Two historic homes Downeast have been on Maine Preservation's Most Endangered Historic Places List, with the McGlashan Nickerson House in Red Beach owned by the National Park Service (NPS) and the Chaloner/Cleaves house in Lubec owned by a reverse mortgage company. Both are in need of care, with Maine Preservation citing its concern that without the current owners actively pursuing transfer of ownership, the buildings could be lost.

Long term lessee sought
     The NPS has partnered with Maine Preservation to find a long term lessee for its property, and on August 6 the potential glory of the historic McGlashan Nickerson House was on full display during an open house meant to generate interest in becoming the next steward. Despite the house's faded exterior, over 36 interested people wandered the expansive rooms and dreamed aloud. The property is located next to the St. Croix Island International Historic Site and was used by the park for a number of years. However, with the construction of new facilities at the park, the grand old Italianite became excess property, with the NPS ready to take the building off its expense line.
     The NPS, with its partner Maine Preservation, has come up with a request for proposal that invites pragmatic dreamers, who've always wanted a grand old manse but do not necessarily have the deep pockets to purchase one, to consider taking on the property for up to a 60 year lease. The caveat is the need to keep the exterior up to national historic preservation standards since the building is on the national register.
     Jonathan Hall of Maine Preservation was on hand for the open house and was able to talk to a number of interested people. "When I walked inside, I thought, 'I could live in it as is,'" he remarked. He pointed out to a young man closely scrutinizing the barn that while the exterior needs a new roof and a fair amount of scraping, painting and wood repair, the house was eminently livable. Plenty of details remain with the kitchen featuring a slate sink, the pantry a dry sink and the second floor bathroom a tub and sink worthy of This Old House. The ceilings are high, even in the basement, and the windows tall. Despite trees near the property, the interior is light and welcoming.
     "It's a pretty rare scenario where you can live in a property for the rest or most of your life for no money down," says Maine Preservation President Greg Paxton. He's enthusiastic about the "homesteading" aspect of the proposal, similar in a way to the old federal programs that encouraged homesteaders to take a risk by going out west and improving land before they could gain title to it. While the next steward of the McGlashan Nickerson House wouldn't gain title and would have to abide by upkeep agreements, it could make a fine home. "A lot of the work the homeowner can do," he adds, while some would need to be done by professionals. Proposals are due by October 10, 2021, says St. Croix Island Site Manager Meg Scheid. Information about the property can be found at this website.

Cleaves Tavern in limbo
     Over in Lubec another historic property is not shining so brightly with possibilities. The Chaloner House at 3 Pleasant Street, known by some as Cleaves Tavern, is loved by Lubec residents and is possibly the oldest standing residence in the community. It is on Maine Preservation's most endangered list, and with good reason. While the previous owner, Norma Harrop, had loved the house dearly and owned it since 1971, in 2007 she took out a reverse mortgage to help pay her bills. After a long and fruitful life, Harrop passed away in 2019. Unfortunately, the reverse mortgage, purchased before the financial crash of 2008, has left behind a state of limbo.
     "You'd think they'd want to sell it even if it means a loss," says Roger Quirk, a Lubec resident and member of the Lubec Historical Society. His family has been in Lubec since 1845 when they came over from Ireland to escape the potato famine. "The house is in a condition that in another few years it won't make it," he adds.
     The house, which was built around 1818, was constructed as a long saltbox near the Lubec waterfront. Maine Preservation notes that its timber-frame structure is unusual for a floor plan that features two primary entrances and three formal front rooms on each floor -- unlike the vast majority of Federal era houses. The nonprofit states that the floor plan and historic evidence strongly suggest that the house provided living quarters for a family as well as somewhat separate, and significantly less formal, facilities for boarders. The Chaloner House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The importance of the house to the region is stressed as expanding "our conceptions of the living arrangements of 19th century residents of Maine," and it represents a regionally rare property type.
     Quirk is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to save the property from further decline. He has contacted NOVAD Management Company, the name given to him by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services as the building's ownership contact when Harrop entered a nursing home and her possessions were removed from the house. Quirk has spoken with Maine Preservation and Hugh French, director of The Tides Institute & Museum of Art, contacted Rep. Will Tuell and Senator Susan Collins and has called the management company numerous times with no response. Currently a new management company has a sign on the front door, and it is unclear whether NOVAD is still involved with the property.
     "It's a bit of a dilemma," says Maine Preservation's Paxton. The situation could prove very difficult given that the reverse mortgage was purchased in 2007 when values were at a peak, mortgages were being bundled for sale by financial institutions and then the crash of 2008 created chaos with bank failures. "It's very frustrating. Properties just sit, yet no one is taking responsibility." He adds, "It can be difficult to get a hold of these financial institutions; it can be hard to know or find out" who the actual owner is because of the way that mortgages were bundled together and sold many times. He explains that while he doesn't know the exact situation, if the reverse mortgage amount is valued at more than the property is worth, then the mortgage holder would take a loss to sell it, which becomes a part of the company's internal politics and discussions to figure out how to take that loss.
     A number of people have expressed interest in the property. While it has a no nonsense starkness to its exterior, Quirk remembers the interior as grand, with a double staircase that meets on the second floor and over 20 rooms. People would come and go. It was very busy and happy, he says, reminiscing about how Harrop would hold gatherings in the backyard, grilling hot dogs and pouring wine.
     Georgie Kendall, a realtor with Realty of Maine, says that she's had some interest in the property, with one buyer in particular. "As a real estate agent with strong ties to way Downeast Maine living on one of the oldest houses in Perry in a fifth-generation farmstead, I am one who loves old homes and my buyers who love them, too. It's important to me that we do our best to keep our historic properties in good hands for the future."
     The housing market in Washington County has exploded in a way she's never seen before, says Kendall. Buyers from all over the country are flocking to eastern Maine. "Not only do they want to retire here or have a second home, but they are considering homesteading and moving here to live away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded metropolitan areas." She points out that many of these buyers are interested in historic homes, older homes and fixer uppers. "Washington County has more older homes than perhaps any county in New England and many in disrepair that need attention before we lose them." However, she explains that many of these houses have fallen into foreclosure. She explains, "It is often difficult to connect with mortgage and management companies to find out who to talk to about getting access to the property or who to talk to about submitting an offer prior to it going into foreclosure or to auction."
     Quirk is beginning to think that a lawyer interested in donating some time may be needed to help understand the stumbling blocks or outright challenges to getting the Chaloner House on the market so that a buyer can sweep in and get started before the building's decline becomes too much of a liability. "The bottom line is that no one can do anything until the company puts it out for sale." The building is so much a part of the town's history and roots, he adds, "When it's gone, it can't be replaced. It's really worth fighting for. It's one of the most important buildings in the town right up there with McCurdy's Smokehouse and the lighthouse."