The Tate House is a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

at 1270 Westbrook Street, near the Fore River in the Stroudwater neighborhood of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

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 ...

. The house, one of the oldest in Portland, was built in 1755 for George Tate, a former

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

captain who was sent by a contractor to the Navy to oversee the felling and shipment of trees for use as masts. Because of the house's comparatively remote location away from central Portland, it (along with a number of other homes that make up the Stroudwater Historic District) survived Portland's numerous fires intact. The house 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 ...

as a rare surviving example of a once-common colonial housing form, the

clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...

gambrel roof. Since 1935 it has been a museum operated by the National Society of the Colonial Dames.

Description and history

The Tate House is set on a rise above the north bank of the

Stroudwater River The Stroudwater River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river located mostly in Cumberland County, Maine. The river begins as a small stream at Duck Pond ...

, shortly before it empties into the Fore River on the west side of Portland. It is a -story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a large central chimney. Its unusual roof line has a basic two-stage gambrel form, except the steeper-pitched lower section is separated from the upper section by a bank of

windows. This form, once common in northern New England, is only known to survive in one other building in Maine, the

Burnham Tavern The Burnham Tavern is a historic tavern at 14 Colonial Way in Machias, Maine, United States. Built in 1770, it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the Machias area, and is known for its locally significant role in the American Revolutionar ...

. The house is clad in unfinished clapboards. The interior has a typical center-chimney plan, with a narrow vestibule and winding stair at the front. The first floor is otherwise divided into three rooms: living room/parlor to the right, dining room to the left, and a large kitchen extending across the back. The second floor has three bedrooms, and the third has two more. The public rooms of the house feature high-quality Georgian carved paneling, which is believed to have been brought over from England. In 2014, an archaeological dig at the Tate House found significant wares from the 1750s to 1780s. Pieces of 1750s salt-glazed stoneware, 1760s creamware and 1780s pearlware were discovered. Also found was a white piece of porcelain with tiny brass fears. The dig occurred prior to work beginning on repairing the drainage system. The drainage problem, which funnels water into the basement, creates a significant amount of moisture and poses a threat to the rest of the house. The drainage repair issue will cost $10,000 to $12,000.

References

External links

The Tate House Museum website
{{National Register of Historic Places Houses completed in 1755 National Historic Landmarks in Maine Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Houses in Portland, Maine Museums in Portland, Maine Historic house museums in Maine National Society of the Colonial Dames of America National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine Historic district contributing properties in Maine

Description and history

See also

References

External links