Maine's first United States Senator, John Holmes built this Federal-style mansion on Main Street in Alfred. The house sits on a granite foundation, stands two stories high, and has a low hipped roof with a central chimney. The front facade is classically symmetrical with a central front entry vestibule under a two-story columned porch. At the time of Holmes residence here, the fifteen-room dwelling had two formal rooms with elaborate woodwork, a circular staircase in the front hall, and vaulted ceilings on the second floor. Holmes was a prominent lawyer whose political career began in 1802 serving Sanford and Alfred in the Massachusetts General Court. He was a later appointed by President James Madison as a commissioner to settle a land dispute in Passamaquoddy Bay between the United State and Great Britain. Holmes became a strong advocate for Maine statehood, served as chairman on the committee to write the states constitution, and was elected to state and national legislative positions. President William Henry Harrison later appointed him U.S. District Attorney for Maine.
Year Listed: 1975
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=96d1547b-c2f7-4fa7-82c0-b1575e76621b