National Register of Historic Places

Tarr, John, House

Biddeford, York County, Maine
Listed
April 22, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80000263

About this property

The John Tarr House is an historic house at 29 Ferry Lane in Biddeford, Maine. Built about 1730, it is one of the oldest houses in the state of Maine, with a well-preserved interior that has unusual features. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The John Tarr House stands facing east toward the Saco River at the end of Ferry Lane, roughly midway between downtown Biddeford and the Biddeford Pool area at the river mouth. It is a 1+1⁄2-story Cape style timber-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side gable roof, large central chimney, and clapboard siding. The original front entrance is in the center of the east facade, with a secondary entrance (probably a 19th or 20th-century addition) on the south side. The rear facade, facing the street, has five windows. A 1+1⁄2-story ell extends to the north. The house is estimated to have been built about 1730, making it one of Maine's oldest surviving structures. In addition to its great age, its significance lies in the original condition of its interior. This includes complete original wall paneling in the parlor spaces, and an unusually finished kitchen space in the rear. The kitchen features completely wainscoted walls and ceiling, something that is only known from two other chambers from New England (one is now in a museum in Concord, Massachusetts, and the other is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City). The wainscoting panels are hand-planed. National Register of Historic Places listings in York County, Maine

Location

29 Ferry Lane
Biddeford, York County, Maine
43.46915, -70.39778

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Rendezvous Point Burying Ground
Listed
0.8 mi
First Parish Meetinghouse
Colonial
1 mi
Temple, The
Industrial
2.3 mi
Stage Island Monument
Industrial
2.5 mi
Ocean Park Historic Buildings
Industrial
2.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Tarr, John, House listed on the National Register?

Tarr, John, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Tarr, John, House?

Tarr, John, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tarr, John, House?

The period of significance for Tarr, John, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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