with Dr. Nancy Watson

Recent Articles

Stephen King’s House

Stephen King’s House

Driving home through Maine after teaching a seminar in Halifax, we made a stop in Bangor to see the home of one of America’s most prolific authors, Stephen King. The house has become a destination because of its distinctive Victorian architecture and the famous wrought-iron gates decorated with spiders, bats, and other gothic designs that […]

Bangor, Maine
The Olson House

The Olson House

There are some places where the landscape tells only part of the story. The Olson House in Cushing, Maine, is one of those places. Sitting quietly atop a gentle hill overlooking the fields and Muscongus Bay, this weathered farmhouse appears much as it did when Andrew Wyeth first arrived here in 1939. It is an unassuming home, […]

Cushing, Maine
The Wedding Cake House

The Wedding Cake House

This is not a house I have been able to visit, but I have driven by it many times over the years. Known as the Wedding Cake House, it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Kennebunk, Maine. Built in 1825 by shipbuilder George W. Bourne, the house originally reflected the Federal style popular in early […]

Kennebunk, Maine
Roosevelt Campobello International Park

Roosevelt Campobello International Park

I have visited Roosevelt Campobello International Park several times during my travels through the Maritime Provinces. I enjoy exploring presidential homes and historic sites, and this one is especially meaningful because it reveals a side of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that few presidential sites can capture. Rather than focusing on the years of power and leadership, Campobello tells the story of Roosevelt […]

Lubec, Maine
Sarah Orne Jewett House

Sarah Orne Jewett House

One of the highlights of visiting South Berwick, Maine, was touring the Sarah Orne Jewett House, one of New England’s important literary landmarks. Built in 1774 and expanded over generations, the house reflects both the architectural evolution of a prosperous New England family and the rich cultural heritage of the community. Best known as the lifelong home of author […]

South Berwick, Maine
The Hamilton House

The Hamilton House

The Hamilton House in South Berwick, Maine is one of the most beautiful historic homes preserved by Historic New England. Overlooking the Salmon Falls River, this elegant Georgian mansion was built around 1785 by merchant and shipbuilder Jonathan Hamilton during a time when this region thrived through maritime trade and shipbuilding. Today, the house stands as both […]

South Berwick, Maine
Tucker Castle

Tucker Castle

As a member of Historic New England, I set a goal to visit all of their properties. One of those visits led me to the beautiful town of Wiscasset Maine and Castle Tucker. I wasn’t entirely sure how this particular property was chosen to be preserved.  It does not stand out for a single defining event […]

Wiscasset, Maine
Emerson-Wilcox House

Emerson-Wilcox House

In the historic village of York stands one of the quiet survivors of early New England life: The Emerson-Wilcox House, a structure whose story stretched back nearly three centuries. Built between 1735 and 1742, the house began as a center-chimney colonial dwelling. The early form revolved around a massive central fireplace, the heart of the home […]

York, Maine
Walker’s Point

Walker’s Point

In the coastal town of Kennebunkport sits the Bush family home at Walker’s Point, a place that blends personal history with a broader national story. Perched on a rocky stretch of coastline overlooking the Atlantic, the home has been in the Bush family since the early 1900s. It became widely known as the summer residence of George […]

Kennebunkport, Maine
Wadsworth-Longfellow House

Wadsworth-Longfellow House

Here is a photo from one of our visits to Portland, Maine, standing in front of the Longfellow House. Sitting right on Congress Street, in the middle of downtown life. is this Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the oldest surviving structure on the Portland peninsula. It was built in 1785-1786 by General Peleg Wadsworth, a Revolutionary War hero […]

Portland, Maine