Historic New England: Marrett House

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A black, white, and light blue striped header image reading Historic New England: Marrett House

On my sixth and final stop of my tour of Maine, I visited Marrett House in Standish, operated by our favorite old house tour organization, Historic New England (HNE). This sprawling home, now on the National Register of Historic Places, is named for its second set of residents, the Marrett family. The father, Daniel Marrett, became the underpaid minister of the local church in 1796 and had better luck managing an apple orchard. When he was not giving sermons or grafting trees, Daniel raised six children with his first wife, Mary. After she died young, he remarried to Dorcas Hastings and had another eight children. The house must have been incredibly crowded.

A panorama of the full Marrett House. The main house is on the right, then an attached smaller house, then a hall, and then a barn.  Three-quarters view of a whitewashed three-story house with a substantial two-story addition on the back including a porch. A bush with light pink and white flowers. The whitewashed house viewed from behind the white picket fence and standing in the garden. A flowering bush is to the left, and a large tree grows in front of the house. A red building with in two parts. A long section with small windows is to the left, and a shorter section with larger windows is in front. A black and blue sign reading Marrett House 1789 with the Historic New England logo on the lower right A white picket fence along an English garden. The back of the white house showing wear the main house and an addition join together at a right angle. The buildings have many windows. A metal sculpture of a bow and arrow on a metal post in a garden. A fuzzy bee on purple and white hydrangeas. View of the garden and white picket fence from a mid-18th century second story window.

Remarkably, considering the number of people involved, the house passed smoothly from one generation to the next. Daniel and Dorcas’ third son, Avery, inherited the house and orchard, turning the operation into a profitable business. The orchard’s specialty was Baldwin apples, an American heritage fruit popularized by Loammi Baldwin, second cousin to better known apple promoter Johnny Appleseed. With the money made off this apple and others, Avery greatly expanded the family homestead, something he likely wished had happened during his childhood. When he married Elizabeth Weston in 1847, he used the parlor of the updated home for the ceremony. Except for nearly unnoticeable repairs to the corner of the room after the house was struck by a car in 2012, the room has never been redecorated.

A grandfather clock with a moon above the clock face. A wooden couch with brown upholstery covered with pink pillows next to a wooden footrest with a green pillow A windmill watercolor painting hung on a wall. An 18th century parlor with yellow damask wallpaper, oil paintings, and wooden furniture with red upholstery and tablecloths. Gray and white swirling wallpaper with a metallic glow. Photo album showing eight members of the Marrett family from the late 19th or early 20th century. A wooden nightstand holding a matching blue porcelain wash set decorated with realistic daisies. A 19th century wooden bureau light by the afternoon sun. A painting of the nearby river hangs over the bureau. A wooden writing desk with a matching ladies chair. The back of the chair is over a corner instead of over a side. A writing desk with a matching chair. Early 20th century eyeglasses in a case reading MONTGOMERY FROST CO. BOSTON A ceramic pitcher in a matching bowl with blue and gold floral decorations on a cream base. A wash set with a light blue, paisley design set on a wooden nightstand.

This preservation is thanks in part to Avery’s daughters. Caroline Marrett managed the house and orchard, using her membership with the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, the precursor to HNE, to organize and preserve the house. Helen and Frances entered the field of education. Helen became Precepter of Gorham Academy, now a campus of University of Southern Maine. Frances taught at Perkins School for the Blind along with her best friend Sarah Lilley at the time when Helen Keller was a student. In 1930, another sister, Mary, moved back into the house. By 1944, all four of the Marrett sisters had passed away. The Marrett House became an HNE museum, with Sarah acting as caretaker and tour guide.

A pamphlet titled Houses Owned by The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, with photos of historic houses and a paragraph of information. A beige rocking horse with real horse hair for the mane and tail. A cutout metal sign reading Baldwin Apples from Marrett Farm Standish Maine USA A set of hardcover books set vertically on a bureau A set of letters from Helen Keller. An 18th century canopy bed with white fabric. Yet another wooden writing desk, this one with extra drawers and a mirror on the wall behind it. A classic 18th century fireplace with decorative lamps on the mantel and a painting hung on the wall above it.

The Marrett House is open less often than some other HNE properties, with tours on the first and third Saturdays starting with HNE’s open house in June and closing in mid October. Tours are on the hour from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tickets are standard HNE pricing: $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $7 for students, $6 for children, and free for HNE members (like me!). The house is not accessible by wheelchair, and the stairs might be too steep for people with low mobility. Marrett House does not have an online virtual tour at this time.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 7/10



Location: ME-25, Standish, ME 04084, USA