Raventhorp is a historic summerhouse in

Southwest Harbor, Maine Southwest Harbor is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. Located on Mount Desert Island, the population was 1,756 at the 2020 census. The municipality contains within it the villages of Southwest Harbor, Manset, Seawall, Wonderlan ...

. It is prominently situated at the northern tip of Greening Island, which is set at the mouth of Somes Sound, the inlet dividing

Mount Desert Island Mount Desert Island (MDI; french: Île des Monts Déserts) in Hancock County, Maine, Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the List of islands of the United States by area, 52nd-largest islan ...

, between the villages of Southwest Harbor and

Northeast Harbor Northeast Harbor is a village on Mount Desert Island, located in the town of Mount Desert, Maine, Mount Desert in Hancock County, Maine, Hancock County, Maine, United States. The original settlers, the Someses and Richardsons, arrived around ...

. It was designed by the partnership of

Fred L. Savage Frederick Lincoln Savage (November 14, 1861 – February 26, 1924) was an American architect, known as Mount Desert Island's most prolific native architect. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he designed over 300 cottages on the islan ...

and Milton W. Stratton and built in 1895 for Joseph Gilbert Thorp and Anne Longfellow Thorp. The Shingle style house is an important surviving example of this collaboration, and was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1988.

Description and history

Greening Island is located off the southern coast of

roughly midway between the villages of Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor at the mouth of

Somes Sound Somes Sound is a fjard, a body of water running deep into Mount Desert Island, the main site of Acadia National Park in Maine, United States. Its deepest point is approximately , and it is over deep in several places. The sound almost splits the ...

, a long narrow inlet that divides Mount Desert Island into two large lobes. Raventhorp is located on of land at the northern tip of the island. The main house is set very near the tip, facing north. It is a large -story Shingle style structure, with a wraparound porch that has sunrooms enclosed in glass at its eastern and western ends. The porch has a shallow hip roof supported by clusters (twos and threes) of square columns. The main block of the house has a variety of gables, projections, and recessed sections typical of the Shingle style. The eastern facade has a prominent high rubble-stone foundation, and a projecting polygonal bay that rises through the main roof to a turreted roof of its own. The interior features extensive original woodwork, from paneling in the public spaces to cabinetry in the kitchen. Raventhorp is a significant surviving example of the collaboration of architects

and Milton W. Stratton. Savage was a well-known architect based primarily in

Bar Harbor Bar Harbor is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. During the summer and fall seasons, it is a popular tourist destination and, until a catastrophic fire i ...

who executed a number of designs for summer cottages and hotels on Mount Desert Island. From 1892 to 1898 he partnered with Stratton, about whom little is known. This summer house was built in 1895 for Joseph Gilbert Thorp and Anne Longfellow Thorp, he a prominent Boston lawyer and she the daughter of poet

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tra ...

. The house remained in the Thorp family until 1981.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Houses completed in 1895 Houses in Hancock County, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Hancock County, Maine

Description and history

See also

References