Spite House (Rockport, Maine)

Spite House

HABS photo, 1960
Location Deadman's Point, Rockport, Maine
Coordinates 44°10′31″N 69°3′18″W / 44.17528°N 69.05500°W / 44.17528; -69.05500Coordinates: 44°10′31″N 69°3′18″W / 44.17528°N 69.05500°W / 44.17528; -69.05500
Built 1806 (1806)
Architectural style Federal
NRHP Reference # 74000175[1]
Added to NRHP August 13, 1974

The Spite House, also known as the Thomas McCobb House, is a historic house at Deadman's Point in Rockport, Maine. Built in 1806 in Phippsburg, it is a high quality example of Federal period architecture. It was built by Thomas McCobb as a deliberately elaborate building, to exceed in quality the fine house in which he had grown up, and which he had lost in a family dispute. It was moved to its current location in 1925, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1]

Description and history

The Spite House stands on the east side of Deadman's Point, the easternmost projection of the peninsula which separates Rockport Harbor from Penobscot Bay. It is a large two-story wood frame structure, with a central hip-roofed main section flanked by wings extending to the north and south. The walls are finished in wooden clapboards, and the building rests on original granite slabs set on a 1925 concrete foundation. The roof is pierced by four tall brick chimneys, each with a band of corbelling near the top. The roof is encircled by a balustrade, and has an octagonal cupola at its center, also topped by a balustrade. The main facade is five bays wide, with simple corner trim rising to a plain entablature and modillioned cornice. Windows are sash with shutters, and there are decorative panels between the floors. The main entrance is framed by pilasters and topped by a half-round window and deep cornice supported by scrolled brackets.[2]

James McCobb, an Irish immigrant, arrived in what is now Phippsburg in 1731, where he raised a large family. In 1774, he built a handsome Federal period house for his second wife, with whom he had three children, including a son Thomas. He married a third time in 1782, to Mary Langdon Storer Hill, who had a son, Mark Langdon Hill, from a previous marriage, who ended up marrying one of McCobb's daughters. While Thomas McCobb was away at sea, the Hills broke James McCobb's will and claimed his house for their family. When James McCobb returned from his voyage and discovered what had happened, he resolved to build what became known as a spite house, deliberately near the old homestead and much more elaborate. This house was built in 1806. In 1925, it was rescued from demolition by being moved to Rockport, at which time the extensive wings were added.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 Richard Kelly (1974). "NRHP nomination for Spite House" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-19. with photo from 1974
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spite House (Rockport, Maine).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.