Hamilton House (South Berwick, Maine) facts for kids
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Hamilton House
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Hamilton House in 2014
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 40 Vaughan's Lane, South Berwick, Maine |
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| Built | 1787 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000082 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 30, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | December 30, 1970 |
The Hamilton House is a really old and special house located in South Berwick, Maine. It was built a long time ago, between 1787 and 1788, by a rich merchant named Jonathan Hamilton. This beautiful house is a great example of a late Georgian style country home.
It is considered a National Historic Landmark because of its importance. Today, the Hamilton House is a historic house museum. It is owned by an organization called Historic New England. You can visit the house and take tours usually from June through October.
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About the Hamilton House
The Hamilton House sits on about 50 acres of land. It looks out over the Salmon Falls River. This river forms the border between South Berwick, Maine, and Rollinsford, New Hampshire.
What the House Looks Like
The house is a large, two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a sloped roof and wooden siding. There are four brick chimneys placed evenly on its outside walls. You can also see gabled windows on all four sides of the roof.
The house has entrances on its north, south, and east sides. Each entrance has decorative columns and a triangular top. The entrance on the north side is the most fancy. It has extra side windows and another set of columns. Above the north and east entrances, there are special windows called Palladian windows.
Inside the House
Inside, the house has a wide central hallway. The wallpaper in this hall is a copy of the original wallpaper found there. The two living rooms and the dining room have special features. These include mahogany window seats and decorative panels around the fireplaces. They also have folding window shutters inside.
The dining room and the south living room have wallpaper that was painted in 1900. An artist named George Porter Fernald created these beautiful designs.
History of the Hamilton House
In 1783, Jonathan Hamilton bought the land for the house. He was a merchant who made a lot of money during the American Revolutionary War. He earned money by using his ships to capture enemy ships. This was called privateering.
The property was known as Pipe Stave Landing. It was a great spot for Hamilton to bring goods from his merchant ships. The house he built was the most valuable in South Berwick at the time.
Changes Over Time
Jonathan Hamilton passed away in 1802. The property was sold outside of his family in 1815. For most of the 1800s, the Goodwin family owned the house. They used the property as a farm. During this time, the grand house started to show its age and needed repairs.
In 1898, the Goodwin family decided to sell the property. A local author named Sarah Orne Jewett loved the house. She convinced her friend Emily Tyson and Emily's stepdaughter Elise to buy it. They wanted to fix up the house in a popular style called Colonial Revival.
The Tysons made only small changes to the house itself. They restored some of its original features, like the wallpaper in the central hall. Their biggest changes were outside. They built a beautiful garden and a small cottage. The cottage now serves as a visitor center for guests.
Becoming a Museum
After Elise Tyson Vaughan passed away in 1949, she left the house to a group. This group was then called the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities. Today, it is known as Historic New England.
Since then, Historic New England has operated the Hamilton House. It is a historic house museum. Visitors can take tours to learn about its past.
The Hamilton House was officially recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1970. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in the same year. Interestingly, a copy of Sarah Orne Jewett's novel, The Tory Lover, suggests the Hamilton House was the setting for her story.
In 2020, Historic New England received a large grant. It was $165,000 from the Save America's Treasures program. This money helped fund important repairs to the house. Historic New England also raised more money to help with these necessary improvements.
Other Historic Places Nearby
- Sarah Orne Jewett House, another historic home in South Berwick owned by Historic New England.
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Maine, a list of other important places in Maine.
- National Register of Historic Places listings in York County, Maine, a list of historic places in York County, Maine.
