Historic New England: Bowman House

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My fourth stop on my Maine adventure was Bowman House, an 18th century Historic New England (HSE) property in Dresden, Maine. The home was commissioned in 1762 by wealthy and well-connected Jonathan Bowman. He was the cousin of John Hancock and a Harvard classmate of President John Adams and Governor John Wentworth of New Hampshire. The architect was Gershom Flagg, an expert from Boston who also designed the nearby Pownalborough Courthouse, where Bowman served as a judge. The family made much of their money through the shipping industry and Transatlantic trade.

A yellow Georgian style house with an addition on the right sitting on a spacious grassy lawn with shady trees around the edge underneath a cloudless blue sky. A black and blue sign with the words Bowman House 1762 and the Historic New England logo on the lower right corner. A three-quarters view of the yellow Georgian style house. A white tent without sides stands in front of the addition.

Like other wealthy men of the 18th century, Bowman kept enslaved and indentured people in his house. The stories of these people were highlighted on the tour. Cicero and Boston were enslaved Black men owned by the Bowman family and brought to the Bowman House. When Cicero escaped in 1775 to join the Continental Army, Bowman hired disgraced boat builder Reuben Colburn to retrieve him. As with many of his endeavors, Colburn was unsuccessful; I will write more about him in a future blog. In addition to the enslaved men, Bowman raised an indentured white child from age six to twenty-one, giving him a rudimentary education and apprenticeship training, along with keeping a cook named Dinah, who appeared to be a free Black woman.

Inside the addition of the Bowman House. Two post office signs hang on the whitewashed wall. The ceiling is unpainted with exposed rafters and beams. A brick fireplace laden with mid to late 18th century cast iron cooking utencils. The fireplace is filled with wood. The paneling above the fireplace is painted rusty red. A pair of decorative rifles hang on the paneling. Blue-and-white delft tile painted with fish and boats surrounding a brick fireplace. A brick fireplace surrounded with black-and-white delft tile. A pair of bedwarmers lean to the left of the fireplace.

The Bowman house changed hands several times after the death of Jonathan Bowman in 1804. The Carney family owned the property for over sixty years, followed by the Lincoln Ice Company, which used the building for offices. Throughout the early 20th century, four preservationist owners sold the property for a dollar, hoping but failing to secure funding to restore the building. The house appeared in a Historic American Building Survey (HABS) report in 1937. The Burrage sisters, Madeline and Mildred, were the last of these owners and found the perfect buyer for the property.

A fireplace surrounded by blue-and-white delft tile decorated with sailboats. A wooden chair with a forest green cushion sits in front of the fireplace. A stack of decorating books rests the the right of the fireplace. A vintage white stove with a double oven and three burners. A square book with a cover reading Madame Butterfly. Four people wearing traditional Japanese clothing stand on the right side of the cover, and another Japanese man stands on the right. Left of center is a man wearing a white, Western style suit and staring at a red toro gate. Reproduction neoclassical wallpaper in powder blue with black-and-white arches, garlains, and lounging figures wearing Greek tunics. Reproduction red floral wallpaper. Another corner of the parlor, showing the second wooden chair with a forest green cushion, the upper left corner of the fireplace with decorative delft tile, and a Georgian style writing desk covered in trinkets. The walls are covered with red floral wallpaper. The decorative face of a grandfather clock in front of wallpaper with a brown background, pink roses, and green leaves. A pair of vintage scissors resting on a plum-and-white delft tile, itself resting on a wooden table top. Detail of a plaque on the face of a grandfather clock reading Spalding PROVIDENCE

As wealthy and well-connected as the Bowmans, designer Bill Waters and his partner, Cyrus Pinkham, moved to Dresden after working for Hattie Carnegie in New York City; creating a popular handbag company with Cyrus’ sister, Margaret Smith (who claimed her designs were stolen by Kate Spade); and restoring a house in Damariscotta, Maine. Bill became obsessed with the Bowman House, meticulously tracking down original Bowman pieces, purchasing equivalents by the same creator if the original could not be found, or ordering an exact reproduction. He kept documentation attached to the furniture itself so no paperwork would go missing. Never one to pass by a business opportunity, Bill opened Lilac Cottage Antiques and took home favorite pieces to add to his collection. In his drive to keep the house pristine, Bill purchased a separate house for his French chef and the chef’s family and guest house, both located at the entrance to the Bowman House driveway. Bill’s fixation contributed to the end of his relationship with Cyrus, although they remained on good terms and temporarily lived in the Bowman House with their new partners.

A wooden chair with a red and white checked seat. To the left of the chair is the corner of an 18th century set of drawers in the corner of the room. To the right of the fair is a matching red and white checked curtain and a powder blue radiator. The wallpaper of the room is a powder blue and navy blue floral pattern. A four post canopy bed with red-and-white checked fabric. The same corner of the Blue Room, now showing the top of the chair, the dresser, and the curtain.

The current interior design of Bowman House is a delightful mix of Bowman family heirlooms and Bill’s design sensibilities. Upon his death in 2016, the home came into the care of HSE, who had worked with Bill for many years and recorded his stories. The remarkable young tour guide effortlessly conveyed the layered history of the house, from the drama between Congregationalists and Anglicans during the American Revolution, which Jonathan Bowman escalated with his bad behavior during church services, to the exploits of Bill as he reassembled the original family’s collection and put his own touches on the never quite finished product. Anyone who enjoys decorating, history, or drama would be thoroughly entertained by this tour.

A grandfather clock with a dark wooden case and ornate clock face. The door of the clock is open to reveal the chiming mechanism along with documentation pinned inside the door. A parlor with rose wallpaper, matching pink furniture, and a portrait of Jonathan Bowman set in a golden frame and hung above the fireplace with plum-and-white tile. Inside the case of a grandfather clock, with several documents pinned inside the clock. A reverse glass painted banjo style clock with metallic trim hung on a wall with rose wallpaper.

With this being said, Bowman House has the highest regular tour ticket prices out of all HSE properties, at $25 adults and $23 seniors with no student discounts, but the tour is still free for members (like me!). Tours run during the main HNE season, from opening day in June to mid October. They are held on the hour, with Thursday tours leaving from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Saturday tours from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Like most historic house tours, the building is not wheelchair accessible and would be difficult to navigate for those with limited mobility. No virtual tour is available at this time.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 10/10

Accessibility: 7/10



Location: 22 Bowman Ln, Dresden, ME 04342, USA