Capt. Joel Whitney House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Capt. Joel Whitney House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 8 Pleasant St., Phillips, Maine |
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| Area | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) |
| Built | 1829 |
| Built by | Ladd, Jesse |
| Architectural style | Federal, Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000293 |
| Added to NRHP | April 22, 2003 |
The Capt. Joel Whitney House is a special old house located in Phillips, Maine. It was built way back in 1829 for Captain Joel Whitney, an important person who helped start the town. This house is one of the oldest buildings in Phillips. It's also probably the only two-story house from that time still standing!
Today, the Phillips Historical Society owns the house. They use parts of it as a museum to show what life was like long ago. Because of its history and unique style, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
What the Capt. Joel Whitney House Looks Like
The Whitney House is a large, interesting building. It sits on the corner of Pleasant and Sawyer Streets. Across the street is the Union Church.
The main part of the house has two and a half stories. Its roof slopes down on the sides. A long, one-story section, called an "ell," stretches out to the back. This ell connects to a square, two-story building that used to be a carriage house. A carriage house was like a garage for horse-drawn carriages. This one has a small tower, called a cupola, on its roof.
The front of the main house has five sections, with windows and a door. The main door is in the middle. It has tall, narrow windows on each side. Above the door, there's a fancy wooden fan shape and a decorative frame. This style is known as Federal style.
The back ell was built in two parts. The first part was built at the same time as the main house. The second part was added later. The old carriage house has large sliding doors on two sides. It also has a big opening above one door, which was used for moving hay.
Inside the main house, many of the original wooden decorations and metal fittings from the Federal period are still there. The back sections have been changed. They are now used by the historical society for museum exhibits, meetings, and a library.
The History of Captain Joel Whitney and His House
The town of Phillips officially became a town in 1812. Captain Joel Whitney and his family arrived in the area between 1806 and 1815. He bought a lot of land, about 160 acres. Soon, he became a very important person in the community.
Some of the land he owned became part of Phillips village. He also ran a mill for cutting wood and a factory that made potash. Potash was a chemical used back then. Captain Whitney was also one of the first people in charge of the mail for the town.
He was very generous too. He gave the land for the Union Church, which is right next door. He also helped pay for the church to be built. He even donated the bell for its tower!
This house was built for Captain Whitney in 1829. A local builder named Jesse Ladd constructed it. Jesse Ladd built other houses in the area that are still standing today. The Capt. Joel Whitney House is special because it's the only known two-story house from that time that has survived in Phillips. All the other houses from that period are smaller, one-and-a-half-story homes.
See also
