The Harraseeket Historic District is a large and amorphous district containing three villages, South Freeport, Porter's Landing, and Mast Landing, and outlying areas, such as Wolfe's Neck. The villages are situated on the Harraseeket River which river flows into Casco Bay. European settlers arrived in Freeport in the 1600s, but development did not increase until the latter part of the 1700s. Mast Landing developed first at the river's head of tide. As early as 1753 the British and local colonists had shipped lumber from here, particularly timber cut for ship masts. Ship masts were an incredibly lucrative and important industry to the British, who commanded a large navy and burgeoning empire at that time. Mast diameters ranged to 25" to 36" and Maine's untouched woods were highly prized by the Crown. Other maritime industries such as fishing, shipbuilding, and later canning, were found in South Freeport and Porter's Landing. The area also included many saltwater farms, where hay was harvested from the marshes along the river. Most of the buildings in the historic district date to the late eighteenth century through the nineteenth century. Many of the earliest buildings are unadorned and are one or two stories tall with side-gabled or hipped roofs and architectural details are limited to pilasters and sidelights flanking a front entry.
Year Listed: 1974
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=de3c2388-a31f-48e8-94f0-3ec1ff38dd69