A historic black-and-white photograph of the multi-story garrison house exterior, showing its wooden shingle siding and overhang.

McIntire Garrison House

Photo: Library of Congress

Along a bend in the York River sits the McIntire Garrison, one of the most notable examples of a garrison-style house remaining in Maine. Micum McIntire, a Scottish highlander, arrived in York County in the 1660s after being deported from England for supporting the Scottish during the Third English Civil War. After landing in Massachusetts, he was sold as an indentured servant to the owner of a sawmill in New Hampshire. When his indenture came to an end, he made his way to Maine, getting land in York’s Scotland District in 1668. It was Micum’s son John McIntire who constructed the current house c. 1713.

Built by European colonists to fortify their settlements against Indigenous people fighting to reclaim their lands, garrisons were relatively common in rural Maine. With an overhanging second floor and central chimney, the garrison is a log building covered with wood clapboard sidings along the long elevations and wood singles on the gable ends, all this cladding being added during a “restoration” in the early 20th century. The interiors of the building are largely unchanged from their original condition and are very plain.

Surrounded by 240 acres of farmland, the two-acre complex includes a carriage house, and a barn from 1808 known as the Cider House. The property, a National Historic Landmark, is now in the hands of the Old York Historical Society and will be a major source of information about life in colonial Maine.

Old York Historical Society

A modern color photograph of a dark blue, two-story historic garrison house with an overhanging second floor, a brick chimney, and green grass and foliage in the foreground. — McIntire Garrison House as it looks today. Photo: Old York Historical Society.

A vintage black and white photograph showing a long, weathered colonial building constructed from logs and wooden planks. The building features small windows, two brick chimneys along the roofline, and stands behind a rustic wooden fence and a few bare bushes on a grassy field. — View of the garrison c. 1908. The 1740 extension was removed shortly after this image was taken. Photo: Library of Congress.

A historic black and white photograph capturing a side-angled view of a two-and-a-half-story colonial garrison house. The structure features dark wooden clapboard siding, a distinct second-story overhang with exposed joists, and sits on a grassy slope with thick bushes clustering around the side entrance. — McIntire Garrison House. Photo: Maine State Archives.

A historic black-and-white interior view of a kitchen featuring a large brick fireplace, patterned wallpaper, wooden tubs, and period cookware. — Interior view from HABS documentation in 1936. Photo: Library of Congress.

A historical black-and-white close-up showing exposed log construction and dovetail joints on the corner of the historic building. — View of the original log construction with dovetail joints. Image from 1936 HABS documentation. Photo: Library of Congress.

An architectural schematic drawing titled "Transverse Section through Kitchen" for the McIntire-Garrison House. The detailed black and white cross-section diagram shows the stone foundation basement, the first-floor kitchen with a large hearth and hanging cooking pot, the second-floor rooms with a fireplace, and the timber framing of the gabled roof structure. — Schematic drawing based on the HABS documentation in 1936. Photo: Library of Congress.

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