Our Perkins House is part of the 2026 Castine House & Garden tour organized by the Castine Historical Society!
The tour features beautiful homes and gracious gardens in the scenic village of Castine and will take place from 10 am to 4 pm rain or shine. To learn more about the House & Garden Tour and to purchase tickets, visit the Castine Historical Society’s website.
The John & Phebe Perkins House was built beginning in 1765 as a one-story “cape”-style house on what is now Court Street but was then woods and meadows. John and Phebe, both from York, Maine, began their married life here. They had few neighbors; there were only six other houses on the Castine peninsula in 1774, and three of these were log cabins. As the Perkins family grew and prospered, a four-room two story Georgian-style addition was built. The house was enlarged again around 1783 - the original one-story section being rebuilt as a two-story ell. This home was dismantled in the late 1960’s and reassembled (with some modifications) on the campus of the Wilson Museum. The Perkins House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, one of the first in Hancock County. Visitors are welcome to explore both floors of the house and learn more about colonial foodways in the reconstructed kitchen.
Start of a Perkins House tour at the museum
With colonial history dating back to the 1600’s, Castine has been home to many: Native Americans, French, Dutch, English and Colonial Americans. Castine is named after Baron Jean Vincent de Saint Castin, a French nobleman and officer. Its strategic peninsula location at the mouth of the Penobscot River made it highly desirable. The town once served as the seat of Hancock County, a merchant port for coast trading, and a center for shipbuilding.
With growth and prosperity during the 19th century, grand Federal Georgian, Greek Revival and Victorian style homes were built. These stately homes along with charming summer cottages still grace the shade elm-lined streets.
Castine was rated #1 Best Small Town in the Northeast by USA Today and received recognition as one of the Best Historic Towns and one of the Best Coastal Towns in the US. Castine ranked as Best Small Town in Northeast through USA Today Top 10. We hope you will join us!
To purchase your tickets, please use this link or contact CHS at info@castinehistoricalsociety.org or by calling (207) 326-4118.