Harper Family House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Harper Family House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Limerick, Maine |
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| Area | 5.3 acres (2.1 ha) |
| Built | 1809 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 98001236 |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 1998 |
The Harper Family House is a very old and special house in Limerick, Maine. It's located on Maine State Route 5. People think it was built around 1809. This house is one of the few brick houses from the 1800s in Limerick, and it might even be the oldest one! A single family, the Harpers, owned this house for a super long time—144 years! Because it's so important, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
What the Harper House Looks Like
The Harper Family House is on the west side of Route 5 in southern Limerick. You can find it between Woodridge Drive and Austin Lane. It's a special type of house called a "Cape style" house. It's made of brick and has one and a half stories. The roof slopes down on the sides, and it has two chimneys. The bottom part of the house is made of strong granite.
The front of the house faces east and has eight sections, or "bays." This is because the house started as a five-bay main part, and then a wing was added that lines up with the front. At the back, there's a wooden addition that connects the house to a modern garage and barn. The front of the house has two doors. One of them is very fancy and old-fashioned, with windows on the sides. Over the years, only a few small changes have been made, like adding some windows on the roof and changing the front door.
A Glimpse into History
People believe the Harper Family House was built around 1809. We don't have old papers that prove the exact date, but it's a good guess! This house was the main building on a big farm that was about 300 acres (which is about 121 hectares). The farm even had a place where a blacksmith worked.
It's thought that Samuel Harper built the house. He settled on this land in 1787, which was around the time his son Ezekial got married. In Limerick, there are only a few other brick houses from the 1800s. But those houses were built later, in the middle of the century, and have different styles. The Harper family owned this house until the 1950s when it was sold to someone else.
