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Trustee Emeritus Award for Excellence in the Stewardship of Historic Sites
In November 2000,
the National Trust for Historic Preservation presented this prestigious
award to The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America "for
acquiring, restoring, and interpreting a collection of historic properties
that offer invaluable opportunities to experience the rich variety of
America's heritage."
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NSCDA in Maine Museum Properties
The NSCDA in Maine owns and
operates two historical properties. The Tate House and the
Means
House are located in Portland, across the street from each other. |
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TATE HOUSE
(1755)
Address:
1270 Westbrook Street,
Portland, ME 04104
[mail to: 2 Waldo St., Portland, ME 04102]
Telephone:
(207) 774-6177
Fax:
(207) 774-6198
Email:
info@tatehouse.org
Open:
Tuesday through Sunday,
June 15 to September 30. Weekends (Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday) through October.
Tuesday through Saturday: 10:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday: 1:00 p.m.
to 4:00 p.m. Group tours may be arranged by
appointment from April through October.
Directions:
From the south, take I-295 to Portland,
Exit 5-A, follow Route 22 (Congress Street) west. From the north, take Exit 5-B to Congress
Street. From Downtown Portland, drive west on Congress Street (Route 22).
Turn Right onto St. John Street, then Left onto Park Avenue. After passing
under I-295 Park Avenue becomes Congress Street again. Once on Congress
Street: after crossing the Fore River, turn Left onto Waldo Street. At the
top of the hill, make a sharp right turn onto Westbrook Street. Tate House
is the second house on the left. Parking is available in a lot across the
street.
Website: www.tatehouse.org
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When it was built in 1755, Tate
House was considered a large and elegant home. The house was constructed
for Captain George Tate (1700-1794) and his family who had arrived in the
Colonies around 1750. Tate served as the Senior Mast Agent for the
British Royal Navy, overseeing the cutting and shipping of white pines from
Maine to England. This position assured
Tate's success, and his status in the community is reflected by the style
of architecture he selected for his home. With its clapboards still
unpainted, Tate House is one of two residences in Maine with an unusual
clerestory in the gambrel roof. As the only pre-Revolutionary home
in Greater Portland that is open to the public, the impressive period furnishings,
beautiful grounds and herb gardens, and unique architecture of Tate House
offer an insightful glimpse at the 18th century and life in Colonial Maine.
NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK
ACCREDITED: NSCDA MUSEUM
PROPERTIES |
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MEANS HOUSE
(1797)
Location: across
street from Tate House.
See contact information above. |
Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik |
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After Captain George Tate's death
in 1794 and following the Revolutionary War, Captain James Means (1753-1832)
in 1797, built a splendid new home on a triangle of land overlooking the
site of the mast yard. Captain Means had been at Valley Forge and
supposedly "served long" with George Washington during the revolution.
According to tradition, Lafayette, in 1825, visited the Means House.
A beautiful Federal-style home, with a hipped-roof and high interior ceilings,
Means House remained a private residence until March of 1996, when, marking
the 100th anniversary of their founding, the Colonial Dames in the State
of Maine embarked upon an exciting new project. The Means House was
purchased by the Colonial Dames to be a support arm for the Society and
for general operations of the Tate House Museum. Today, Means House
is available for rental by community groups, businesses, or individuals.
The space is well-suited for a variety of functions--whether a small, casual
meeting or a more formal evening event.
Across the street from Tate House,
Means House is home to the Museum offices and also houses a museum shop
and meeting space for the Maine Dames.
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