maine architecture

Rockport Lime Kilns // c.1800

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During the 19th Century, Rockport, Maine, (then named Goose River as a village in Camden) was a major supplier of lime to East Coast markets. These kilns near the harbor converted limestone rock supplied by 15 local quarries into lime used to make mortar & finish plaster. The burned lime was packed into wooden casks and shipped by schooner to cities all down the coast. In 1817, three hundred casks of lime from Rockport were sent to Washington, D.C. for use in the rebuilding of the United States Capitol, which had been damaged by the British during the War of 1812. In 1852, the citizens of Goose River voted to change their village’s name to Rockport for its rocky terrain. In 1891, Rockport split off from Camden, taking its industry and lucrative harbor with it. A disastrous fire destroyed many of the lime kilns here in 1907, which occurred about the time that cement began to replace lime in building construction. After a few years the kilns were shuttered and remained here as fossils of industry ever since. Local residents in the 1970s gathered together and advocated for the preservation of these significant local structures and gathered funds to stabilize the kilns.

Bailey Homestead // c.1815

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Located on a hill overlooking the Head Tide Village of Alna, Maine, this stately brick farmhouse has sat for roughly 200 years. According to old maps of the area, the property was occupied by the Bailey Family as far back as the land was surveyed in 1813. The property was owned by Ezra Bailey, who possibly built the house soon after as the village began to develop. By 1857, the property and its house were owned by I. H. Bailey, seemingly Ezra’s son, Isaac, who married his first cousin, Laura Palmer. The couple resided in the old homestead until they sold it in 1866, moving to Boston. The brick, Federal style house has a four bay facade with the entry door surrounded by a recessed arched relief. Above the door is a blind fan with sidelights.

Old Head Tide Store // c.1890

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Every village needs a general store, and the store in the Head Tide village of Alna was this vernacular building constructed around 1886. The store was operated for years by John Allen Jewett, who’s ancestors settled in Alna generations before. Jewett sold grain from the building to local farmers and residents and lived across the street in the family home. Vernacular “mom and pop” stores like this are becoming more rare, but they are among the most charming in New England. Be sure to shop local and support small businesses when you can!

Head Tide Church // 1838

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In the early 19th century, Head Tide was a bustling village within the Town of Alna, Maine, supported by mills at the dam, agriculture and apple orchards, boat building, fishing and forestry. As Head Tide grew in population, village leaders determined to build their own Congregational church so they would not have to travel the three miles to the 1789 Meeting House in Alna Center. The Head Tide Church in Alna, Maine was dedicated in November 1838 and sits on a hill overlooking the village. The Head Tide Church is a handsome rural Maine house of worship which exhibits a combination of Federal style, Greek Revival, and Gothic Revival elements in its design. The facade displays the outline of a Grecian temple front with its six pilasters and strongly accented triangular pediment. The Federal fan motif appears above the two facade windows as well as in the center of the pediment and the Gothic Revival influence is felt in the two pointed arch windows on either side of the church and in the simple pinnacle at the top of each corner of the belfry. The church is a high-style building for the rural Maine village and is kept very well by the community. The congregation disbanded, but the church remains an important part of the town and is rented for memorial services, events, weddings.

Alna Center School // 1795

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Built in 1795, the Alna School is one of the oldest extant purpose-built school buildings in New England. The small frame structure sits a short distance from the Old Alna Meetinghouse and is one of the finest 18th century buildings in town. The Federal period one-room school building features a square footprint with graceful cupola housing a bell projecting from the roof, which was added a few years after the building was completed. The school was one of two early school buildings for the newly incorporated town of Alna, soon after its separation from Pownalborough and incorporation in 1794 (originally as New Milford, and later at Alna in 1811). The school remained in operation through the 20th century and is no longer used.

Alna Meetinghouse // 1789

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The Alna Meetinghouse in Alna, Maine was built in 1789, and incorporated in 1796 as a Congregational church. The 40′ by 52′ foot building is one of the finest examples of a traditional New England meetinghouse in the state of Maine and Regular church services were held here until 1876. In recent years the building has been used for Town Meetings. Unlike many of the other meetinghouses of this period, the Alna meetinghouse has only one door. This door leads into a vestibule that contains the stairway to the gallery. The original box pews are still in place, as is the original pulpit with a sounding board hung from the ceiling. The building remains well-preserved and sits right on the side of the road!

St. Denis Catholic Church // 1838

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Believe it or not, this church in rural Whitefield, Maine is the second oldest Catholic Church in New England! As Irish and French Canadian families settled in this part of Maine in the early 19th century, Catholic churches were needed to provide worship space for those families. The church community of St. Denis began in 1818 when Father Dennis Patrick Ryan, an Irish immigrant serving at St. Patrick Church in Newcastle (the oldest Catholic Church in New England), moved to Whitefield to serve the influx of Irish Catholics and soon founded the church. Fr. Ryan oversaw the construction on a wood-frame structure built on this site. As more Catholic families settled here, a more permanent building was needed, and between 1833 and 1838, the main portion of the present brick church building was constructed around that original church. The tower was added in 1861, and the stained glass windows also date from later in the 19th century following the growth and prosperity of the church and its members. The St. Denis Parish House was constructed across the street in 1871 and is a lovely Romanesque style building.

Whitefield Union Hall // 1900

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Finding a Grange Hall in Maine are almost as common as finding an old church, they are everywhere! Located the next town over from Jefferson, Maine’s Willow Grange Hall, the town of Whitefield has an equally charming example. The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was established in 1867 to advance methods of agriculture, as well as to promote the social and economic needs of farmers in the United States. Communities all over built grange halls where farmers and residents could meet and discuss prices, trade, and share tips for larger crop yields. The Whitefield Union Hall was built in 1900, primarily under the auspices of the Whitefield Fish and Game Club, but with design input from the local Grange chapter, which contributed funds to its construction and was also a tenant. It was until 1919 the only public hall with a stage in southern Whitefield, playing host to dances, meetings of fraternal and social organizations, and other community events. The hall was managed by an association of the two organizations until 1947, and by the Fish and Game Club after the Grange chapter merged with another in 1969. The club closed down in 1974, and the hall is now managed by a union consortium of village community groups. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bunker Hill Baptist Church // 1889

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The Second Baptist Church of Jefferson, Maine, was organized in 1808 and originally rented a schoolhouse for its services. After eighty years of cramped-quarters, the members of the church had enough funds to erect their own purpose-built church, this stunning edifice on Bunker Hill Road, in West Jefferson. The congregation broke ground in 1889 and the church was dedicated in January of 1890. Apparently, the belfry was originally at the center of the roof, but the heavy bell required a new steeple to be built at the corner, in its present configuration. This well-preserved church building was a treat to stumble upon when driving through the town.

Dr. F. W. Jackson House // 1903

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One of the largest Colonial Revival style homes I have ever seen is located in the unassuming small town of Jefferson, Maine. Built in 1903 on the northern shore of Damariscotta Lake, the house stands three-and-a-half stories tall with a broad gambrel roof and clapboard walls. The house was built for Dr. Fred W. Jackson in the Colonial Revival style by relatively unknown Waltham, Massachusetts-based architect Samuel Patch. Dr. Jackson studied medicine and for several years practiced his profession in Providence, Rhode Island. There, he built up a large medical practice and accumulated property, later marrying into a wealthy family. This house in Jefferson was the family summer estate, and Frederick was said to have owned 1,000 acres and laid out bridle paths, gardens, and landscapes in the vast estate. Across the street, a massive gambrel-roof barn was built to house his livestock as part of his gentleman’s farm.