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Maine » York County » McIntire Garrison House
Maxwell Garrison
Maxwell Garrison
Facts
- Location:
York Maine
Regional Essays:
Types:
Materials:
Timeline
1707
Built
What's Nearby
Citation
John F. Bauman, "McIntire Garrison House", [York, Maine], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/ME-01-031-0086.
c. 1707. 270 Cider Hill Rd.
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(Courtesy of Maine Historic Preservation Commission)
☰ SEE METADATA
Many believe the McIntire Garrison House, originally known as the Maxwell Garrison, to be the oldest house in Maine. Built circa 1707, the house sits on the bank of the York River, which is rich in historic and archaeological resources. Although unoccupied, the house is part of a complex of historic York buildings. Since the late nineteenth century it has enjoyed iconic stature in the York community and is frequently sketched and painted by artists and antiquarians.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, settlers in the District of Maine scattered their residences in a long, ribbon-like pattern without a real town center, unlike settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which were established in the form of towns (or congregations). These were true frontier settlements where, before 1718, the largest communities like York and Falmouth (now Portland) were barely a cluster of widely separated, one-story wood buildings. For protection against frequent hostile incursions, the leading citizens of these scattered settlements built well-fortified garrison houses.
The McIntire Garrison House is an excellent and rare example of the type. Built by an unknown settler, the house is a two-story log structure with a symmetrical facade and gable roof. The house’s horizontal courses of sawn logs are now sheathed with shingles. Originally, the logs were tightly fitted together horizontally without the infill one usually finds in log cabins; the sawn logs were carefully dovetailed to be weathertight. Such building techniques were introduced by Scottish settlers. A second-story overhang was a feature also brought by British settlers. The clapboard shingle siding, new chimney, and roof date to 1908–1909 when the Garrison House was extensively restored.
The interior of the Garrison House is unchanged from the original condition, with rough, unfinished flooring and open structured ceiling. Despite the extensive restoration, the McIntire Garrison House is considered to be the most significant surviving type of the early-eighteenth-century defensive house.
This National Historic Landmark is privately owned.
References
Candee, Richard McAlpin. “Wooden Buildings in Early Maine and New Hampshire: A Technological and Cultural History, 1600–1700.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1976.
Churchill, Edwin A. “English Beachheads in Seventeenth-Century Maine.” In Maine: The Pine Tree State from Prehistory to the Present, edited by Richard W. Judd, Edwin A. Churchill, and Joel W. Eastman.Orono: University of Maine Press, 1995.
Dillon, James, “McIntire Garrison,” York County, Maine. National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, 1976. National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, Washington, D.C.
Giffen, Sarah and Kevin D. Murphy, eds. “A Noble and Dignified Stream”: The Piscataqua Region in the Colonial Revival, 1860–1930. York, ME: Old York Historical Society, 1992.
Writing Credits
Author:
John F. Bauman
Coordinator:
John F. Bauman
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Data
- Location:
York, Maine
Regional Overviews:
Types:
Materials:
Timeline
1707
Built
What's Nearby
Citation
John F. Bauman, "McIntire Garrison House", [York, Maine], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/ME-01-031-0086.
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I am a historical architecture enthusiast with a deep knowledge of colonial American structures. My expertise extends to various architectural styles and materials used during different periods. Now, let's delve into the information related to the McIntire Garrison House in York, Maine.
The McIntire Garrison House, also known as the Maxwell Garrison, is believed by many to be the oldest house in Maine. Constructed around 1707, this historic house is situated on the bank of the York River, adding to its rich historical and archaeological significance.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, settlers in the District of Maine adopted a unique settlement pattern characterized by scattered residences in a ribbon-like layout, distinct from the town-centric layouts of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Frontier settlements like York and Falmouth were essentially clusters of widely separated, one-story wood buildings.
To protect against hostile incursions, leading citizens in these scattered settlements constructed well-fortified garrison houses, and the McIntire Garrison House is an excellent and rare example of this defensive architecture. The two-story log structure features a symmetrical facade and gable roof. The horizontal courses of sawn logs, now covered with shingles, were initially tightly fitted together without the usual log cabin infill. This construction technique, influenced by Scottish settlers, included carefully dovetailed logs for weatherproofing.
Noteworthy features brought by British settlers include the second-story overhang. Despite extensive restoration in 1908–1909, which introduced clapboard shingle siding, a new chimney, and roof modifications, the interior of the Garrison House remains unchanged, featuring rough, unfinished flooring and an open structured ceiling.
The McIntire Garrison House is considered the most significant surviving type of early-eighteenth-century defensive house. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, it is privately owned and has enjoyed iconic status in the York community since the late nineteenth century. Artists and antiquarians frequently sketch and paint the house, highlighting its cultural and aesthetic importance.
For additional details and references, you can explore the SAH Archipedia entry authored by John F. Bauman. The house's historical context is further enriched by works such as Richard McAlpin Candee's dissertation on wooden buildings in early Maine and New Hampshire, Edwin A. Churchill's exploration of English beachheads in seventeenth-century Maine, and James Dillon's National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form for McIntire Garrison.
This information provides a comprehensive understanding of the McIntire Garrison House, its architectural features, and its place in the broader historical context of early Maine settlements.
