{"id":15336,"date":"2018-09-28T09:44:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T13:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=15336"},"modified":"2021-09-27T13:45:18","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T17:45:18","slug":"top-of-the-heap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/top-of-the-heap\/","title":{"rendered":"Top of the Heap"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 2018 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

An old soul reimagined: The Samuel Fickett House<\/strong>, n\u00e9e Harrow House, is the true heart of Stroudwater.<\/span><\/h3>\n

By Colin W. Sargent<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"HOM\"S<\/span>troudwater isn\u2019t just a picturesque hamlet. It was a world center of the timber trade to provide masts for the King\u2019s ships. Here at the fork of the Fore and Stroudwater rivers, Mast Agent and ranking New England militia officer (for the \u201cEast,\u201d what\u2019s now Maine) Colonel Thomas Westbrook (1675-1744) built Harrow House on the highest point of land, surrounded by garrisons. In 1795, shipbuilder Samuel Fickett repurposed Westbrook\u2019s ancient Harrow House foundation to create a monumental Federal palace on the same spot. Lovingly curated by Lynn Abood, that\u2019s what\u2019s for sale today.<\/span><\/p>\n

At $534,000, this showcase at 1190 Westbrook Street is interesting. Some condos in downtown Portland are priced higher. <\/span><\/p>\n

With vistas of the Stroudwater River and its lily pads, the lushly landscaped .66-acre lot includes a majestic weeping willow tree with the widest girth we\u2019ve seen in Portland. The 1.5-storey barn is mesmerizingly classic against the \u201cechoing green,\u201d inviting visitors inside with its great red sliding door and russet beams. (What an art studio<\/em>.) The ell\u2019s long covered porch to forever lets you sit and enjoy these gardens, stopping time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ell was added on in 1812 by a shipping merchant\u2019s crews [on tap for such work since sailing was restricted by the Embargo of 1807, followed by the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809, that led to the War of 1812],\u201d Abood says. \u201cThe cobblestones in the driveway were harvested from St. John Street when Union Station was torn down. The owners at the time, Charles and Elizabeth Horton, brought 2,500 of the cobblestones here, pickup load after pickup load.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ha! Union Station might have been torn down, but thanks to the Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy, it\u2019s with us still. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI bought this house in 1998,\u201d Abood says. She\u2019s researched, understood, and preserved the property remarkably. With its smart clapboards painted in Seagull Gray, it\u2019s ready to take flight. \u201cBut it wasn\u2019t until six months ago that I discovered the bean oven! I removed some plaster and then some bricks, and there it was,\u201d lovely with its time-stained original dome.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rich with eye-popping architectural details (including \u201cIndian\u201d shutter recesses), the rooms have grand proportions, even the six bedrooms. Have a yen for efficiency? There\u2019s natural-gas heating, with hot water off the heating system. Looking for a magic address close to the Jetport, the Mall, and Downtown but seems like it\u2019s in the middle of the country? You\u2019ve found it. This historic mansion beckons like a place out of a storybook. With luck, you can buy it in time to enjoy Thanksgiving here. Taxes are $7,296. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

October 2018
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