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AUGUSTA – The Colburn House State Historic Site in Pittston will be rehabilitated with help from a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service.
The NPS recently notified the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry that the grant was included in the $7 million NPS Semiquincentennial Grant Program, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Colburn House, built in 1765 and included in the National Register of Historic Places, is renowned for its ownership by the shipbuilder and friend of George Washington, Maj. Reuben Colburn. Colburn built the bateux Gen. Benedict Arnold’s troops used to travel up the Kennebec River on their march to Quebec in 1775.
One of 17 BPL-owned Historic Sites, interior tours of Colburn House have been closed to the public since 2019 because of the need for renovations.
“We’re grateful to NPS for helping DACF fund this important rehabilitation project that will ultimately allow us to reopen Colburn House and create rich visitor experiences,” said DACF Commissioner Amanda Beal. “The NPS grant highlights the important role of federal support in preserving Bureau of Parks and Lands Historic Sites and helping us continue to tell the important stories about the significance of these sites.”
The Maine Historic Preservation Commission for identified the NPS Semiquincentennial Grant Program and provided assistance and guidance throughout the application process, said Andy Cutko, BPS director.
Support for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program was also provided by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District, and Maine state Sen. Craig Hickman, D- Winthrop, and Rep. Jeffery Hanley, R-Pittston.
The NPS Sem-quincentennial Grant Program was created by Congress in 2020 and funded through the Historic Preservation Fund. The round of grants supports 17 cultural resource preservation projects across 12 states.
PHOTO: The Colburn House in Pittston (Submitted photo)
