Conway House (Camden, Maine)
Encyclopedia
Conway House is an historic house and museum in Camden, Maine
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1969.
quartermaster
William Conway
. By 1961, the property was in rundown and was purchased by Ambrose Cramer and donated to the Camden-Rockport Historical Society, who subsequently restored and furnished the building with 18th and early 19th century items. It was opened to the public as a museum in 1962. The Camden Garden Club landscaped the property and restored the plants common to the area prior to 1860.
shop, a maple sugaring house, and an education center.
Camden, Maine
Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine...
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1969.
History
Conway House was built around 1770 by Robert Thorndike, the first White settler in Camden. Thorndike's son Robert Jr. was born in the house in 1773, who was one of the first White children born in the area. He bought the lot for $65 and lived in the home until 1825, when Frederick Conway bought the home. It stayed in the Conway family until 1916. It was the home US NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
William Conway
William Conway (U.S. Navy)
William Conway was a United States Navy quartermaster born in Camden, Maine. At the surrender of Pensacola Navy Yard to the rebels on January 12, 1861, Confederate Lieutenant Frederick B. Kinshaw ordered Conway to lower the American flag...
. By 1961, the property was in rundown and was purchased by Ambrose Cramer and donated to the Camden-Rockport Historical Society, who subsequently restored and furnished the building with 18th and early 19th century items. It was opened to the public as a museum in 1962. The Camden Garden Club landscaped the property and restored the plants common to the area prior to 1860.
Conway Homestead & Cramer Museum
Today the Camden-Rockport Historical Society operates the museum as the Conway Homestead & Cramer Museum. The property includes the Conway House, the Cramer Museum with displays from the Society's collections of local historic artifacts, a barn with a display of carriages, sleighs and tools, a blacksmithBlacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop, a maple sugaring house, and an education center.
External links
- Camden-Rockport Historical Society - official site