Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-10-26
A Landmark Reconstructed,
THE OLD wHITwELL HOUSE IN A NEW DRESS
ITS FORMER OCCUPANTS AND LOCAL HISTORY.


lie two-story dwelling house at the cor,
ner of Water and Green streets in thi.
city, which for years was left to the wasting
OF time, has been remodeled and renovated
to such an extent as to retain in the new and
beautiful structure only the original frame
work and boarding, until it now compares
favorably with any of our first class, modern
dwellings, and is an ornament to the city, and
the neighborhood in which it stands. This
family mansion has been put in its present
shape by the Hon. James w. Bradbury, for
the home of his youngest son, Mr.. Charles
bradbury, Of the firm of Parrott Bradbury
CO., merchants in this city.
| In the course of renovation the interior ar
| engagements of the house were all changed,
and it has been finished throughout and all
apartments arranged with view to elegance
and comfort. In its fitting up and its furnish
ing it is second to no house in town, making
| a most attractive home for the newly married
| and happy couple who occupy it. The i'm
| provements on the exterior are quite as no.
| ticeable as those on the interior. The roof
| has been raised several feet, new windows
| made, and the plan of the outside entirely
changed. The embankment wall has been
| rebuilt and the grounds in front of the house
| terraced. For situation, the place is delight
full. From its elevated position charming
prospect is obtained of the east side, of the
windings of the river, the busy railroad and
steamboat traffic, and the grand natural seem
cry that annually unfolds itself in the valley
of the Kennebec.
But the place is chiefly noted on account of
its historic interest. The old house that was,
and the new one that is, has history that
speaks to us not only of the living, active
present, but of the dim, shadowy past. The
house was built by Matthew Hayward in 1876.
Iheophilus Hamlen was the carpenter and con-
tractor. The venerable Judge Weston, now
in his Goth year, with mind and memory un-
impaired, from whom we gather many of our
facts, remembers its being built when he was
lad of fourteen. He recollects it was said
at the time, that Mr.. Hamlen had hard con-
tract. The memory of cold Citizen" who
has frequently contributed to these columns
"Locals of Ye Olden Time" is also vivid in
regard to the erection of the house. The
frame is ofhewed clear pine timber, The raft
ers are eight inches square and the frame more
than a foot. Timber was abundant in that
day, and it was sometimes sent to Massachu-
sets The frame of the house on Winthrop
street, occupied by the father of Judge Wes-
ton, was built of white oak and heavily tim
bered. We do not learn whether the frames
of any other house in town were constructed
Of this material. They were generally built
of pine.
Mr.. Hayward was the first occupant of the
house, and lived in it several years, when he
sold it and removed to Winthrop. He had
also forty or fifty acres of land west of the
house, which he cultivated, and on which are
now erected the principal residences in the city.
He was a man of property and loaner of
money.
The appearance of the house in those olden
times, is still fresh in the memories of some
of our citizens. Even then it was most beau
tiful on account of its superiority to other
houses: 1t was enclosed by neat pale fence,
around the margin of which and about fifteen
feet apart were silver-leaved poplar trees.
Those residing in the vicinity, nearly all of
whom have now departed to the "sent land"
were often charmed by the .Eoian harp music
made by the wind passing through the grace
full branches of the trees, and causing them
to make their gentle obesience to the ground.
After Mr.. Hayward, Benz. Whitwell lived
in the house until 1906, when he removed into
the house on Green street, built by him, after
wards known as the Stanwood house, occu-
pied fourteen or fifteen years ago by Hon.
James q. Blaine, and in which Mrs. Stinson
now lives. Afterwards, we believe, Mr..
Whitwell moved to Boston. 1t was then &C.
cupied for several years by Solomon Vose,
Esq, father Of the late Richard II. Vose, Esq
The venerable Dea. John Means, now living,
moved into the house upon his marriage
| and lived there from 1915 to 1918. After him
John Davis, Esq, Clerk of the Courts, and
| Gen. Jesse Robinson, High Sheriff of the
county, lived there successfully for several
years. Col. Darius Alden, Edward Rowse,
and other more recent occupants, followed
those who are remembered by comparatively
few. Thus it will be seen that the recon-
structed house on Grimes Hill," is one of the
old landmarks of the city, and has local his
tory of much value.