Built 1803 (1803) Opened 1803 Architectural style Federal architecture | NRHP Reference # 74000178 Area 8,000 m² Added to NRHP 3 May 1974 | |
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Location ME 215 (Damariscotta Mills), Newcastle, Maine | ||
The Gov. Edward Kavanaugh House is a historic house on Maine State Route 215 in the Damariscotta Mills area of Newcastle, Maine. Built in 1803, it is a fine example of Federal period residential architecture, and is historically notable for its association with one of Maine early Irish Catholic immigrants, James Kavanagh. The house was later home to his son, Maine Governor Edward Kavanagh. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1974.
Description and history
The Kavanaugh House is located just west of the village of Damariscotta Mills, between Pond Road (SR 215) and Damariscotta Lake to the north. The house is a large two-story structure, nearly square in footprint, with a hip roof topped by an octagonal cupola. It rests on a granite foundation, and its main facade is finished in matchboard siding, while the sides and rear are finished in clapboards. The roof is encircled by a low balustrade, and has a dentillated cornice. The building corners are pilastered. The main facade is five bays wide, with the entrance at the center, set in a round-arch opening with a half-round fan above the door. The entrance is sheltered by a half-round porch, supported by Ionic columns, which rise to an entablature and balustrade. Above the entry is a Palladian-style three-part window, flanked by narrow pilasters, with a fan louver above the center window.
The house was built in 1803, and is one of Maine's most sophisticated examples of Federal architecture. It was built by Nicholas Codd, an Irish immigrant and housewright who is also credited with the Matthew Cottrill House in Damariscotta, and the brick St. Patrick's Catholic Church which stands near this house. Codd, apparently based in Boston, Massachusetts, was lured to work in this area by James Kavanagh and Matthew Cottrill, both early Irish immigrants to the area. They were successful businessmen, and James Kavanagh's son Edward became Governor of Maine in 1843, finishing the term of John Fairfield, who had won election to the United States Senate.