Jewett-Eastman House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Jewett-Eastman House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 37 Portland St., South Berwick, Maine |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1850 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 83003700 |
| Added to NRHP | December 29, 1983 |
The Jewett-Eastman House is a special old house in South Berwick, Maine. It was built around 1850 and shows off the beautiful Greek Revival architecture style. This house is important because it was home to the Jewett family. This family included a successful businessman, a doctor, and the famous writer Sarah Orne Jewett. Sarah Orne Jewett spent her childhood in this very house. For a while, it was even the town's public library! Today, Historic New England owns the house. It is used as a gallery and a welcome center for visitors to the nearby Sarah Orne Jewett House.
Contents
About the Jewett-Eastman House
The Jewett-Eastman House is on the north side of Portland Street. It is close to the center of South Berwick's main village. Right next door is the Sarah Orne Jewett House, which is a National Historic Landmark.
What the House Looks Like
This house is two and a half stories tall. It is made of wood and has a roof that slopes down from the front. The outside walls are covered with clapboard siding. The main front door is on the right side of the house. It is set back a bit and has fancy Doric columns on each side. Above the door is a decorative piece called an entablature.
The front of the house has a triangular shape at the top, like a temple. There are also columns at the corners of the building. A decorative band goes all around the house below the roof. Smaller, one-story sections extend from the back of the house on both sides. There is also a porch with a hip roof along the left side. This porch covers what is now the main entrance to the house.
A Home for the Jewett Family
The house was built around 1850 by Theodore Furbur Jewett. He built it for his son, Theodore Herman Jewett. Theodore Herman Jewett had been living in his father's house. That is where his first daughter, Sarah Orne Jewett, was born in 1849. He raised his children in this house.
Later, the house was passed down to his daughter Carol. She received it when she married Edwin Eastman. The Jewett family home next door was given to Sarah and her sister Mary. They never married and did not have children. Theodore Jewett Eastman, who was Carol and Edwin Eastman's son, later gave both houses to a group called the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA). This group is now known as Historic New England (HNE).
The House's Many Uses
In the 1970s, the Jewett-Eastman House was changed to become the South Berwick Public Library. In 1984, SPNEA sold the house to a local non-profit group. The library moved out, and Historic New England bought the house back in 2011.
Today, the house is a busy place! It is used as a gallery where art and other things can be shown. It also hosts events and serves as the visitors center. This is where people start their tours to see the famous Sarah Orne Jewett House right next door.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in York County, Maine
- List of residences of American writers
