Forest Lodge (Upton, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Forest Lodge
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Carry Rd., about 1.9 mi. W. of Middle Dam, Upton, Maine |
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| Area | 1.8 acres (0.73 ha) |
| Built | 1942 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, camp |
| NRHP reference No. | 08001257 |
| Added to NRHP | December 30, 2008 |
Forest Lodge is a special old home in the quiet, wild parts of northern Oxford County, Maine. It's found in a tricky-to-reach spot in Upton, right by the Rapid River. This place is made up of seven buildings, and four of them are houses.
A famous writer named Louise Dickinson Rich (1903–1991) and her family lived here all year round from 1933 to 1944. Later, Louise used it as her summer home until 1955. The lodge, the land around it, and the few people who lived there often appeared in her books. She wrote for forty years! Because of its history and connection to Louise Rich, Forest Lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. This means it's an important place to protect.
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What Makes Forest Lodge Special?
Forest Lodge sits on a piece of land about 1.8 acres (0.73 ha) big. It's on the north side of the Rapid River. Even though it's part of Upton, it feels very far away from the rest of the town. You have to drive a long way through other areas to get to the road that leads to it. The main group of buildings is on a small loop road near the river.
Buildings at Forest Lodge
The lodge has many buildings, built at different times. The oldest ones are the Winter House, the Summer House, and the Guide House. These were already there in 1933 when Ralph Rich moved in.
That summer, Ralph met Louise Dickinson and her sister. They were canoeing on the river. They stopped at the camp during a long portage. This was a spot where they had to carry their canoes between Lower Richardson Lake and Lake Umbagog.
Louise moved in the next year. She and Ralph changed the camp to live there all year. They had two children before Ralph passed away in 1944. Louise started writing to earn money for her family. Her most famous book, We Took To The Woods, came out in 1942. This book tells her true story of living in the Maine woods. It became a very important book about life in that region.
After her husband died, Louise Rich spent winters on the Maine coast. But she always came back to Forest Lodge for the summers. In 1955, she sold the property to a relative of one of her long-time helpers. The property has been cared for by people who respect its history ever since.
The Winter House
The Winter House is a single-story wooden building. It measures about 20 by 25 feet (6.1 m × 7.6 m). It has wooden siding called clapboards. The front of the house faces east. It has a porch with a sloped roof, held up by log posts. Inside, there are two parts. The southern part has two bedrooms. The northern part is a large living area. This living space has pine floors, wood paneling, and a brick fireplace.
The Summer House
The Summer House is the biggest building at Forest Lodge. It's almost twice the size of the Winter House. Its main part is nearly as large as the Winter House. It sits on a concrete base that shows because the ground slopes. A slightly smaller section is attached to the west side. A porch runs along the entire south side of the building. This house still has some of Louise Rich's old furniture and work tools. These include her typewriter and a roll-top desk.
The Guide's House
The Guide's House is a small wooden building. It measures 20 by 16 feet (6.1 m × 4.9 m). It has a roof that slopes on two sides, covered with asphalt shingles. Inside, it has two sleeping rooms. It doesn't have modern things like plumbing or electricity. The Rich family used it to house seasonal workers on their property.
Other Buildings
The Riches built two woodsheds and a workshop themselves. Other buildings, like the Guest House and Fly Shop, were added by later owners.
