Norumbega Castle is a historic house at 63 High Street in

Camden, Maine Camden is a resort town in Knox County, Maine. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a summer colony in the Mid-Coas ...

. Built in 1886-87 for duplex telegraph inventor

Joseph Barker Stearns Joseph Barker Stearns was the inventor of the duplex system of telegraphy. Biography Stearns was the son of Edward Ray and Eliza Tyler Barker Stearns of Weld, Maine. As a youth, he worked on a farm. He studied telegraphy at Newburyport, Massac ...

, it is one of

Mid Coast The Midcoast is a region of Maine that includes the coastal counties of Lincoln, Knox, Waldo, Sagadahoc, and the northern coastal portion of Cumberland counties. Some of the towns are: *Alna * Arrowsic * Bath *Belfast *Boothbay * Boothbay ...

Maine's most elaborate 19th-century summer houses, exhibiting a sophisticated Queen Anne style in stone and wood. It now houses the Norumbega Inn, a bed and breakfast inn. It 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 1974.

Description and history

Norumbega Castle stands north of downtown Camden, on the southeast side of High Street (

United States Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...

), beyond its junction with Marine Drive. It is a -story structure, finished in rusticated stone with brick and wooden trim. It is basically rectangular in shape, but its features are asymmetrically arranged, typical for the Queen Anne period. Its main facade has three sections. The center section rises three stories, and is topped by a stepped gable. The right section, also three stories, has a projecting section topped by a conical turret. The interior is elaborately finished, and featured the latest innovations in modern households of the period, including electric lights and steam heat. Norumbega was designed by

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

architect Arthur B. Jennings, and built a local contractor in 1886–87. It was built for

, a native of

Weld, Maine Weld is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 376 at the 2020 census. Set beside Webb Lake and almost surrounded by mountains, Weld is noted for its scenic beauty. It is home to Mount Blue State Park, Camp Kawanhe ...

, who made a fortune in the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

industry by patenting duplex telegraphy and licensing it worldwide. Jennings also designed the estate's carriage house, which is now in separate ownership, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

External links

Norumbega Inn web site
{{National Register of Historic Places Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Knox County, Maine Queen Anne architecture in Maine Houses completed in 1886 Houses in Knox County, Maine Buildings and structures in Camden, Maine Historic district contributing properties in Maine

Description and history

See also

References

External links