The Edward Little House is an historic house at 217
Main Street in
Auburn, Maine
Auburn is a city in south-central Maine within the United States. The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County. The population was 24,061 at the 2020 census. Auburn and its sister city Lewiston are known locally as the Twin Cities ...
. Built in 1827, the Federal style house is one of the oldest on the south side of Auburn, and is most notable as the home of
Edward Little, a major landowner and proponent of the development of Auburn. It was 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 ...
in 1976.
Description and history
The Edward Little House stands on the west side of Main Street, south of Auburn's downtown area, at the corner of Vine Street. It is a -story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a center entry flanked by sidelight windows and topped by a fanlight. A two-story ell extends from the southern part of the rear. The interior is well preserved, its Federal period details including a handsome curving central staircase. The interior has a typical center hall layout, with a double parlor on the right and a large dining room on the left. The sections of the parlor are separated by an elaborately carved archway.
The house was built in 1827 by Edward Little, a native of
Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 6,716 at the 2020 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town (Newbury Center), Plum Island and Byfield. Each village is a precinct with its own voting district, ...
who moved here in 1826 and spent the rest of his life here. He was the beneficiary of a large land inheritance, which originally include significant holdings in Auburn,
Lewiston, and surrounding communities.
[ Little was well known for the many gifts he made to the growing community, supporting both religious and civic institutions.][National Register nomination for Main Street Historic District; available by request from the National Park Service]
See also
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References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Houses completed in 1827
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Houses in Auburn, Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Androscoggin County, Maine
Historic district contributing properties in Maine
Federal architecture in Maine