The Barrows-Steadman Homestead is a historic house at the northeast corner of Main and Stuart Streets in

Fryeburg, Maine Fryeburg is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,369 at the 2020 census. Fryeburg is home to Fryeburg Academy, a semi-private preparatory school, and the International Musical Arts Institute. The town is also s ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Built c. 1809, this frame house is a good vernacular example of Federal architecture, but is most notable for the murals painted on the walls of one of its bedrooms by

Rufus Porter Rufus Porter may refer to: *Rufus Porter (painter) Rufus Porter (May 1, 1792 – August 13, 1884) was an American painter, inventor, and founder of '' Scientific American'' magazine. Famous family Rufus Porter descended from an old coloni ...

and Jonathan Poor, noted itinerant painters of the 19th century. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982.

Description and history

The Barrows-Steadman House is a -story timber-frame structure, resting on a fieldstone foundation. It is sheathed in clapboard siding, and has a gable roof pierced by two large internal chimneys. Its main facade, facing Main Street to the northwest, is five bays wide, with a center entry flanked by sidelight windows and Doric pilasters and topped by a fanlight and entablature. The secondary entry is on the southwest side, facing Stuart Street, and is centered on a three-bay facade. The house's southwestern gable features a round-arch window and paired brackets, later Italianate additions. An ell, built c. 1910, extends to the rear (along Stuart Street). It has two doorways in its four bays. The house was built c. 1809, and has been owned by members of the Barrows family since 1820. The house's most notable feature is a room in which murals were drawn in 1830 by the itinerant artist (among many other professions he engaged in) Rufus Porter and Jonathan Poor. This mural is a landscape work, featuring richly colored trees, and is extremely well preserved.National Register nomination for Barrows-Steadman Homestead; available by request from the National Park Service

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Federal architecture in Maine Houses completed in 1809 Houses in Oxford County, Maine Fryeburg, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Oxford County, Maine Historic district contributing properties in Maine

Description and history

See also

References