Pettengill House and Farm facts for kids
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Pettengill House and Farm
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Pettengill House (pictured in 2019)
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pettengill Road, Freeport, Maine |
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| Area | 180 acres (73 ha) |
| Built | circa 1800 |
| Architectural style | Saltbox house |
| Part of | Harraseeket Historic District (ID74000160) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000041 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 6, 1970 |
| Designated CP | June 28, 1974 |
The Pettengill House and Farm is a special historic place in Freeport, Maine. It's now owned by the Freeport Historical Society. This farm was used for farming from at least 1831 until 1960.
More than 140 acres (57 ha) of its original 180 acres (73 ha) have been saved. The old farmhouse, built around 1800, is also still standing. This property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It's also part of the Harraseeket Historic District, which was created in 1974.
You can find the farm at the southern end of Pettengill Road in Freeport's Mast Landing area. The house faces south, looking out over the Harraseeket River. You can visit the farm's trails every day from sunrise to sunset.
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Exploring the Pettengill Farm's Location
The Pettengill Farm covers a large area at the start of the Harraseeket River. This river is a tidal inlet, meaning its water level changes with the ocean tides. It flows southwest towards Casco Bay.
The farm is surrounded by the river on its south and west sides. Flying Point Road is to the north, and Kelsey Brook is to the east. This brook flows into the river nearby. The farmhouse sits on a raised area, looking over a bend in the river. It's about a 1 mile (1.6 km) walk from the public entrance to the house.
Today, the farm is no longer used for growing crops or raising animals. It has open fields and woods, with public trails for everyone to enjoy. This farm is a great example of a well-preserved 19th-century "saltwater farm."
What is a Saltbox House?
The farmhouse is built in a traditional New England style called a saltbox house. Imagine a house with a regular two-story front. Then, the roof on the back slopes down very far, almost to the ground. This makes the back look like a saltbox, which was a common container for salt in old kitchens.
The Pettengill farmhouse is made of wood and has two and a half stories. It has a large chimney in the middle. The outside is covered with wooden boards called clapboards. It sits on a strong stone foundation.
The front of the house faces south, towards the river. It has four window sections. There's one window to the left of the front door and two to the right. The second floor has windows that line up with the ones below, plus an extra one above the door. The front door also has a small window above it, called a transom.
The back of the house has three windows that are a bit off-center. The west side has one window on the first floor, next to a side door. There are two windows on the second floor and one in the attic. The east side of the house has a basement entrance and five windows.
This house has never been updated with modern features. It doesn't have indoor plumbing, central heating (only the central chimney), or electricity. This helps us see what life was like long ago!
A Look at the Farm's History
The land where Pettengill Farm stands was first bought by two brothers, Aaron and Joseph Lufkin, in the 1790s. Around 1801, after the house was built, Joseph sold his share to Aaron. Later, Aaron had money troubles and had to mortgage the property. After he died in 1812, the farm was sold to David Curtis.
The house was probably empty for a while, from 1812 until 1831. Then, Captain James Rodick bought the property and made some improvements. When he passed away in 1848, he left the farm to his seven children. His son, Daniel, inherited the part with the house. In 1861, Daniel sold the house and 35 acres to Daniel Randall.
In 1858, Charles Henry Pettengill, a farmer and former sea captain, started buying parts of the land. In 1877, he bought the house from Randall's widow, Rebecca. He slowly brought all the different pieces of land back together, creating a farm of about 120 acres.
The Pettengill family raised dairy cattle on the farm. Their cows grazed on marsh grasses near the river. However, the milk they produced sometimes tasted too salty because of the grass!
Charles Henry Pettengill's son, Wallace, and his wife, Adelaide, lived on the farm. They raised three children: Ethel, Frank, and Mildred. Sadly, Ethel died when she was young.
After Wallace passed away in 1925, his two remaining children, Frank and Mildred, continued to run the farm. In 1959, they sold the farm to Eleanor Houston Smith. She and her husband, Lawrence, founded Wolfe's Neck Farm, another important farm nearby. The Smiths loved history and were fascinated by how the Pettengills lived. They allowed Frank and Mildred to continue living on the farm for the rest of their lives. The Smiths also bought back more of the original land that had been part of the farm.
Mildred, the last family member to live there, stayed in the house part-time until 1965. She passed away in 1981 at the age of 98.
In 1975, Eleanor Smith gave the house and some of the land to the Freeport Historical Society. When she died in 1987, she left the rest of the land and everything inside the house to the society.
The Freeport Historical Society has done several archaeological digs at the farm. These digs found clues that an even older, smaller house might have been on the same spot. It might have burned down, as charcoal was found in the soil. Old clay pipe stems and other items suggest the first house was built in the late 1600s or 1700s.
A big hurricane in 1954 destroyed a large barn that was next to the house. In 2015, tiny beetles were found damaging the walls of the house, showing how old buildings need constant care.
Gallery
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The rear (northern side) of the house
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The house and farmland viewed from the access road, looking southeast
Images for kids
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The front (southern side)
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Transom above the front door
