Parallel 44: The Search for Maine's Oldest Home

I'd always heard that the oldest house in Maine was that place on the Smuttynose Beer labels, the Samuel Haley House on the Isle of Shoals. Turns out it was built about 1800, not good enough to be the oldest house in Ohio. So that got me wondering: what is the oldest house in the state?

That's not an easy question to answer. Even limiting ourselves to structures that are still standing (no archeological digs allowed), there are a number of rival claimants to the title, almost all of them in southern York county, where our earliest incorporated towns are found. So I thought I'd open the question up to all of you.

Here's a draft list based on homes documented in the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey, plus historic structures mentioned in the town of Kittery's comprehensive plan and the websites of historical house museums. You'll notice a few outstanding structures don't make the cut, including the Old Gaol in York (1719), believed to be the oldest jail in the country, and Old Schoolhouse (1745).

If you know something about these homes -- or if you know of other 17th century structures that you think should be on the list -- write us at the paper or, better yet, the e-mail address at my website. I'll put together an update in this space and, perhaps, we'll finally have a satisfactory answer.

The first nominees (and their alleged construction dates) are:

• McIntire or Alexander Maxwell Garrison House, York (c. 1660). According to the Historic American Buildings Survey, this structure was built about 1660, making it the oldest building in Maine. A two-story frame blockhouse with a gable roof and a central chimney, it has walls made from eight-inch thick oak and pine boards, covered in clam shell plaster. It was built by one of the Scottish prisoners banished to the new world by Oliver Cromwell, the people for whom the local hamlet -- Scotland -- is named. It was the only blockhouse in York to survive the Indian wars.
• Bray House, Pepperell Road, Kittery (1662): A two-story home built by Jonathan Bray, a shipwright, it is often said to be the oldest house in Maine -- which it might well be, given the uncertainty of the exact date of the Maxwell Garrison's construction. It's older than New Hampshire's oldest house, which is across the river in Portsmouth, and said to be the birthplace of Sir William Pepperell.
• Whipple Garrison, Kittery (1665): This hemlock-framed garrison house successfully sheltered Whipple's Cove settlers during the Indian Wars. Birthplace of William Whipple, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
• Hunnewell House, Scarborough (1673): The oldest house in Cumberland County, this Black Point Road structure can be visited by appointment through the Scarborough Historical Society. During the Indian Wars it allegedly served as the defense outpost for the area, although Richard Hunnewell was one of the war's casualties, slain at nearby Massacre Pond in 1703.
• Roger Russell or Mayo House, Kittery (1674): Once home to the Portsmouth Yacht Club, this shorefront home was apparently built before 1674.
• William Pepperell House, Kittery (1682). The home of the colonial war hero who captured the French fort of Louisburg, it later served as a Revolutionary War barracks. Two wings were added to the original house in the 1720s or 1730s.
• Elizabeth Perkins House, York (1686 and 1730): One room of this colonial revival home was allegedly built in 1686, the rest in 1730 and the early 20th century. It is now a house museum.
• Fernald House, Kittery (1690): According to the Town of Kittery's comprehensive plan, this house stands at the head of Williams Avenue and has changed little since its construction.
• Joan Deering House, Kittery (1700): Also listed in Kittery's comprehensive plan, this Pepperell Road home once served as a tavern.
• Robert F Gerrish Warehouse, Kittery (1700). Built as a central store in about 1700, when it was accessible only by water. Served as a chandlery and post office during the 19th century. When it was documented by the National Park Service in 1965 it still housed an eight-foot diameter wheel for lifting goods from boats in the Piscataqua river.

Colin Woodard is the author of The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier. He lives in Portland and can be reached via his website, colinwoodard.com