The Gorham Historic District comprises forty-two buildings in the town center, along College Avenue, Main, Academy (formerly Maple), School, and State Streets. It is predominantly residential except for the eastern edge near the intersection of School and Main Streets which contains a concentration of commercial, fraternal, and religious buildings. Pre-1820 buildings are typically side-gabled Cape houses with large center chimneys (such as the pictured Peter Fogg House) or Federal-style houses with interior end chimneys. Some have been remodeled with later style elements, such as the First Parish Congregational Church which was built as a typical eighteenth-century meeting house but now appears Greek Revival in style. Gorham was settled by European colonists in 1736 with John Phinney from Barnstable, Massachusetts, being among the first. Other families followed but conflicts with the indigenous residents slowed further European growth. By the 1760s attempts were being made to incorporate the town which was accomplished on October 30, 1764. The population expanded rapidly after the Revolutionary War and by 1820 there were 2,795 residents. Various industries drove Gorham's growth, including a fulling mill, built c.1788, and smaller operations such as clock works and an organ shop, as well the founding of Gorham Academy in 1803.
Year Listed: 1992
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=569fc8d8-ae58-4cab-8bf3-68bf66a85cf8