Located at 40 Hawthorne Road in
Raymond, The Hawthorne House is suitable for future use by the public for a
variety of functions.
Historically the Hawthorne
House has functioned as a quasi-museum, however since in the late 1880s the
interior was largely removed, and it became a large open interior space with
historical significance as the childhood home of Hawthorne, who gained
everlasting fame in American literature for his novels The Scarlet Letter and
The House of the Seven Gables. The board overseeing the restoration project of
the landmark structured has determined the house is best served for small
meetings for local organizations.
“Although the Hawthorne House
is a historical landmark and is open to all we are limiting our ‘approach’
as a community center predominantly for organizations in Raymond and Windham,”
said Tom Ewig, a Hawthorne Community Association board member.
Ewig said with the renovation
work performed on The Hawthorne House, the board has taken a shell of a
structure and is trying to make it more relevant to the local area.
“The whole point of our efforts, which have included almost $100,000 of renovations to the foundation/exterior and interior, is to make the building more relevant to our neighbors as a place for meetings and functions instead of it remaining largely unused for much of the year,” he said. “We want our neighbors to know where we are, what we are, and how they can use this great and historical house for their particular needs, for small meetings, as an organization headquarters, for art or photography exhibitions, special functions, and many other uses.”
According to Ewig, the availability
of The Hawthorne House in Raymond as a gathering spot is a great local
resource.
“We want the community to
enjoy the building and make broader use of it. We have already booked a number
of functions and have a calendar on our website where we can accept
bookings,” he said. “The Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce will have
their April Business Break here. The Raymond Waterways Association will
have their annual meeting here and we have an individual who will be
celebrating a family member’s 100th birthday here just to get us started. More
to come.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on
July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, a descendant of William Hathorne, a
Puritan who emigrated with his family from England to the Massachusetts Bay
Colony. Hawthorne’s grandfather, John Hathorne, was a judge who presided over
some of the Salem Witch Trials.
Hawthorne’s mother was widowed
when he was age 4 and after living for 10 years with relatives in Salem, the
family moved to a home near Sebago Lake in Raymond built for them by
Hawthorne’s uncles Richard and Robert Manning. He lived there with his family
until being sent to boarding school in 1819, but later in life, Hawthorne said
that the time he spent at that home in Raymond was the happiest period of his
life.
Currently the availability of
space for private functions within the Raymond and Windham areas is rather
limited, and it’s believed the addition of The Hawthorne House to the mix will
broaden that footprint.
Further renovation work is
planned and volunteers plan to add outdoor seating and picnic tables so in the
summer months any overflow guests from events can be accommodated there.
The board of 12 volunteers for
The Hawthorne House conceived a plan to bring a 19th century house in poor
shape back to life and of significance in the 21st century while moving the
project from a vision to a reality.
“We have had a very gratifying
response to our capital campaign and have increased our membership to almost
100 from some 20 or 30 one year ago,” Ewig said. “We will launch a second
capital campaign shortly which we hope will then cover all costs of renovation
and give us a showcase building to serve the community for years to come.”
To learn more about The
Hawthorne House, to become a member or to book a reservation, visit
www.Hawthorneassoc.com or find them on Facebook under Nathaniel Hawthorne
House. <
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