The Mansion House (Robbinston, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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The Mansion House
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View of the front
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Robbinston, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1785 |
| Built by | John Brewer |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000154 |
| Added to NRHP | May 22, 1973 |
The Mansion House is a very old and important house in Robbinston, Maine. It was built around 1785. This beautiful house shows off the style of the Federal period, which was a time when the United States was just starting out. Many interesting people lived here, including John Brewer, a shipbuilder and military leader, and James Shepherd Pike, a journalist and a diplomat. The house became a special historic place when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The Mansion House: A Historic Home
This house is located near U.S. Route 1 and the St. Croix River in eastern Maine. It sits on a large piece of land. The house itself is a big, two-story building made of wood. It has a main square part and another rectangular part attached to it.
What Does It Look Like?
The front of the house faces the river. It has five sections with windows and doors. There's a covered porch, called a piazza, across the middle. This porch has round columns and steps leading down to the ground. The main front door has special windows on the sides and a fan-shaped window above it. The year "1785" is even etched into this fanlight window!
Inside, the house still has many beautiful features from the Federal period. These include two staircases, fancy fireplace decorations, and wooden panels on the walls. Some of these wooden panels on the first floor are made from single pieces of pine, about 30 inches wide!
Who Lived Here?
The Mansion House was built in 1785 by a man named John Brewer. He was a well-known shipbuilder in the area. He also worked as the local postmaster. Brewer often did business with people across the river in New Brunswick. He was also a general in the state militia during the War of 1812. People say that a small tower on top of this house, called a cupola, was used as a lookout point during that war to spot arriving military ships.
Later, in 1864, James Shepherd Pike bought the house to use as a summer home. Pike was a journalist. He was famous for speaking out against slavery in newspapers like the New York Tribune. During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Pike to be the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands. After the war, Pike hosted several important people at the Mansion House. These guests included Salmon P. Chase and Horace Greeley.
The house has since been updated so people can live in it all year round. It is still owned by private individuals today.
