Name/Title
E.E. Shead House | 21 Middle Street, Eastport, Maine | I7-0D3-07 | District #26Entry/Object ID
026Description
This now three story wood framed house started out as a two story federal style hip roof house built in 1819 by Joshua Venzim. Venzim later moved to nearby Calais, Maine and held a position in the custom house there. Afterwards the house became the property of Jesse Gleason, a senior partner of the firm of Gleason & Houghton and prominent in town affairs. The house was transformed inside and outside into its current second empire style by the next owner of the house, Edward E. Shead. He added a third story with a dormer mansard roof in about 1875 that served as a ballroom. The house appears as a three story mansard roof building on the 1879 Bird's Eye View Map of Eastport. A two story bay window was added to the south side of the house at the same time. E.E. Shead was the senior partner of E.E. Shead drugstore. Since Shead owned the house, the house has been the home of the Elks fraternal lodge, the U.S.O. (United Service Organizations) during the Second World War, and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) after the Second World War. The house has had several rooms used as dance floors. A billiard room, projection room for movies and several kitchens at different levels were in use when Seabees from Camp Lee-Stephenson (Quoddy Village) in Eastport were in town to use the U.S.O.
From Eastport Walking Tour Brochure, 2010:
49) The E. E. Shead House corner of Middle and Key Streets, Second Empire style. E.E. Shead was the senior partner of E.E. Shead & Co. drug store, who also sold postcards, newspapers and souvenirs. E.E. Shead was also one of the primary movers behind Kilby's Eastport and Passamaquoddy being published. The house has been the home of the Elks, U.S.O. during WW II, and the VFW after WW II. The house has had several rooms used as dance floors, one of them on the third floor. A billiard room, projection room for movies and several kitchens at different levels were in use when Seabees from Camp Lee-Stephenson (Quoddy Village) were in town to use the U.S.O.
• From Eastport Sentinel, April 12, 1882, p.2, c.3-5:
Some old Eastport Houses.
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AND THEIR OCCUPANTS.—A FAMILIAR RETROSPECT.
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PART 3.
... The house on the corner of Middle street was built in 1819 by Josua Venzim who moved to Calais and held a position in the custom house there. Afterwards it became the property of Jesse Gleason. He was senior partner of the firm of Gleason & Houghton and a most useful citizen, prominent in the management of town affairs. The present owner, Edward E. Shead, has capped it with a mansard roof, and greatly improved its interior arrangements. Many old Eastport names have disappeared from the town, but here is preserved one most prominent in the early history of the place and our friend has the indisputable claim of belonging to one of the first families, for his grandfather, Col. Oliver Shead, built the first two story house, owned the first house, was the first coroner, the first post-master, the first representative to the legislature, and first colonel of the militia. In this house is preserved a lock of Gen. Washingtons hair. Mrs. Sheads grandfather, Gen. Peleg Wadsworth of Revolutionary memory, was a representative to congress at the time of the ex-presidents death, and the relic came from him. In connection with this house, I am reminded of one occasion when I was a most unfortunate victim of circumstance. In one of those hyper-economical spasms which at times break out in the management of town affairs, the regular appropriation for two watch was omitted and a constables watch took its place. My turn came to serve among the guardians of the night, and though my own witness, I will say we did our duty most faithfully. To be sure we had rather a luxuriant midnight repast at one of these hipped roof houses at the north-end, but we regularly paced the limits from the bridge at Shackfords cove to the bridge at Littles cove. There was one violator of the public peace whom we apprehended, and while bearing him to the cage at the poor `ouse, stopped on the latter bridge, and held an argument as to whether our authority would permit us to go further, so careful were we in matters of duty; but as I have said we kept faithful watch and and ward over the lives and fortunes of our sleeping fellow citizens until it got to be near break of day, when we decided that it was perfectly right and proper to go home and turn an, and were soon all asleep. Now what should this Gleason house do but get up a fire at this most unreasonable hour. It was not much of a conflagration but all the town ran to the spot, and the universal cry was, Where is the watch? who were on last night? and why did they not discover the fire? Of course this brought out the true state of the case and subjected us to some very uncomplimentary criticism.
