Nickels-Sortwell House
Located on Wiscasset's Main Street, Nickels-Sortwell House is one of the region's finest examples of high Federal-style architecture. Built by successful ship owner Captain William Nickels, the house epitomizes the brief period when shipbuilding and the maritime trade brought wealth and sophisticated tastes to this coastal Maine village.
Jefferson's Embargo of 1807 devastated the town of Wiscasset, sending it into an economic decline that would last for years. The Nickels family was forced to sell the mansion in 1814, and for much of the nineteenth century it served as a hotel, catering to the growing number of summer visitors to Maine's coast.
In 1899, the house was purchased by industrialist and banker Alvin Sortwell, the former mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Sortwell family had Wiscasset roots reaching back to the early eighteenth century. They lovingly restored the house over a period of years and decorated it in the Colonial Revival style with fine antique furnishings.
Open
Friday – Sunday, June 1 – October 15
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tours every half hour. Last tour at 4:00 p.m.
The Nickels-Sortwell House is a Historic New England property.
Top photo: Nickels-Sortwell House - In 1807, Captain William Nickels built a grand, high Federal style mansion on Main Street in Wiscasset. It was to be a public trophy proclaiming his prosperity. A very successful ship captain originally from nearby Bristol, Maine, Nickels was building at a time when Wiscasset was a busy, wealthy, and sophisticated shipping town. From his new home, Nickels could look out at twelve of his own large ships in the river.
Bottom photo: Upstairs hallway - The Northeast bedroom has a wonderful view of the Sheepscot River. This was Marion Sortwell Warland’s room. Marion was Gertrude and Alvin’s daughter. The furniture is a collection of nineteenth century stencil-painted pieces with a Colonial style desk and dresser.