The Norlands (also known as the Israel Washburn Homestead) is a historic building on Norlands Road in
Livermore, Maine
Livermore is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. Formerly in Oxford County, Maine. The population was 2,127 at the 2020 United States Census. It is included in both the Lewiston- Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and t ...
, United States. It was owned by
Israel Washburn
Israel Washburn Sr. (1784–1876) was a Massachusetts politician, brother of Reuel Washburn and father of Israel Washburn Jr., Elihu B. Washburne, Cadwallader C. Washburn, and William D. Washburn. Charles Ames Washburn was an elector
...
and his descendants.
History
The
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
-style house was built in 1821 and added to 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 1969. The house is now operated as part of the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center, a 19th-century period farm with living-history demonstrations. The buildings include the Norlands mansion, a mid-19th-century period schoolhouse, a library with displays about the Washburn family, a meeting house, a farmer's cottage, and a barn with farm animals. The barn and farmer's cottage burned down in April 2008 but the Farmer's Cottage was rebuilt and reopened in early 2011. As of July 29, 2012, the barn has yet to be rebuilt.
Fire
A fire started on April 28, 2008, at the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center. The fire was likely caused by a lamp tipping over and falling into hay, setting it alight. Volunteer firefighters, whom had prepared in advance for a fire in this scenario, put out the fire with assistance from 10 other fire departments. Langhorne Washburn, the only living descendant born at the Norlands, said to the Sun Journal: "...Thank God Norlands didn’t burn. I would like to commend (the firefighters) on their efficiency." in preventing the fire. , rebuilding of the farm has begun.
["Norlands' Barn Burns to the Ground." Livermore Falls Advertiser. Niles, Nancy.]
Bibliography
*Remarkable Americans: The Washburn Family by Kerck Kelsey
*The Rise and Fall of William Drew Washburn by Kerck Kelsey
*J.R. Dodge edits from personal site visit, July 29, 2012
See also
*
Ethel Wilson Gammon, founder and first executive director of the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center
References
External links
Washburn-Norlands Living History Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norlands
Houses completed in 1821
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Houses in Androscoggin County, Maine
Museums in Androscoggin County, Maine
Living museums in Maine
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Androscoggin County, Maine