MAINE

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."

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.
TATE HOUSE (1755) Address: 1270 Westbrook Street, Portland, ME 04104 [mail to: 1267 Westbrook St.., Portland, ME 04102] Telephone: (207) 774-6177 Fax: (207) 774-6198 Email: info@tatehouse.org Open: June 17 through October 17, Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. Group tours and school tours may be arranged by appointment from April through October. 2009 is the Year of the Garden with special events each Wednesday, June 17 through August 19. Garden tours are offered every Wednesday. Architecture tours (cellar to attic) are offered first and third Thursdays June through September. Fall Symposium is September 26. Stroudwater Cemetery tour is October 18 2 p.m. Winter Frolic is Saturdays and Sundays December 5 through December 20. 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
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

MEANS HOUSE (1797) Location: across street from Tate House. See contact information above.	Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik
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.