Nathan G. Hichborn House facts for kids
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Nathan G. Hichborn House
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 Nathan G. Hichborn House
Location in Maine
Nathan G. Hichborn House
Location in the United States
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| Location | 10 Church St., Stockton Springs, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1850 |
| Architect | Alfred S. Bither |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000392 |
| Added to NRHP | April 7, 1988 |
The Nathan G. Hichborn House is a special old home located at 10 Church Street in Stockton Springs, Maine. It was built in the 1850s and has a unique style called Italianate. This house stands out as one of the fanciest buildings in the town.
It's also famous because it was the home of Nathan Hichborn. He was a local shipbuilder and a politician. Nathan Hichborn helped Stockton Springs become its own town, separate from Prospect. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, which means it's an important historical building.
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What Does the Hichborn House Look Like?
Today, the Hichborn House is home to a "Farm to Table" restaurant. You can find it in the village of Stockton Springs. It's just south of United States Route 1 and near the Stockton Springs Community Church.
The house is a two-and-a-half story building made of wood. It has a special type of roof called a hip roof. The outside walls are covered with overlapping wooden boards called clapboard siding. The house sits on a strong stone foundation.
Unique Architectural Features
The roof has wide edges with decorative pairs of brackets underneath. There are also gabled dormers, which are windows that stick out from the roof. On top of the roof, there's a cool hexagonal (six-sided) cupola. A cupola is a small dome-like structure.
The front of the house faces east and looks balanced. It has three sections, with the main entrance in the middle. A small porch, called a portico, covers the entrance. This porch is held up by groups of square posts with flattened edges. Above the entrance, there's a window made of three parts. Its decorative top matches the curved shapes of the windows.
Inside the house, you can see beautiful old wooden details. The downstairs living rooms have fireplaces with surrounds that look like marble, but are actually made of slate. At the back of the house, there's an addition called an ell. This ell connects the main house to a carriage barn, which was used for horses and carriages.
Who Was Nathan G. Hichborn?
People used to think the Hichborn House was built in 1849. However, its style and how it was built suggest it was finished in the 1850s. The house was designed by Alfred Bither, an architect from Bangor. It was built for Nathan G. Hichborn, a very important person in Stockton Springs.
Nathan Hichborn's Achievements
Nathan Hichborn was a very busy shipbuilder. He built an amazing 42 ships over 28 years! He also played a big part in building the nearby Stockton Springs Community Church.
One of his most important achievements was leading the effort to make Stockton Springs a separate town. Before 1857, Stockton Springs was part of Prospect. Thanks to Nathan Hichborn, Stockton Springs became its own town in 1857. He also served in the state legislature, which is like a state government, and was the state treasurer. He even ran for Governor of Maine based on his political ideas.
