“On this day . . .” sounds a little presidential, doesn’t it? We visited the Summer hometown of the 41st President of the United States of America.
Do you know who and where that is?
If I give you Kennebunkport, Maine, do you know who the President is? Were you paying attention to the last post?
It was a gorgeous day for strolling about town! Such an interesting place – ocean, expensive (and expansive!) homes, a nice walk way to enjoy it, a bustling downtown (well, bustling with tourists at any rate) and lots of restaurants and shops.
Not much of interest happened, so I’ll let the pictures speak. But first –
We started the day viewing an ocean beach sunrise. We were a tiny bit later than we should have been, but it was still very nice.
Off to town we go!
There were several of this really tall sign posts around
Low tide, but the layout reminded us of a port in Alaska
According to the banner and what we could see inside, this is a restaurant.
Don’t know if it cruises while they feed you or not.
The South Congregational Church – UCC (which we assume means, United Church of Christ, but you know what they say about assuming . . .)
Another assumption – – This building was originally someone else’s
After driving and walking a bit, we ended up here.
Walker’s Point where Parsons Way, a 4.8 mile one-way walkway, begins. We didn’t walk all the way to town, but we headed that way. : )
The George H.W. Bush Compound
Called Walker’s Point
There was a severe storm in the Fall of 1991 which destroyed the inside of the house. Inside the museum we were in was a video taken when the Bush’s were there to inspect the damage. It was quite extensive. After some discussion, they opted to restore it as it had been.
Plaque and anchor memorial to President Bush
I really liked the unique look of this house.
The lighting was such that I didn’t get a very good picture though. : (
The town of Kennebunkport
St. Ann’s Church
This is as close as we could get!
It was touted as one of the things to “not miss”, but there was a closed sign and we couldn’t even get on the property to see it.
We were thinking wedding, since it was Saturday.
That’s about as close as we could get
This one and the next were taken from the road
Spouting Rock
Along the Parson’s Way
We got to watch a boat unfurl its sails.
You can’t tell, but they were maroon colored.
Unusual!
Just an old-looking house
There are a lot of these around – not just Kennebunkport, but even near the campground and the towns in between
We had lunch downtown at Allison’s
A Reuben and a Haddock Sandwich and Deviled Egg Salad.
It was all really good!
This and the next, show the backyard of The White Columns
I took them while we were waiting for the tour to start
I could never tell the story of White Columns as eloquently as the Historical Society, so I’ve just copied their information. I will however, add a few notes (as I remember things) to the pictures.
Built in 1853, White Columns is the Kennebunkport Historical Society’s premier property. Owned and loved by the same family for 130 years the Victorian era home has retained its old world charm and still contains the properties original furnishings. The house tour is a step back in time. Docents lead tours through seven rooms of the house while talking about the three generations of the Perkins-Nott Family that lived, loved and lost in this magnificent Greek revival mansion.
Dozens of houses in Kennebunkport were once home to sea captains and wealthy merchants. The White Columns is one of the best examples of life in the Coastal Maine Victorian era still standing today. The ‘old’ Nott House sits at the intersection of Spring and Maine Streets in Dock Square and still maintains many of the home’s original fixtures and interiors from the 19th centery. This beautiful Greek Revival home was built in 1853 by Eliphalet Perkins. The Perkins family have been in and around the Kennebunks for generations. The house was built next door to the Baptist Church on a lot that Eliphalet purchased for $600. That church is now the Village Baptist Church.
The Perkins’ oldest son, Charles married the oldest daughter of the minister of the church, Celia Nott. He purchased the house from his father for $5,000 as a present for his new bride. They lived there for many years with their children. The house was passed down through her family over the years which is why is was called the “Nott House” before being renamed The White Columns by the Historical Society a couple of years ago. Richard Nott and his sister restored the home in the 1950’s for her to live in when she returned to Maine to live out her days. When she passed away in the 1980’s, it was turned over to the Kennebunkport Historical Society who still own and maintain the property.
Much of the house still has the original 19th century furnishings. The entrance hall has beautiful hand-painted original wallpaper that is still drawing scholars to the house to study it. The 3D effect is remarkable and the colors are still bright and vibrant. Surprisingly, the green paint is made with arsenic so you are cautioned not to touch the paper! The family members over the years have no history of having problems with it, but that paint was notorious for causing deaths in Victorian England. The hand hooked carpets in the main parlor and hallways are showing wear in the main traffic areas, but along the outside corners, you can still see the vibrant colors from more than 100 years ago.
Celia’s bedroom looks like it did back in her day. When she passed away, it was closed up and not used, so it’s in amazingly good condition. She was a very small woman which is reflected in the short bed and the dresser marble top that was custom built at a lower height just for her. Celia was a keen gardener, so Charles built a solarium off of her sitting room to keep plants during the winter. Eventually, this space was opened up and still serves as a sunny reading nook. Some of the last big improvements were in the 1950’s when electricity, indoor plumbing and central heating were installed by Richard Nott and his sister, without damaging the aesthetics of the house.
This is the front door – –
which is actually on the side of the house. : )
Pay close attention to the etched glass . . .
Now check out how it looks from the inside!
Incredible!
You can also see the original door bell up top and to the left
I love how this picture turned out!
I don’t know the proper name, but the curtain-looking thing hanging from the bottom is actually a bag that sewing was kept in
That’s one of the kids. (Sorry, I don’t remember who) But we DID learn that they used to do ‘instant portraits’ back then. The artist would have several backgrounds to choose from and then just insert the person’s head. How funny!
This is Celia’s maternity clothes.
Can you imagine wearing all this?? When you’re pregnant? In the summer? Without even air conditioning? It’s no wonder ladies used to faint all the time!
The ‘gold’ frames are actually made of Balsa wood and gold plated, so they are very light.
The fireplace is made of metal and used to glow red when it was used!
It’s a wonder the house is still standing!
Keep in mind that everything I’m showing you is original.
This clock still works and chimed while we were in the room.
The dining room
Where’s the spoon?
Take a look at this beautifully preserved carpet!
This is the wallpaper that was talked about with the green arsenic paint. This stuff still looks brand new!
These are the original, leather buckets that were used when there was a fire in town.
The names of the owner were on them so the authorities could return them the next day. If yours wasn’t there, you were considered a bad citizen by everyone and you were fined.
This couch is made of horse hair!
And just look at the quilting!
This bedroom suit is made of Black Walnut
The headboard inset was made from a single tree that was split and laid open so the pattern would be the same on both sides
All of the things on the dresser are original.
On the left, you see a tiny silver purse.
This was used to hold calling cards.
When people would go to visit someone, they would present (or leave if the person wasn’t home) a card to announce them.
Stunning needlework on these dresses! And look how it’s fastened. This is why they used to need maids to help them dress!
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This dollhouse is just about the ONLY thing in the house that isn’t original.
Someone from the community donated it recently.
The house was built in 1978, the furniture is actually from 1870-90. Take special note of the monster in the bedroom. : 0
We were shocked at the things we were aloud to touch and handle! Blaine said this gun was very heavy!
A model of the last ship made in this harbor.
I don’t know when it was built, but I don’t think it’s original.
Maybe it is . . .
Now we move to Celia’s Bedroom from the 1950’s.
This is a portrait of Celia as a child.
It used to hang above the bed, but one of the Docents didn’t like the fact that the eyes follow you. It creeped her out, so they moved it across the room. : )
An original paper actually signed by Abraham Lincoln!
We were told it’s probably the most valuable piece in the house.
And yet, there it was. Just hanging on the wall in Celia’s bedroom in an ordinary picture frame!
Blaine found this door in the bathroom fascinating. I didn’t get it until he pointed out that it was installed by a ship-builder, hence the round . . .
They moved the outhouse into the house.
As you can see, it’s a hole like a pit toilet!
There was a bucket under the hole to catch everything and periodically, it had to be emptied.
Keep in mind that this was upstairs!
Celia refused in-door plumbing for a toilet until she was quite elderly and her kids insisted, no more walking down into the bathroom or taking care of the waste!
The Church of the Red Door
Actually I dubbed it that. : )
This is the church next door to The White Columns – Celia’s dad’s parish
One of the rooms in the house was dedicated to Bush family memorabilia. It was quite interesting as well. We learned a lot we didn’t know. Great man and lady!
We returned to the beach for the sunset. Not spectacular, but beautiful in it’s way.
It was either misty from salt spray or foggy, we’re not sure which
Blaine found this big guy as we were walking.
He was almost dead and for some reason, even the seagulls weren’t interested.
I hope you figured out by now that the 41st President was George Herbert Walker Bush. : )