Sayward-Wheeler House, c. 1718
9 Barrell Lane Extension
York Harbor, Me. 03911
(207) 384-2454

Directions

Open: June through October 15
First and third Saturday of the month
Tours at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Admission: $5, Historic New England members and York Harbor residents free

Overlooking a once-thriving waterfront, the Sayward-Wheeler House was the home of Jonathan Sayward, a local merchant and civic leader, who remodeled and furnished the house in the 1760s according to his own conservative taste.

Sayward participated in the attack on the French fortress at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, in 1745, served in the Massachusetts legislature, and despite outspoken Tory views, retained the respect of his neighbors during the Revolution.

After his death, his heirs made few changes to the house. In part, this was due to the depressed economy following Jefferson's trade embargo of 1807, but the family's reverence for its founding patriarch was an equally important factor in preservation. As early as the 1860s, Sayward's descendants opened the house to visitors to show how their forebears had lived in bygone colonial days.

In the early 20th century, the house was refurbished for use as a summer residence, with fresh wallpapers and white-painted woodwork, but the original furnishings and family portraits remained in place. Today, the house mirrors the fortunes of a coastal village in the transition from trade to tourism.

Other Historic New England house museums in the region include the Gilman Garrison House, Hamilton House, Sarah Orne Jewett House, Governor John Langdon House, Jackson House and Rundlet-May House.

Directions: Take I-95 to Maine Exit 4, The Yorks. Bear right onto Route 1 south. Take a left onto Route 1A. Follow 1.5 miles through York Village. Turn right on Route 103 (Lilac lane). Take a left on Barrell Lane. Take the next right onto Barrell Lane Extension.

For archival quality fine art reproductions from the Sayward-Wheeler House, visit www.lookclickprint.com