Name/Title
Deering MansionEntry/Object ID
2023.21.1Description
Photograph of the Deering Mansion, circa 1930s, taken by Frank Cutter Deering (1866-1939). In the foreground is "Hartley Field."
The Deering Mansion was built in 1870 for Joseph Godfrey Deering (1816-1892) from Waterboro. Deering owned a grocery store on Main Street and later purchased a sawmill on Spring's Island. At the same location he also purchased Seth Spring's Tavern, the historical house where General Marquis de Lafayette stayed in 1825, and grew his lumber business (where Deering Lumber stands today). Three generations of Deerings lived in the mansion, including Joseph's son Frank Cutter and his grandson, Joseph Godfrey II (1894-1987). Along with the family lumber business, the Deerings were also noted for their civic and financial contributions to the city of Saco and as leaders of the York National Bank. In 1955, the mansion was turned over to the Dyer Library Association as a gift from Joseph Godfrey Deering II (a noted bibliophile) and his sister, Annie Katherine Deering. The mansion has gone through several renovations and include notable features by Portland architect John Calvin Stevens and Saco architect Joseph Stickney.
"Hartley Field," where the parking lot and the Saco Museum stand today, stretched across the street from the Hartley House (also known as the Coit House) owned by Captain Samuel Hartley. The field went beyond the bounds of C.K. Burns and ended at Winter Street.