Historic New England Guide and Curator of the Standish Historical Society Charles Ruby leads a special tour of two Maine historic treasures on Saturday July 12. The first tour will take place from 10:00 am – noon. The second tour will take place from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. Both tours leave from the Marrett House at 40 Ossippee Trail East in Standish.
Marrett House was built in 1789 for the first minister assigned to the small rural community of Standish, who died before being able to take up the position. He was replaced by the Reverend Daniel Marrett, a recent graduate of Harvard College, who moved into the imposing Federal style house with his wife Mary in 1796. Mary died in 1810, leaving Daniel alone with five children aged two to thirteen. Daniel remarried seven months later, and he and his wife Dorcas added eight more children to the already lively household.
Marrett House takes you back in time to the life of an upper middle class family in nineteenth century and early twentieth century Standish. Hear stories of multiple generations of the Marrett’s life in this house for 150 years while you look at their original interior decoration and furnishings. Rooms showcase treasured possessions including pewter, furniture, ceramics and textiles from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. See the original parlor decorated for a family wedding in 1847 and hear stories of the colorful Marrett children. Daniel Marrett’s granddaughter Frances Marrett gave the house to Historic New England in 1947.
The tour continues with a guided walk to the 1804 Old Red Church in Standish Village. Used as a church until 1848, the building later housed the Standish Academy, the Good Templars Lodge (a temperance organization), the Standish Grange, and other organizations. Today, it is the museum of the Standish Historical Society. When you return, visit the lovely Colonial Revival style garden adjacent to Marrett House. Registration for a specific tour is recommended. Please call 207-882-7169 to register. Reserve your place now!
For more information and a full calendar of summer programs, call 207-882-7169 or visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org.