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 very old and special house located in Phillips, Maine. It was built way back in 1829 for Captain Joel Whitney, who was an important person in the early days of Phillips. This house is one of the oldest buildings in the town. 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. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 because of its history.
Contents
Exploring the Whitney House
The Whitney House sits on a corner where Pleasant Street and Sawyer Street meet. It's right across from the Union Church. The house is quite large and has many parts. The main part of the house is two and a half stories tall with a sloped roof.
What Does It Look Like?
Behind the main house, there's a long, one-story section. This part connects to a two-story building that used to be a carriage house. A carriage house is like a garage for horse-drawn carriages. This one has a cool hip roof with a small tower called a cupola on top.
The front of the main house has five windows across. The main door is in the middle. It has special windows on the sides and a wooden fan shape above it. This fancy design is called the Federal style, which was popular when the house was built.
The back part of the house was built in two steps. The first part was made at the same time as the main house. The second part was added later. The old carriage house has big sliding doors on two sides. It also has a large opening above one door where hay used to be brought in.
Inside the Historic Home
Inside the main house, you can still see many original details. The wooden decorations and door handles are from the 1800s! The back sections of the house have been changed. Now, they are used by the historical society for museum displays, meetings, and a library. It's a great place to learn about Phillips' past.
Who Was Captain Joel Whitney?
The town of Phillips became an official town in 1812. Captain Joel Whitney and his family moved there sometime between 1806 and 1815. He bought a lot of land, about 160 acres, and quickly became a very important person in the area.
Captain Whitney's Contributions
Some of the land he owned became part of the main village of Phillips. He ran a saw mill, which cut wood, and a potash factory. Potash was used to make soap and fertilizer. Captain Whitney also served as an early postmaster, helping to deliver mail.
He was very generous too! He gave the land for the nearby Union Church. He also helped pay for the church to be built and even donated the bell that is in 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 around today. The Capt. Joel Whitney House is special because it's the only two-story house from that time that still exists in Phillips. Most other houses from that period were smaller, one-and-a-half-story homes called Capes.
See also
