Castle Tucker
Encyclopedia
Castle Tucker depicts the history of Wiscasset, Maine
, USA. Judge Silas Lee
built this 1807 Regency-style mansion at the peak of prosperity, when the town was the busiest port east of Boston
.
Lee's death in 1814, combined with the devastating financial impact of Jefferson's Embargo of 1807, forced his widow to sell it. The house passed through a succession of hands until 1858, when Captain Richard H. Tucker, Jr. scion of a Wiscasset shipping family, bought the property. Captain Tucker, his young wife, Mollie and their new baby moved into the house in November 1858. The Tuckers updated the interiors and added a new Italianate entrance to the Lee Street side of the house. In 1859, he added a dramatic two-story porch to what had been the front of the house facing the Sheepscot River.
The couple raised five children here. Captain Tucker oversaw various business ventures including wharves and an iron foundry just below the house. However, by the 1880s, expenses had far exceeded income. Mollie began accepting paying guests (known as boarders)in the summers to help cover the expenses. She and their youngest daughter, Jane, also turned to the sale of home-baked goods, hand-painted china and raising squab for local restaurants to raise much needed cash.
After Captain Tucker's death, Jane returned to live in the house fulltime with Mollie. The women helped preserve the house until Mollie's death in 1922 and Jane's death in 1964. Her niece, Jane Standen Tucker, moved to Wiscasset from California to preserve the house and all its contents, making very few changes to the decorating schemes. Their dedication preserved Castle Tucker as it was in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The house is now owned by Historic New England
and is open to visitors Wednesday - Sunday, June 1 – October 15.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, USA. Judge Silas Lee
Silas Lee
Silas Lee was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. Born in Concord, Massachusetts, he pursued classical studies and graduated from Harvard University in 1784...
built this 1807 Regency-style mansion at the peak of prosperity, when the town was the busiest port east of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Lee's death in 1814, combined with the devastating financial impact of Jefferson's Embargo of 1807, forced his widow to sell it. The house passed through a succession of hands until 1858, when Captain Richard H. Tucker, Jr. scion of a Wiscasset shipping family, bought the property. Captain Tucker, his young wife, Mollie and their new baby moved into the house in November 1858. The Tuckers updated the interiors and added a new Italianate entrance to the Lee Street side of the house. In 1859, he added a dramatic two-story porch to what had been the front of the house facing the Sheepscot River.
The couple raised five children here. Captain Tucker oversaw various business ventures including wharves and an iron foundry just below the house. However, by the 1880s, expenses had far exceeded income. Mollie began accepting paying guests (known as boarders)in the summers to help cover the expenses. She and their youngest daughter, Jane, also turned to the sale of home-baked goods, hand-painted china and raising squab for local restaurants to raise much needed cash.
After Captain Tucker's death, Jane returned to live in the house fulltime with Mollie. The women helped preserve the house until Mollie's death in 1922 and Jane's death in 1964. Her niece, Jane Standen Tucker, moved to Wiscasset from California to preserve the house and all its contents, making very few changes to the decorating schemes. Their dedication preserved Castle Tucker as it was in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The house is now owned by Historic New England
Historic New England
Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
and is open to visitors Wednesday - Sunday, June 1 – October 15.