has operated here seasonally every summer since. The rustic Craftsman style building features a broad roof with exposed rafter tails, extending to create a sheltered porch off the front.

Boothbay Harbor Bridge House // 1902

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In 1901, a footbridge was built in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, connecting the downtown area with the Mt. Pisgah and Spruce Point areas, which both developed as summer colonies. Within a year, this bridge house was built and occupied by William Foster, the bridge-tender who likely operated some sort of swing to allow vessels to pass by until the footbridge was largely replaced after the Great Freeze of 1918, without a swing or draw. When Mr. Foster operated the footbridge, others in town suspected some wrongdoing. A local selectman began investigating and as the story goes, Mr. Foster had been smuggling liquor into town via ships to this bridge house through a trap-door in the floor of the building. Maine was a dry state, and William would have been able to bring in illegal alcohol to the town. Later uses of the building included a candy shop, gift shop, and the bridge house is now a private residence, with thousands passing by every summer.

Sprucewold Lodge // 1927

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Sprucewold Lodge, nestled in the picturesque coastal town of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, boasts a rich history that dates back to the early 20th century. Established in 1911 by a group of visionary investors and rusticators, the lodge was designed as a summer retreat for families seeking solace in nature. Like the Spruce Point Inn, the building was developed with modest means, but quickly expanded and grew as the unique and rugged site on Spruce Point drew flocks of visitors every year. Its unique blend of craftsman and Adirondack style architecture and stunning natural surroundings quickly made it a popular destination. The investors hired Portland architect John P. Thomas to design a grand log hotel. The hotel was advertised as the largest log cabin in the world until it burned down just years later in 1930. A 31-room annex, this building, was added in 1927 and assisted to serve the over 60 rental cabins, tennis courts, a swimming pool, recreation hall, and a thirty-car garage. When the original Sprucewold Lodge burned down, this building became the new lodge, and it has remained so nearly 100 years later. This enclave of rustic log cabins on Spruce Point is very evocative of the early days of Maine, and it is easy to see why the state garnered the nickname, Vacationland.

Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library // 1923

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In 1906, the citizens of Boothbay Harbor voted to establish a free public library for all to enjoy. In 1923, the need for more library space, along with a desire for a World War I Memorial, led to the approval of a bond for the purchase of a 1842 Greek Revival style house on Oak Street. The building was remodelled for use as a library by the Boston architect William Stanley Parker, and was enlarged in 1966 to a design by Parker’s son, Stanley Jr. The temple-front, Neo-Classical entry was added at this time and harkens back to the original classical style Greek Revival home, while clearly showing a grander scale seen in the 20th century.

Sherman’s Livery & Garage – Maine Trading Post // 1908

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This vernacular, shingled structure was built in 1908 to house two very different modes of transportation, horses and automobiles. The structure here is located in the charming village of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Sherman’s Livery and Garage held stalls for horses on the ground floor with an elevator that moved hay, carriages and sleighs to the upper floor. Owners of horses could board them here and many would rent their horses to visitors who arrived to town by steamer, from this location. The building was set up for automobiles as well, but that began in earnest by 1915 when two Ford touring cars were added to the inventory here. Today, the building is known as the Maine Trading Post and houses Kaler’s Restaurant.

Boothbay Harbor Opera House // 1894

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Historic meeting halls can be found in nearly every town and city in Maine. The Boothbay Harbor Opera House was built in 1894 to a design by the prominent Portland architectural firm of Francis H. Fassett and his son, Edward F. Fassett. The wood-frame building was built as a multi-functional space by the local Knights of Pythias Lodge who hired local shipwrights, who constructed the building in just 70 days. The Queen Anne style building was converted to a local opera house and has been a cultural institution for the region ever-since!