Robert Reed House facts for kids
The Robert Reed House is a very old and special home in Woolwich, Maine. It is also known as the Robert P. Tristram Coffin House. This house was built way back in 1765. It is one of the oldest houses in the area. What makes it unique is that it's actually two older houses that were joined together! This house is also famous because it was once the home of Robert P. Tristram Coffin, a poet who won a Pulitzer Prize. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, which means it's an important historical site.
Discover the Robert Reed House
The Robert Reed House is located on Chop Point Road, near where it meets Route 128. It's a really interesting building because it's made up of three parts. Imagine looking at it from the front:
- One part is a 1-1/2 story wooden building that faces east.
- Another part, which is taller, is a 2-1/2 story building that faces south. These two parts are connected.
- There's also a single-story section that stretches out to the west.
What Does the House Look Like?
The tallest part of the house has a pointed roof and a chimney in the middle. Its outside walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboard. The foundation, which is the base of the house, is made of fieldstone. The other main part of the house looks similar. Both of these main sections have five windows across the front and a door in the middle.
Who Lived in This Historic Home?
The main part of the house was built around 1765 by a man named Robert Reed. He and his wife raised a big family there – they had twelve children! The smaller 1-1/2 story part of the house, called a Cape, was likely built around the same time. These two parts have been connected since the 1700s.
Later, in the 1930s, a famous poet and professor from Bowdoin College named Robert P. Tristram Coffin bought the house. He even wrote about the house in some of his poems and stories. It's amazing to think about all the history and stories held within these old walls!