Samuel Weston Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Samuel Weston Homestead
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Skowhegan, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1798 |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000256 |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1980 |
The Samuel Weston Homestead is a very old and special house located on United States Route 201 in Skowhegan, Maine. It was built a long time ago, between 1798 and 1800. This house is a great example of how homes looked during the Georgian and Federal periods, which were popular styles back then. It's also important because of its connection to Samuel Weston, who was a very important person in the early days of this area. Because of its history and beautiful design, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Discovering the Weston Homestead's History
The Weston Homestead is found on the southwest side of a country road, US 201, a little way from the center of Skowhegan. It's a two-and-a-half-story house made of wood. It has an "L" shape, meaning it has two main sides that face out.
The front of the house, facing northeast, has six window sections. The main door is on this side, covered by a small porch with columns. There's also a smaller, second door nearby. The windows are placed in a unique way, not perfectly even. The other main side of the house has five window sections, with a door right in the middle. Inside, the house still looks much like it did when it was built, showing a mix of Georgian and Federal styles.
Who Was Samuel Weston?
This historic house was built by Samuel Weston between 1798 and 1800. His father, Joseph Weston, was one of the first people to settle in the area in 1772. Back then, Skowhegan was known as Canaan.
Samuel Weston became a very important person in his community. He served as a justice of the peace, which meant he helped keep law and order. He was also the town's very first postmaster, in charge of the mail.
His most important job was being a surveyor. He was hired by William Bingham and the state of Massachusetts to map out a huge amount of land. At that time, Maine was still part of Massachusetts. Samuel Weston surveyed over 1 million acres (about 4,000 square kilometers) of land in the region. This land was part of what is known today as the Bingham Purchase. His work helped to shape how the land in Maine was divided and settled.
