Historic Homes and Sites

The Nylander Museum is dedicated to the work of Olof Nylander and the natural history of Maine. Exhibits include: minerals, fossils, seashells, mollusk shells, mounted mammals, and birds from the region. The museum offers free guided nature walks during the summer and provides educational outreach programs to local schools throughout the year.
Admission is free.
Information: www.cariboumaine.org/nylander.html

Built in 1839, this small, fortified structure was designed to protect local timber companies during a dispute with Canada. The argument was settled before any violent skirmishes developed.
Hours: Open daily from Memorial Day to Sept. 30, 9am to sunset.
Admission: $1-3 depending on age and state of residence.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this business center features many 19th century structures, giving an insight into the lumber industry and trading that went on more than a century ago.

Maine's French-Acadian heritage is preserved in this group of over one dozen restored structures, gathered from throughout the region. Exhibits supply visitors with information on the Acadian culture, history and way of life in Colonial and post-Colonial Maine.
Hours: June 15 to September 15, daily, noon-5 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $6; children, $3.
Information: www.connectmaine.com/acadianvillage.

The museum building was built in 1863 by Nicholas A. Chandler, who bred and trained horses. The little shop proved popular with local farmers and was kept busy during the Civil War. Eventually, Chandler's sister inherited the shop, which was then operated by her husband, Henry Parsons, until 1905. The museum retains much of its original equipment including forge, ox-lifter, anvil and other tools. In addition, the museum has a collection of agricultural and rural tools.
Hours: May-October, usually daily
Admission: Donation.
Information: http://bit.ly/SfUCby

An authentic steam ship, the Katahdin, is the setting for exhibits and artifacts of the area's logging and steamboat industry. In addition to the Katahdin, the museum has an extensive collection of steamboat memorabilia and early photographs of the Moosehead area. Cruises on the Katahdin offered seasonally.
Hours: Open seasonally from mid-June thru mid-October. Call for cruise schedule and ticket prices.

The museum documents Maine logging history by preserving the logging heritage and accomplishments of early inhabitants of the state of Maine. Exhibits include some of Maine's most notable contributions to the early mechanization of logging, including the Lombard Steam Hauler, Lombard Gas Hauler, and the Peavey Cant Dog. Please consult website for hours & admission.

Used as the Maine governor's mansion, this home was given to the state in 1919, although it was constructed much earlier. It has a magnificent formal garden. House tours for individuals and groups are available Tuesday through Thursday, 2-4 p.m. The formal garden is open to the public for self-guided tours by appointment only May 1 through October 1, Tuesday-Thursday, 2-4 p.m.
Information: www.blainehouse.org/

Visitors may tour the seat of Maine's state government. Interesting collections include Klir Beck wildlife dioramas, the State House portrait collection, and Maine's historic flag collection.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours may be scheduled by contacting the museum at 207-287-2301.
Information: http://bit.ly/11yrETQ

This monument, by Bernard Langlais, is a 62 foot sculpture honoring the Abnaki Indian tribe.

The building housing this museum was built in 1814. Museum offers a local historical collection of furniture, Civil War and Indian relics, children’s room, period rooms, and a 19th-century apothecary.
Hours: Memorial Day week to Labor Day. To visti, contact caretakers by email at frostledgeimage@roadrunner.com
Admission: Adults, $3; children under age 12, $2.
Information: www.redingtonmuseum.org/apothecary.html

Set on the Sebasticook River, this fort was built in 1754 as part of a series of defenses constructed during the French and Indian War. English settlers built the fort in 1754 to protect colonial settlements along the Kennebec and it served as a garrison for troops from 1754-1766.
Hours: Open daily 9am - Sunset unless posted otherwise.

Built in 1754, this National Historic Landmark is America's oldest surviving wooden fort. Visitors can tour the fort and its store, which contains hundreds of farming and forestry tools essential to the economic life of the settlement.
Hours: Open Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10am - 4pm. ; Check website for winter season dates & times.

Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor, Maine, is the second oldest garden cemetery in the United States. It was designed by architect Charles G. Bryant in 1834 and modeled after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, MA. The cemetery, which is open to the public for walking and nature study, is the burial place of several lumber magnates of the region’s historic lumbering industry, along with Maine governors, and several holders of national offices. Walking tour map.