Name/Title
Ruggles House | 146 Main Street, Columbia Falls, MaineDescription
Built:1818
Address:
146 Main Street
Columbia Falls, Maine
National Register
From Sunrise County Architecture (2nd revised and enlarged edition) 1996, p.81:
THOMAS RUGGLES HOUSE
Thomas Ruggles came to Columbia Falls in 1770 from Rochester, Massachusetts, and eventually became the largest owner of timberland in the area. He also owned a saw mill, was the postmaster, general store keeper, shipbuilder and Chief Justice of the Court of Sessions at Machias. Judge Ruggles brought Aaron Sherman and Alva Peterson from Duxbury, Massachusetts to build his house for him; Mr. Sherman was the master builder. There are two theories as to who was responsible for the elaborate woodwork, one being that Judge Ruggles hired a fine wood carver from England, and the other more feasible explanation that Alva Peterson, a master craftsman and ship carpenter, completed the intricate molding and woodwork on the interior and exterior of the house. This Federal style home is only one room deep. It was completed in 1820, and originally had an ell on the back of the house which was removed in 1938 due to its poor condition. Judge Ruggles died soon after the completion of his residence. The house is know for its flying staircase and the fine wood carving, and has a semielliptical fanlight crowning the doorway. The Ruggles House is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is open to the public as a museum. The Ruggles House Society of Bar Harbor was formed in 1949 to restore the house and open it to public display. It is open all summer. DH, AFN, JCB