The McIntire Garrison House is a historic house on Cider Hill Road (
Maine State Route 91
State Route 91 (SR 91) is a short state highway in southwestern Maine. It runs for , connecting the towns of South Berwick and York.
Route description
SR 91 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in York. The highway ...
) in
York, Maine
York is a town in York County, Maine, United States, near the southern tip of the state. The population in the 2020 census was 13,723. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort town. It is home ...
. Built c. 1707, it is an extremely rare well-preserved example of a
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
colonial log
garrison
A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
house, built by settlers for defense against Native American attacks. The house, possibly the oldest in the state, was designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1968.
Description and history
The McIntire Garrison House is set on the south side of Cider Hill Road in a rural section of
York, Maine
York is a town in York County, Maine, United States, near the southern tip of the state. The population in the 2020 census was 13,723. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort town. It is home ...
, overlooking a bend in the
York River. It is a two-story log structure, sheathed in wooden clapboards, with a side-gable roof pierced by a central chimney. The second floor projects slightly over the first floor on all four sides, one side of which has been fitted with a trapdoor to see below. The walls are constructed out of sawn logs thick, and dovetailed together at the corners. The interior is very plain, with wooden floors, paneled walls, and unfinished ceilings. The extant windows are a later modification, and do not reflect period fenestration.
Traditional sources long maintained that the construction date of this house was in 1645. However, architectural analysis in the 20th century has shown that it was built using methods not adopted until the early 18th century. These types of houses were relatively common in southern Maine during the colonial period, when it was regularly subjected to attack by Native American forces (sometimes with French participation). The building would not have been finished in clapboard at that time. The building was subjected to a "restoration" by early architectural preservationists in the early 20th century,
[ and more historically informed restoration later in the 20th century.
]
See also
*List of National Historic Landmarks in Maine
__NOTOC__
This is a complete List of National Historic Landmarks in Maine. The United States National Historic Landmark program is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service, and recognizes structures, districts, objects, and similar ...
*List of the oldest buildings in Maine
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. S ...
*
References
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Houses completed in 1707
National Historic Landmarks in Maine
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Houses in York, Maine
National Register of Historic Places in York County, Maine
1707 establishments in the British Empire