Criterion A: Industry
Criterion A: Maritime History
Period of Significance: 1875 to 1925
Local Level of Significance
The Dunn & Elliot Sail Loft is a large two-story, gable-front braced frame building on the waterfront in Thomaston, Knox County, Maine. The loft is significant under Criterion A for industry and maritime history at the local level. The Sail Loft represents a less well known support industry that was central to maintaining sailing ships. It was built in 1875 for Thomas Dunn and George Elliot who made sails and rigging for ships as Dunn & Elliot. The two men were also part owners of ship building companies and worked as ships' agents. The building reflects the less glamourous support industry that supplied new and replacement sails and rigging. The loft has a utilitarian appearance with clapboard siding, asphalt roofing and many windows which provided light for the sail making that took place on its second floor. The first floor was used to prepare ships rigging and the attic for storage. The building no longer has the associated wharf projecting into the tidal St. George River, but it still conveys its industrial and maritime significance in a town that was known for shipbuilding and oceangoing commerce. The loft has a period of significance from its construction date of 1875 until it was last used as a sail loft and ships supply in 1925.