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 a National Historic Landmark and a reminder of the prosperity that once flowed along the rivers of coastal Maine. What makes Hamilton House memorable is not only the architecture, but the setting itself.
Approaching the house through the formal gardens and white arbor creates a sense of stepping back into another era. The carefully designed Colonial Revival gardens were developed in the early twentieth century by Emily Tyson and his stepdaughter Elise Tyson Vaughan, who restored the aging mansion and transformed it into a refined summer retreat.
The house reflects several layers of New England history. Originally tied to shipping and trade the property later became farmland before evolving into an early preservation project. Historic New England eventually assumed stewardship of the estate, helping protect both the mansion and the surrounding landscape for future generations.
Read More From Nancy
Maud Lewis
In the rural landscape near Digby Nova Scotia, once stood this house. It was small, weathered and modest. But inside, it became a world of color, imagination, and quiet resilience. This was the home of Maud Lewis. Maud Lewis lived most of her life in this tiny one-room house, a space she transformed completely with […]
Hearst Castle
On our family road trip down the coast of California, we stopped at Hearst Castle, the estate rising above the Pacific along Highway 1. You see if from below first. perched high on the Enchanted Hill, as if it were a Mediterranean palace transported to the rugged California coastline. The house was built for William […]
The Frost Place
This summer, we visited The Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire, the hillside farmhouse where Robert Frost lived with his family from 1915 to 1920. Standing on the front porch, the view looking towards the White Mountains is spectacular. This is the home when Frost’s career was beginning to rise. When Frost moved to Franconia in 1915, […]
