Tarr–Eaton House
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The Tarr–Eaton House is an historic house at 906 Harpswell Neck Road in
Harpswell, Maine Harpswell is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. The population was 5,031 at the 2020 census. Harpswell is composed of land contiguous with the rest of Cumberland County, called Harpswell Ne ...
. Built before 1783 and enlarged about 1840, it is a well-preserved 18th-century Cape with added Greek Revival features, and one of Harpswell's few surviving pre-Revolutionary War buildings. 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 2001.


Description and history

The Tarr–Eaton House stands in Harpswell Center, on the west side of Harpswell Neck Road (
Maine State Route 123 State Route 123 (SR 123) is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from Harpswell to SR 24 Business in Brunswick. The entire route is in Cumberland County. Route description SR 123 begins at the intersectio ...
), in a field just north of the 1750 Harpswell Meetinghouse, 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 ...
. It is a single-story
wood frame Framing, in construction, is the fitting together of pieces to give a structure support and shape. Framing materials are usually wood, engineered wood, or structural steel. The alternative to framed construction is generally called ''mass wal ...
structure, with a side
gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ca ...
, a large central chimney, five-bay facade, clapboarded exterior, and a foundation of concrete and rubblestone. A single-story shed-roof ell extends northward from its rear northeast corner. The main facade faces south, consisting of four windows with simple surrounds, two on either side of the main entrance, which is topped by a four-light transom window. A porch extends across the eastern facade, supported by simple square posts. The interior has a typical center-chimney plan, with the entry
vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...
housing a narrow and steep winding staircase, with parlor spaces to either side, and the kitchen behind. Fireplaces feature Federal period mantels, and the interior retains other period finishes. The house was probably built sometime before 1783, the year in which William and Elizabeth Tarr's first child was born. It was the farmstead for a farm of over . Tarr was a veteran of the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, and is also recorded as operating a tavern in the town and serving as its constable. Tarr sold his property to Joseph Eaton in 1811, a relative of the ministers Elijah and Samuel Eaton who served at the adjacent 1758 Harpswell Meeting House, and it remained in the Eaton family until 1908 when John Hackett, a hired hand, purchased the property from Emeline Eaton. The house and two acres were given to the Harpswell Historical Society in 1982, which resold it into private ownership with protective covenants.


See also

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Maine __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Maine. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarr-Eaton House Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Buildings and structures in Harpswell, Maine Houses in Cumberland County, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, Maine Houses completed in 1783 1783 establishments in Massachusetts