National Register of Historic Places

McGilvery, Capt. William, House

Searsport, Waldo County, Maine
Listed
December 29, 1983
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83003686

About this property

The Capt. William McGilvery House is a historic house on East Main Street in Searsport, Maine. Built in 1873 for a prominent local ship's captain, businessman and politician, it is one of mid-coast Maine's finest examples of residential Second Empire architecture. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and is a contributing property to Searsport's East Main Street Historic District. The William McGilvery House stands on the north side of East Main Street (United States Route 1), just north of the house of his brother John. It is a roughly cubic 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, topped by a mansard roof and clad in flushboarding treated to resemble ashlar stone. The roof has elaborately decorated dormers projecting from the steep roof section, which is flared at the eave, and has a dentillated cornice line at the break between the roof sections. The main eave is also dentillated, with paired brackets at intervals. A large wall dormer with a gambrel gable rises at the center of the front facade, with wooden finials at the roof corners. A porch extends across the front, supported by groups of square posts and pilasters. The house was built in 1873 for William McGilvery, a ship's captain from a local family prominent in the shipping business, and is one of a cluster of high-quality houses built around that time by related captains on East Main Street. McGilvery was one of five brothers, all of whom became sea captains. He was also politically active, serving in the state legislature, and owned shipbuilding interests as far up the Penobscot River as Brewer. National Register of Historic Places listings in Waldo County, Maine

Location

Searsport, Waldo County, Maine
44.45919, -68.91381

Categories

INDUSTRYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about McGilvery, Capt. William, House

This page lists McGilvery, Capt. William, House. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your McGilvery, Capt. William, House report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

East Main Street Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Nichols, Capt. John P., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
McGilvery, Capt. John, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Carver Memorial Library
Industrial
0.4 mi
Union Hall
Civil War
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was McGilvery, Capt. William, House listed on the National Register?

McGilvery, Capt. William, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 1983.

What type of historic resource is McGilvery, Capt. William, House?

McGilvery, Capt. William, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for McGilvery, Capt. William, House?

The period of significance for McGilvery, Capt. William, House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near McGilvery, Capt. William, House?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near McGilvery, Capt. William, House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Waldo County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Waldo County.

Explore WaldoCounty ›

More historic places in Maine

Browse all historic places in Maine.

View Mainehistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Maine history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Mainehistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near McGilvery, Capt. William, House will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report