Sarah Orne Jewett House facts for kids
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Sarah Orne Jewett House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | ME 4 and 236 South Berwick, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1774 |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000248 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 4, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | July 17, 1991 |
The Sarah Orne Jewett House is a special old house in South Berwick, Maine. It's now a historic house museum where you can learn about the past. This house is famous because the American writer Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) lived here for most of her life.
Sarah Orne Jewett was an important author in the late 1800s. Her stories showed what life was like in different parts of the country. The house itself was built in 1774. It's a great example of the Georgian style of building. Today, the house belongs to Historic New England. You can visit it for tours during certain times of the year.
What the Jewett House Looks Like
The Jewett House stands out in the center of South Berwick, Maine. It's a two-story house made of wood. The outside is covered with clapboard siding. A successful merchant named John Haggins built the house in 1774.
People think that Haggins did very well during the American Revolutionary War. This allowed him to pay for amazing work inside the house. The outside looks simple, but the inside is very fancy.
The main part of the house has five windows across the front. It has a sloped roof with three small windows sticking out. A fancy porch was added later in the 1800s. This porch covers the main front door. A two-story section extends from the back of the house.
Inside, the entrance hall is beautifully decorated. It has a special arch supported by carved pillars. The staircase is also very detailed. Its carved railings and posts took a long time to finish. The main rooms downstairs have decorative carved wood panels. The rooms are set up to look like they did in the late 1800s. Sarah Orne Jewett's bedroom on the second floor looks just as it did when she passed away there.
A Look at the House's History
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Another merchant, Theodore Jewett, moved his family into the house. This happened sometime in the 1820s. John Haggins, the first owner, died in 1819. His family sold the house to Theodore Jewett in 1839.
Theodore's son, Dr. Theodore H. Jewett, moved into the house in 1848. His second daughter, Sarah, was born there the next year. From 1854 to 1877, the young Jewett family lived next door. That house is now called the Jewett-Eastman House.
Sarah Orne Jewett and her sister Mary inherited this house in 1887. Their younger sister Caroline moved into the house next door. Sarah and Mary never married. They lived in the house for the rest of their lives.
After her father died in 1878, Sarah found comfort in her friend Annie Adams Fields. Sarah and Annie became very close friends and companions. They often traveled together, including a trip to Europe in 1882. After that, they shared their time between Sarah's home in South Berwick and Annie's home in Boston. They also had a summer home in Massachusetts.
Sarah Orne Jewett became very famous for her writing. This happened after her book The Country of the Pointed Firs was published in 1896. Her work helped make a type of writing popular. It was called American literary regionalism. This style of writing showed the unique character of a specific place. For Sarah, it was the rural southern part of Maine.
The famous writer Willa Cather praised Sarah for her influence. Sarah's books and life are still studied by experts today. In 1898, Sarah convinced her friend Emily Tyson to buy and fix up the house. Sarah used her home as a model for her book The Tory Lover in 1901.
After Sarah died in 1909 and Mary in 1930, the house went to Caroline's husband, Edwin Eastman. He gave the property to a group called the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. This group is now called Historic New England.
Today, Historic New England runs the main house as a museum. It teaches visitors about Sarah Orne Jewett. The Jewett-Eastman House next door is now a visitors center. Historic New England also looks after the Hamilton House in the same town.
The Jewett House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was named a National Historic Landmark on July 17, 1991.
See also
