Capt. John McGilvery House facts for kids
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Capt. John McGilvery House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | E. Main St., Searsport, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1874 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Part of | East Main Street Historic District (ID91001815) |
| NRHP reference No. | 83003685 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 29, 1983 |
| Designated CP | December 13, 1991 |
The Capt. John McGilvery House is a special old house in Searsport, Maine. It was built way back in 1874 for a famous local ship's captain named John McGilvery. This house is a great example of a building style called Second Empire architecture, which was popular a long time ago. It's so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, like a national treasure! It's also part of a group of historic buildings in Searsport called the East Main Street Historic District.
What Makes the Capt. John McGilvery House Special?
The Capt. John McGilvery House is located on the north side of East Main Street, which is also United States Route 1. It sits a little bit back from the road. Right next door is the house of his brother, William, which is even more fancy!
A Closer Look at the House's Design
This house is made of wood and has three stories. It has a special kind of roof called a mansard roof, which is a sloped roof with two parts on each side. The house is covered in wooden shingles. It's shaped like the letter "L." In the corner of the "L" shape, there's a porch on the first floor. This porch connects to an old carriage barn, which was used for horses and carriages back in the day.
Both the house and the barn have mansard roofs with small, gabled windows called dormers. These dormers have decorative brackets underneath them. The edges of the roofs also have pairs of brackets, making them look very fancy. The main front door has decorative columns on the sides and a fancy top part. To the left of the door, there's a two-story bay window that sticks out and has many sides. All these details make the house a great example of the Second Empire style.
Who Was Captain John McGilvery?
The Capt. John McGilvery House was built in 1874 for John McGilvery. He was a ship's captain from a well-known local family who were very important in the shipping business. Many high-quality houses were built around the same time on East Main Street by captains who were related to each other.
John McGilvery was one of five brothers, and all of them became sea captains! He had a very successful career sailing the seas. He was known for being popular and for keeping his ships and crews safe. Imagine all five brothers sailing their own ships around the world!
