Butterfield-Sampson House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Butterfield-Sampson House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 18 River Rd., Bowdoinham, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1820 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Stick/Eastlake |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001190 |
| Added to NRHP | October 24, 1996 |
The Butterfield-Sampson House is a special old home located at 18 River Road in Bowdoinham, Maine. It's unique because it combines two different styles of architecture. Part of the house was built in the early 1800s in the Federal style. Later, around 1890, a Stick style part was added. This newer part is very rare in Maine because it was built from a "mail-order" design from a company called Palliser & Palliser. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
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What Makes This House Special?
The Butterfield-Sampson House stands in the middle of Bowdoinham village. You can find it on the west side of River Road, which is also Maine State Route 24. It's just north of Railroad Avenue.
Its Unique Look
The house is two and a half stories tall. It's made of wood and has a special roof shape called a cross-gable. The older part of the house has a simpler gabled roof. The outside walls are covered with wooden clapboards and decorative scallop-cut wooden shingles. The whole house sits on a strong brick foundation.
A porch runs along the front of the house. It has thin columns and a fancy wooden trim called a spindled frieze. The front-facing gable (the triangular part of the roof) has a deep overhang. This part is decorated with cool Stick style wooden designs and large brackets.
A House with Two Eras
The back part of the house is the oldest. It's also two and a half stories tall. This section has five window bays and is only one room deep. It faces north, while the newer front part faces east. Experts believe this original section was built around the 1810s.
In the 1840s, a railroad company bought the older house. They later sold it in 1861 to Robert Butterfield, who was the local postmaster. Then, in 1888, Harriet Sampson bought the house.
The Mail-Order Addition
The main part of the house, built in the Stick style, was probably added soon after Harriet Sampson bought it. The old house was moved further back on the property to make room for the new addition. This new section looks a lot like a design from Palliser's Model Homes. This book was published in 1878 by the Palliser & Palliser Company from Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Stick style architecture is not very common in Maine. Also, there aren't many houses in the state that were built using these "mail-order" plans. This makes the Butterfield-Sampson House a truly special and rare example of architecture in Maine.
