Built 1839 (1839) Opened 1839 Phone +1 207-474-6632 | NRHP Reference # 83003677 Area 1,200 m² Added to NRHP 29 December 1983 | |
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Location 40 Elm St.
Skowhegan, Maine Address 66 Elm St, Skowhegan, ME 04976, USA Architectural style Greek Revival architecture Similar Skowhegan Indian, Skowhegan Free Public Library, Lakewood Theater, Great Smoky Mountains, L C Bates Museum Profiles | ||
Skowhegan history house exhibition
The Skowhegan History House is a historic house and museum at 66 Elm Street in Skowhegan, Maine. Built in 1839, this two-story brick house is one of the few of that period to survive Skowhegan's industrialization later in the 19th century. The house has served as a local history museum since 1937. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Contents
Elizabeth duffy cheryl yun artist talk at dm contemporary nyc march 1 2014
Description and history
The History House is set on the south side of Elm Street, between it and the Kennebec River, at the junction of Elm with Norridgewock Avenue and Pleasant Street. It is a two-story brick structure, five bays wide, with a side-gable roof and two end chimneys. The brick is laid in a modified English bond, with seven rows of stretchers followed by a course of headers. Its Greek Revival styling includes a simple cornice and returns at the gable ends, sidelight windows and pilasters flanking the main entrance, and granite sills and lintels. A fireproof museum wing was added to the rear of the house in 1935.
The house was built in 1839 by Abner Spear, a blacksmith, and was a fairly typical small worker's house of the period. Most similar buildings in Skowhegan were lost due to the city's industrialization over the remainder of the 19th century. The house was acquired by Louise Coburn, a local historian, who in 1937, opened its doors as a museum. The rear addition, added at that time, was executed with sympathetic techniques and styling.
The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday between May and October, or by appointment. Its collections are focused on local history, and include unique documents and artifacts.