List of the oldest buildings in Maine

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This article attempts to list the oldest buildings in the state of Maine in the United States of America, including the oldest houses in Maine and any other surviving structures from the First Period or oldest buildings of their type in Maine. Some dates are approximate and based on architectural studies and historical records, other dates are based on dendrochronology. All entries should include citation with reference to: architectural features; a report by an architectural historian; dendrochronology; or other secondary source.

Verified through dendrochronology or architectural surveys[edit]

Building Location First Built Notes
McIntire Garrison House YorkME McIntireGarrisonHouse.jpg York, Maine 1707 Apparently built in 1707 thought traditionally held to be constructed in 1645.[1]
Old York Gaol The Old York Gaol, York, Maine.jpg York, Maine c. 1720 Construction of building began in 1720, with expansion continuing until 1806.

The structure is one of the oldest surviving jails in the United States.[2]
Bray House BRAY HOUSE, YORK COUNTY, MAINE.jpg Kittery, Maine c. 1720 While the Bray House was historically dated to the mid-1600s, a contemporary survey has deemed that assigning a date prior to 1710-1720 to the structure is “not really possible.”[3]
First Congregational Church and Parsonage First Congregational Church Kittery Maine March 10 2010.jpg Kittery, Maine c. 1730 Oldest church building in Maine
Littlefield Tavern LittlefieldTavernWellsMaine.jpg Wells, Maine 1735 This structure is reported to be an early tavern.[4]
Ramsdell House York, Maine c. 1747 One of the oldest houses in Maine, dated using dendrochronology.[5] Located on Lindsay Road.
Tate House PortlandME TateHouse 02.jpg Portland, Maine c. 1755 House museum and one of the oldest houses in Portland
Burnham Tavern MachiasME BurnhamTavern.jpg Machias, Maine 1770 Possibly the oldest building east of the Penobscot River in Maine.[6]
Portland Head Light Portland Head Light August 2014 - 1.jpg Portland, Maine c. 1790 Oldest lighthouse in Maine[citation needed]

Currently unverified estimates[edit]

See also[edit]

  1. ^ “NHL nomination for McIntire Garrison House”. National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  2. ^ “NHL nomination for Old York Gaol”. National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  3. ^ “NRHP nomination for Bray House”. National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  4. ^ “NRHP nomination for Littlefield Tavern”. National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-11.
  5. ^ http://www.dendrochronology.net/me.asp
  6. ^ Dabney W. Caldwell, Roadside Geology of Maine (1998) pg. 92 https://books.google.com
  7. ^ “Restoring the house of legendary William Whipple” by D. Allan Kerr, Oct 9, 2017
  8. ^ Old Kittery and Her Families, by Everett Schermerhorn Stackpole, (Lewiston, ME: 1903) pg. 81 – Old Kittery and Her Families, by Everett Schermerhorn Stackpole, (Lewiston, ME: 1903) pg. 81
  9. ^ John Mead Howells, The Architectural Heritage of the Piscataqua: Houses and … (1937), p. 207
    https://books.google.com
  10. ^ John E. Frost (John Eldridge), Colonial Village, (1948), pg. 69 archive.org
  11. ^ “NRHP nomination for William Pepperrell House”. National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  12. ^ “Historic American Buildings Survey” https://www.loc.gov/item/me0179/
  13. ^ [{National Register Information System”. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010 {National Register Information System”. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010]. ;
  14. ^ “Hunnewell House, ca. 1950”. 15 November 2016.
  15. ^ “NRHP nomination for Wells Homestead”. National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-19.