City: Portland, ME

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (207) 774-6177

Address: 1270 Westbrook Street

Description: In 1751 Captain George Tate arrived in Portland with his wife and four sons to accept a position as the mast agent for the Royal Navy of King George II. This basically meant that Tate was in charge of finding lumber to build ship’s masts for the British navy—simple enough in theory, but a tough haul when the town you live in wants nothing to do with the British and even less to do with their military.Despite ominous political tides, Tate built his Georgian-style home in the Stroudwater neighborhood of Portland in 1755. Today, the Tate House is the only remaining colonial home in Portland open to the public and stands as a solemn testament to the ill-fated dreams of Captain Tate. After arriving in Portland, Tate’s luck took a turn for the worse. His wife died mysteriously, his fortunes deteriorated, and local distaste for the British mast trade was one of the reasons Portland was burned to the ground by the British in 1775.Still, swing by the Tate House for a glimpse into happier times before all of that mess with the British. Thanks to the preservation efforts of the Maine branch of the Colonial Dames of America, the group that now manages the museum, the home’s interior has been carefully re-created in keeping with the way a prominent Portlander like Tate might have lived during the last half of the 18th century. The Tate House Museum is open for tours from June through early October, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $2 for children under 12, and free for kids under 6. The Tate House Museum has “Herb Garden Days” every Wednesday during the summer season. Guided tours of the home’s herb garden, with plants used by colonists in pre-Revolutionary Maine, provide information about the herbs’ medicinal, culinary, and cosmetic uses. Call the Tate House for details.