National Register of Historic Places

Temples Historic District

North Anson, Somerset County, Maine
Listed
May 11, 1983
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
83000474

About this property

The Temples Historic District encompasses a distinctive collection of Greek Revival houses on Madison Street in the rural village of North Anson, Maine. Built between about 1844 and 1858 were four houses in a row, three of which exhibit classical Greek temple-front facades, and assemblage that is unique in the rural interior of the state. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The village of North Anson is located on the north bank of the Carrabassett River, shortly before it empties into the Kennebec River in southern Somerset County, Maine. Madison Street extends eastward from the village center. On the south side of Madison Street stand four houses that are remarkably similar in construction and style. Three stand to the west of Winter Street, and one to the east. All are 1-1/2 stories in height, with wood framing and clapboard siding. All have a front-facing gable roof, and three of them have a Greek temple portico supported by three Doric columns. The two westernmost houses are virtually identical, with a detailed Doric entablature encircling the eave and an ornamented Greek Revival entrance surround. The house at the eastern end is similar to these, but has less detailing on the entablature and entrance surround. The fourth house lacks a temple front, although it may at one time have had one. It has thick pilasters at the corners and a simple entablature, and is fronted by a Colonial Revival porch. Its front facade is also finished in flushboard, and there is an Italianate round-arch window in the gable. The exact date of construction of the houses is not known, nor is the identity of the (likely single) builder. They were probably built between about 1844 and 1852, late in the Greek Revival period. The house with Italianate features was owned by a carpenter, Ebenezer F. Witherill, and the other three were owned by businessmen and merchants. It is surmised that Witherill built all four houses, and added the Italianate features to his own house (removing its temple front) to showcase architectural fashion trends. National Register of Historic Places listings in Somerset County, Maine

Location

North Anson, Somerset County, Maine
44.85604, -69.89554

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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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

Steward--Emery House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Anson Grange #88
Industrial
0.2 mi
Carrabasset Inn
Early Republic
0.2 mi
Bailey Farm Windmill
Industrial
1.7 mi
Weston Homestead
Industrial
2.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Norridgewock Raid 1722
1722Colonial
10.5 mi
Dummer's War – Battle of Norridgewock
1724Colonial
10.9 mi
Battle of Norridgewock
1724Colonial
10.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Temples Historic District listed on the National Register?

Temples Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Temples Historic District?

Temples Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Temples Historic District?

The period of significance for Temples Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Temples Historic District?

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