Criterion A: Education, Entertainment/Recreation
Period of Significance: 1878-1962
Local Level of Significance
The Winter Harbor Schoolhouse in Hancock County, Maine is a two story, Italianate, gable front, wood frame building located in the center of the village. It is locally significant under Criterion A in the areas of education and entertainment/recreation. The building was built in 1877 as the third school in the Village of Winter Harbor which was then part of the town of Gouldsboro. The previous two schools in the village had burned. The building was moved to its current location in 1887 to make way for construction of the Beacon Hotel and accommodate the developing tourism industry in the village. The building continued as a school until 1952. From then until 1962 it served as the home of the Schoodic Grange #408. The upper hall of the building had served entertainment and recreational purposes on and off throughout its existence hosting fraternal societies and community functions. Changes to the building like those to the original window configuration and the addition of a fire escape are significant as they occurred during the period of significance and reflect the evolution of educational best practices. The period of significance is from its 1887 relocation to 1962 when the local grange disbanded. The application of vinyl siding has diminished the building's integrity of design, materials and workmanship, but other aspects of integrity are strong. Other school buildings in Winter Harbor have been greatly altered and lack integrity. Winter Harbor Schoolhouse represents the history of education in town and reflects the evolution of schools in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.