24.6.13

EARLY SUMMER VILLAGE






Castine, Maine is an indecently pretty place, the very paradigm of a New England village, classic crisp white houses on Elm-lined streets, sloping to a breathtaking harbor at the mouth of the Bagaduce River.   It is a history-proud town,with dozens of charming historical markers noting the sites of important events of the last four hundred years. Though the village has infinite charms, time is short, we all have lawns to mow, and we'll look at just a very few today.


The earthwork ramparts of Fort Madison, built as defense against the British in 1812.  It didn't work, and for a time  after, our peninsula was again part of England.


The rugosa roses are in full force this week, scenting the air and delighting the eye.  One hedge in particular sweeps uphill at a curve on Perkins Street in Castine, leading to the front door of a most unlikely and charming little cottage.


According to the 1896 edition of Augustus Wheeler's history of Castine, this cottage was originally the Witham farmhouse, its first floor one of the few stone buildings in town.  In 1884, Frank Wood, an entrepreneur from Bangor who built a number of picturesque log structures in the neighborhood in an effort to develop a summer colony, built a new cottage atop the stone foundation, using bark covered logs.  His original renovations can be seen below.   A few years later, another renovation gave the cottage its current form.


11 comments:

ArchitectDesign™ said...

oh it looks so lovely! and just now when DC is so humid and awful it's even more tempting! We're coming up in August to see JCB but I'm sure you'll be busy?

Parnassus said...

Castine seems a charming place and replete with history. I hadn't known about the fort or the early landings there.

I have some antique photos of an interior in Castine, and am hoping some day to match these up with their exterior--perhaps the house is still standing.
--Road to Parnassus

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Woodside Park said...

Castine looks beautiful! I can't wait to return to Maine. Will be in Castine, Bluehill and Bass Harbor soon! I'll visit your older posts.
Cheers,
Loi
Tone on Tone
Wash, DC

Anonymous said...

Even the recent tasteless recasting in stone veneer and shingles of a formerly white-painted Stick Style-esque summer cottage can't spoil its appeal. The view over fort grounds back to the cottage is almost as nice as the one in the other direction, out to Penobscot Bay. Blogging about houses in Castine one at a time could keep a Dilettante busy for EVER, methinks...

Franko said...

Very interesting photoset. I can't say that I was aware of Biencourt's landing there in 1611, as I always thought the first landing was at Plymouth a little further south. I am interested in looking into that history a little more closely! I remember driving through that area several years back on the way to Bar Harbor. Penobscot Bay is gorgeous and I'd love to get back there and do a little sailing!

Timothy said...

Frank, I was thinking the same thing. I wasn't aware of a landing up the coast there, but I am keen on studying that fact a little further. Cool pictures by the way!

Kellie said...

Beautiful photos of the town! I love Penobscot and would love to get back and visit someday if my work schedule allows! Awesome history!

Katie said...

I remember driving through that area many years ago with my family on a "Downeast" trip! Absolutely beautiful, and brings back some great memories!

Holly B said...

What a lovely area. I'd love to visit someday! The history looks fascinating!

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