Mid-Coast Region
Visiting Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb, Bristol, Walpole, Damariscotta, and Westport Bicentennial Homes and Places
Tour Highlights
This tour shares pre-statehood homes and a few other structures of the eastern Mid-Coast region, following the coastline west from Bristol to Westport.
Getting Started
This tour starts at 278 Harrington Rd in Bristol. The tour route is approximately 50 miles and will take roughly 2 hours.
- Each tour stop on the map's address is linked to Google Maps so you can swiftly navigate from location-to-location if you choose Google for mapping. You can also use the address in your car's navigation system.
Be safe and aware of your surroundings whilst driving.
- Many properties on the tour are private places; be respectful of private property and remain on the public way at all times.
Except as otherwise noted in the tour, the source for information about the properties has been gathered from each one’s National Register of Historic Places nomination.
01 / 11
1
Harrington Meeting House
Built ca. 1775, Vernacular
The Harrington Meeting House is one of three meetinghouses in the area built to serve the Presbyterian population. Soon after its construction, the building was moved from the center of Bristol to closer to the head of John's Bay.
The interior of the building was altered in 1850 to a "reverse plan" where the entry doors are behind the pulpit. There is a report that, in 1850, this meeting house was jacked up and physically moved over the present cemetery, allegedly without damaging any stones.
Interestingly, John Johnston's A History of Bristol and Bremen indicated that the original meeting house had been destroyed, but in 1960 Ilonka Fertig spearheaded a repair of the existing meeting house only to find evidence the building was the original meeting house from 1772. By 1970, a team had restored the building to its original configuration, with the exception of the pews so that space could be used by the museum.
It is particularly notable for its roof framing system, which framing consists of king post trusses with a double top chord (or top chord and rafter). This type of king post truss is rare but other examples have been noted in such as in the 1714 Lynnfield, Massachusetts meeting house, 1800 Congregational Church in Windham, Vermont, and the 1799 Strafford, Vermont meeting house.
Today, the meeting house includes a museum with clothing, books, and photographs on display.
2
Arch Bridge
Built ca. 1800
The Arch Bridge is a remarkably well-preserved and picturesque historic stone arch bridge, carrying Benner Road over the Pemaquid River near the village of Bristol Mills in Bristol, Maine. Probably built before 1800, it is one of the state's oldest stone bridges, and is remarkably well-preserved for its age.
The bridge is a dry-laid stone arch structure with span of 14 feet and a total length of 21 feet. It is built out of field stone and roughly quarried stone and river cobbles, with its base laid directly on bedrock. The sides of the bridge are lined with granite curbing and modern wooden guardrails. The actual construction date of the bridge is unknown, but circumstantial evidence and its construction methodology suggest a date before 1800. The construction methodology is similar to a stone bridge on that once stood on Upper Round Pond Road, which was replaced by a modern bridge.
3
Walpole Meeting House
Built ca. 1772, Vernacular
The Old Walpole Meetinghouse is a well-preserved, relatively unaltered, late Colonial church and one of the oldest actively used churches in the state. It originally was a Presbyterian church which later became Congregational church as the religious demographics of the area shifted.
The Old Wapole Meetinghouse nonprofit, shares that "the windows were easily the most expensive parts of the building, since they were imported from England; each window is said to have cost the price of one cow.
Especially interesting is the paneled balcony, which was prepared for the servants, who also attended worship upstairs. These fine old panels are boards 30 inches in width, surprising because the King’s men had marked all trees over 21″ in diameter to be saved for masts for the Royal Navy.
4
Chapman-Hall House
Built ca. 1754, Cape
The Chapman-Hall House is a fine example of one of Maine's pre-Revolutionary houses, is the oldest surviving house in Damariscotta and one of the oldest in the state.
The house is unique for its visible construction, for example, ceiling beams which extend the entire width of the building. The interior also includes original period plasterwork and paneled fireplaces.
It was built by one of the area's first permanent white settlers. The Damariscotta area was first settled in the 17th century, but permanent settlement did not begin until 1748 due to repeated conflicts with Native Americans. This house was built in 1754 by Nathaniel Chapman, a housewright and half-brother of the area's first permanent settler, Anthony Chapman. Both were natives of Ipswich, Massachusetts, and Nathaniel and his wife, Miriam, were convinced to come here by his brother to build houses for the early settlers. Nathaniel Chapman at one time owned all of the area that is now downtown Damariscotta and lived to be 101.
The Chapman-Hall Preservation Society purchased and restored the house and opened it to the public in 1965. Today the Chapman-Hall house functions as a museum owned by the Lincoln County Historical Association and has been restored to its 18th-century state. Learn more about the house and the museum .
5
Stephen Coffin House
Built ca. 1803, Federal
The Stephen Coffin House is an example of a rarely surviving building type - a Federal period store attached to a merchant's house. The house-store combination contributed to the rise of business districts in Damariscotta and throughout Maine.
Tradition holds that the house was built and owned by Jacob Sleeper in 1803, but that it was sold soon after construction to Stephen Coffin, a merchant, however the house's exact construction date is shrouded in mystery, due to the number and type of land transactions that Stephen Coffin engaged in between 1803 and 1807. It was almost certainly standing by 1807, and may have been built as early as 1803, its traditionally ascribed construction date. Coffin was a local merchant, and apparently operated his business out of the basement of this house. The western ell was probably built by Coffin when his business had outgrown the basement.
In 1922 the house was purchased by the Skidompha Library Association and the Damariscotta Women's Club; the library used the ground floor and the Women's Club facilities used the second floor. The building was enlarged by the eastern ell in the 1980s, and the library moved to its new facility next door in 2001. The building is now in commercial use.
6
Matthew Cottrill House
Built ca. 1801, Federal
The Mathew Cottrill House is a well-preserved, two-story, Federal style house designed by Nicholas Codd for Mathew Cottrill in 1801. Mathew Cottrill, was an Irish immigrant from County Wexford and arrived in Boston in 1780 or 1781 with James Kavanaugh. Friends and business associates, they were in Newcastle by 1791.
Kavanaugh and Cottrill were a major economic force in Damariscotta Mills, operating mills, shipyards, and ships on the Damariscotta River. They invested heavily in real estate but merchandizing was their mainline. They also built 25 ships during their partnership.
Nicholas Codd, a Boston-based housewright, and also an Irish immigrant, is the also architect of the St. Patrick Cathedral in Damariscotta Mills and the Kavanaugh House in Newcastle. The ell of the house is believed to have been built about 1760, by members of the locally prominent Chapman family.
It is a contributing structure to the Main Street Historic District in Damariscotta. View the district's National Register listing .
7
Auld-McCobb House
Built ca. 1807, Federal
The Auld-McCobb House is an impressive brick hipped-roof double house built on a grand scale. The scale and use of brick were both unusual for the time. Today, the Auld-McCobb house is the oldest brick structure in Boothbay Harbor.
It was built for two prominent local shipbuilding merchants: Jacob Auld and Joseph McCobb. Soon after starting their own individual businesses, the two merged into the firm of Auld and McCobb, with both partners remaining active until their deaths.
8
Stephen Parsons House
Built ca. 1806, Federal
The Stephen Parsons House is a fine local example of Federal style architecture and is a two-and-a-half story, hipped roof house. The interior contains extensive decorative stencil work in an ivy pattern in the main hall and barrel ceiling.
The house was built for the local community leader and politician Stephen Parsons. Stephen Parsons moved to Edgecomb in 1801 and quickly established himself as a successful businessman and community leader. He produced the first survey of the town, was its first postmaster, and ran the general store. He built a tidal grist mill, brickyard, and shipyard on the creek near his house. He also purchased the schooner "Diamond" which proved a very profitable investment. In 1809, he set himself up as an engineer and was for many years actively engaged in bridge repair.
He worked actively for Maine statehood, and served as a representative to the General Court of Massachusetts. When Maine achieved statehood in 1820, he was elected to its inaugural senate. He was married to the daughter of Benjamin Randall, founder of the Free Will Baptist denomination.
An interesting item from the house's National Register nomination is this: "[U]until his death in 1862, he was cared for by two adoring spinster daughters who caused his stone in the family burial plot to be inscribed with the epitaph: MARK THE PERFECT MAN."
9
Fort Edgecomb
Built ca. 1808-12
Fort Edgecomb, is an octagonal wooden blockhouse built on Davis Island between 1808-1809 in order to protect the seaport of Wiscasset, one of the busiest seaports of the period.
Its most prominent feature is an eight-sided blockhouse, whose second floor is larger than its first, measuring 30 feet over 27 feet. The ground floor walls have loopholes through which muskets could be fired, while the upper level had portholes for firing cannons.
Although the blockhouse is the most visible feature, the fort's main armament was a water battery to defend the river. This battery originally had five cannons, including a 50-pounder columbiad and four 18-pounder smoothbore cannons. Each cannon was in its own bastion, with the bastions arranged in three tiers.
The fort remained manned and active until 1818, and then was briefly reactivated during the Civil War. Today, Fort Edgecomb is a state historic site open to the public. View detailed plans of the powder house from the Historic American Building Survey .
10
Josiah Parsons Homestead
Built ca. 1792 with alterations in 1815, Federal
The Josiah K. Parsons Homestead, built in 1792 by Josiah Parsons, a York native and a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, is both historically and architecturally significant as a well-preserved example of early Federal period architecture.
The property includes a two-and-a-half story early Federal house and a single-story Cape style structure that was used as a trading post and which contains original furnishings. This post, was the only retail establishment on the island for many years.
In 1964, scientist John C. Lilly purchased the property, constructed a 50x75 foot pool (later removed), and used the pool and the trading post structure for his pioneering research regarding neurophysiology and the communication capability of dolphins.
11
Squire Tarbox House
Built ca. 1763 with alterations in 1820, Federal
The Squire Tarbox House is a well-preserved, two-story timber frame, Federal style dwelling. Constructed in 1763, the house is named for its association with Samuel "Squire" Tarbox who purchased the house in 1806.
Tarbox moved the house to a nearby (its present) location and used the original house as an ell for a large house he built the following year. Samuel Tarbox’s distinguished civic service included serving as a Captain in the War of 1812, a member of the House of Representatives from Edgecomb in 1827, Westport's first Selectman after its incorporation as a town in 1828, and Westport's first Postmaster in 1829. Tarbox was considered one of the leading citizens of the town and was instrumental to achieving the separation of Westport from Edgecomb as an independent town (the journey to town meetings was too long and much complained about by distant residents).
The house changed hands a number of times and was converted to a restaurant and shop in 1956, with the 1763 ell serving as the dining room from that time. The house became an inn as well as a restaurant in 1971 and has been in operation under several owners since that time. View the current inn's website .