Merry Christmas!

Bob and I had hoped to get to Maine over Thanksgiving but our busy schedules kept us in California. Thanks to my brother, Steve, and his co-worker from the Kennebunk/Kennebunkport Water District, the house has been safely "tucked in" for the winter. All water drained from the pipes with biodegradable antifreeze in the toilets and drains. Something quite foreign to my native California husband! We are still negotiating with contractors on getting the plumbing, painting and electrical work completed but the work will have to wait until early spring at this point. "Wish I was in Maine" although it's been a little cold and snowy! Merry Christmas to you all.

Some History

When purchasing the house, Bob and I were told that the house was built sometime in the 1920's. I know the real estate listing said this. During the beginning renovations my youngest brother, Steve, who is a history buff, kept saying he thought the house was older as we were pulling out square nails from the horse hair lath and plaster. I have since purchased a couple of South Bristol history books from the local Historical Society (I also joined because, like my youngest brother, I am a history buff as well!) and have been able to research approximately when it was built and by whom. There are some questions I still have that I will have to research when I am there and/or check with Ronnie, our neighbor, as he seems to know a lot about the area and the house and seems related to almost everyone in town. A good resource!

Here's what I have been able to research.

The house was actually built in 1885 by Harvey Oliver of Bristol who married Harriet McFarland. He bought the land from his brother-in-law, George McFarland, Jr., who lived next store in the house currently owned by Ronnie House. George's son, George Will, was known as the "Butterfly Man". He made and sold carvings and paintings of butterflies for the summer tourists and residents.

This is the original part of the house. The original front door would have been on the left where the smaller window is now. The addition from the 1920's is on the left. Ronnie House's home is on the right, built in 1846(?).

The original house had only 2 rooms downstairs, the parlor and the kitchen. What I am now calling the living room, with the built in cabinet, I think was originally the kitchen/dining area.

It appears that Harvey died in 1886, only a year later. I'm not sure how or why and will research this more when I am there. I'm speculating that he might have been lost at sea which was not uncommon. The Oliver name does not appear again in any of the history books I currently have.

View crossing "The Gut" going onto Rutherford Island 1908.

Roscoe Sylvester subsequently owned the house and then Alfred and Julia Clifford. The Clifford family owned the store across the street now known as the Island Grocery but I'm not sure if Alfred and Julia were part of this. I am guessing they might have been. Again, more research needed and who exactly was Roscoe Sylvester and how long did he own the house?

I believe the addition on the house was probably added in the 1920's. The kitchen sink would certainly indicate that.

The house stayed in the Clifford Family until 1964. I believe Maxwell and Margaret (Farrin) House purchased it at that time. Ronnie, who is our neighbor, is the son of Maxwell and also purchased at the same time. I'm not sure but believe that Margaret is Ronnie's mother. She is still alive and might have some fabulous stories about the house. She is also a great contributor to the book by Ellen Vincent, "Down on the Island, Up on the Main".

Maxwell House died in 1976 (?) and the house was deeded to his wife, Margaret. The house was sold again in 1983 to Lucinda and Stevie Plummer. They had 2 children who grew up in the house, Luke and Leah. I can still see their growth marks on the doorway in the kitchen. Stevie passed away in 2008 and the house went on the market again which is where Bob and I come in.

I will try to fill in the gaps when I am back and will visit the Historical Society to research further records as well as connect with Ronnie and Margaret House. I love doing this stuff and will keep you updated!

Here is a picture of the original out house. It's the small window on the right and it still has toilet paper hanging in it!

The Renovations Begin!

The week of October 3-10, 2009 we started the renovations to the house. It was a little overwhelming at first with so much to do and so little time. We traveled on the 3rd and stayed with my brother Dave and his wife Gayle the first night in Kennebunk. My daughter Cody joined us. We had a wonderful dinner at Allison's in Kennebunkport and went to bed early to be able to have an early start on Sunday.

Sunday was the day we moved everything from Kennebunk that the family had donated for furniture to get us started. We also went on a spending spree to get the basic supplies needed for another home. My brother, Dave, was quite entertained watching us spend money like crazy. Usually you do this over many months but we had one day. It was wild but we bought everything from dishes and beds to screw drivers, hammers and hard hats. We made it to Rutherford Island by 4 p.m. My brother, Dave, and his wife, Gayle, helped us unload all the supplies and then we celebrated the beginning of the adventure! Gayle planted some of my favorite flowers from her garden so in the spring we would have beautiful flowers. Thank you Gayle!

Monday started the beginning of the renovation process. We met many contractors and decided many things that day. Our biggest challenge was not having hot water, which we were able to resolve on Tuesday afternoon. Boy did that first shower feel good. Possibly the best I have ever had!

My brother Steve and his family came up on Tuesday and helped us take down ceilings and strip more than 100 years worth of wallpaper. I have kept samples of the wallpaper to keep as a historical record of the house. Thanks Steve, Liz and Will. Below are the pictures from the week of long days and hard work. "Working on a Dream".

Cousins at work!

It had been a long time since I had seen Fall colors and they were spectacular!

Our new neighbors, Ronnie and Thelma House, brought us 5 boiled lobsters with butter on Thursday night. Ronnie's son is a lobsterman. They were wonderful and after a hard days work, greatly appreciated.

Our New House

I grew up in southern Maine, on the coast, and most of my family still lives there. I have made yearly trips, with my children every summer since I moved away, to spend time and feel connected with my family and offer them the same experience of growing up, carefree, on the beach in Maine.

After many summers of visiting with me and growing to love Maine as much as I, my husband Bob and I started looking for a home in the Pemaquid area. We spent some time on our honeymoon at the Bradley Inn and loved the quiet, rustic, peacefulness of the area. The search started last summer but the "right" house was not to be found.

This past summer, we again spent some time in the Pemaquid area searching for a home in Maine. Finding the "right" house was challenging with a husband who stands 6'4" and had a hard time standing up in most of the top floors of the houses we looked at. I had about given up for this year when our realtor, Susan Ropes of Dewey Chase, showed us this home, in much need of loving care, on Rutherford Island in South Bristol. I immediately felt a connection to the area and especially to the house.

At first, with many complications, we were not sure we would be able to complete the sale but everything has worked out and we are now owners of a, soon to be fabulous, house on Rutherford Island in the working fishing village of South Bristol, Maine. The house is in much need of updating and repair but the view is amazing as the property fronts on The Gut, overlooking Gamage's historic shipyard. A dream come true.

Below are pictures taken of the house before we officially owned it on the last trip before the offer was accepted. You can see there is a lot of work!

But the view!