Located on the west bank of the Sheepscot River on either side of U.S. Route 1, the Wiscasset Historic District contains an impressive concentration of pre-twentieth century civic, commercial, residential, religious, and funerary buildings, structures and sites. Wiscasset was first settled by European-Americans in the 1670s, but conflicts with Native Americans prevented further development until the mid-1700s. The deep harbor along the Sheepscot River proved a fortuitous location for a safe port and shipyards. The town gained further prestige when the local courts relocated here in 1794. Thus, Wiscasset boomed in the latter part of the eighteenth-century, as exemplified by the large ornate houses built throughout the historic district. Many of these buildings were constructed to face the river, the town's focal point of industry. A notable example includes the Hodge House (pictured), built in 1787 with a side-gabled roof, two large interior end chimneys, and a front entry framed with pilasters and topped with a pediment. Wiscasset's prominence was undermined with the passage of the Embargo Act of 1807. The act, while attempting to protect American sailors from foreign navies in international waters, ultimately stymied trade and greatly reduced Wiscasset's economic fortunes.
Year Listed: 1973
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=09ff0873-8f97-4952-8e2e-b64cc5f46d29