WMHS History students studied Damariscotta’s famous Chapman-Hall House in 1754 on October  8th to gain a deeper historical appreciation for Maine’s colonial history.

The colonial lifestyle and economic development were examined in the mid-coast region of Maine. Isabella D’Angelo, an AP United States History student, was fascinated by how the living style of English settlers shared similarities with tasks we perform today. She said, “Ventured out to the Chapman-Hall House of Damariscotta. It exemplifies lots of midcoast history and cultural practices of the time period. I personally appreciated the colonial open fireplace wrought-iron toaster.”

Wiscasset American History and AP United States History students studied English colonial history by touring the Chapman-Hall House led by Louise Miller, Lincoln County Historical Association. Alex Marshall, an AP United States History student, learned about colonial baking with a brick chimney, “The mothers who lived in that house would put their arm in the oven for thirty seconds to see if it was hot enough. If she was unable to keep it in for the full thirty seconds, it meant it was too hot. If she could hold it for more than thirty seconds, it meant she needed to wait longer to bake pies and potatoes.”

Aubryana Chadwick was equally impressed and surprised by the similarities of everyday life during the colonial period: “I had the opportunity to learn about unique ways that they lived, such as the toaster. You would stick your bread into the holder next to the fire; when you wanted to toast the other side, you would simply kick the turning holder to flip it around. I would have never thought they essentially had a downscaled toaster from what we have in modern day.”

The Chapman-Hall House is a historic house museum in Damariscotta, Maine, built in 1754 by one of the area's first permanent English settlers. It is the oldest standing house in Damariscotta and one of the oldest in the state of Maine.