Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in York (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Cape Neddick Light, Old York Gaol, and Sayward-Wheeler House. Also, be sure to include Old Schoolhouse in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in York (Maine).
Table of Contents
Cape Neddick Light
Lighthouse in York, Maine. The Cape Neddick Light is a lighthouse in Cape Neddick, York, Maine. In 1874 Congress appropriated $15,000 to build a light station at the "Nubble" and in 1879 construction began. Cape Neddick Light Station was dedicated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service and put into use in 1879. It is still in use today.
Plans had been in the works to build a lighthouse on the site since 1837. The tower is lined with brick and sheathed with cast iron. It stands 41 feet (12 m) tall but the light is 88 feet (27 m) above sea level because of the additional height of the steep rocky islet on which it sits. Unusually, the stanchions of the walkway railing around the lantern room are decorated with 4-inch (100 mm) brass replicas of the lighthouse itself.[1]
Address: Sohier Park, 03909 York
Old York Gaol
Building. The Old York Gaol is a former colonial prison at Lindsay Road and Main Street in York, Maine. Its oldest portion dating to about 1720, it is one of the oldest prison buildings in the United States, and one of the oldest public buildings in the state of Maine. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. It is owned by the Museums of Old York and is open for tours between May and October.[2]
Address: 4 Lindsay Rd, York
Sayward-Wheeler House
Museum in York, Maine. The Sayward-Wheeler House is an American historic house museum in York Harbor, Maine. It was built about 1718, and overlooks the York River. it was the home of Jonathan Sayward, a local merchant and civic leader, who remodeled and furnished the house in the 1760s according to his own conservative taste.
Sayward participated in the 1745 siege of the French fortress at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, served in the Massachusetts legislature, and, despite outspoken Tory views, retained the respect of his neighbors during the American Revolution.
After his death, his heirs made few changes to the house. In part, this was due to the depressed economy following Thomas Jefferson's trade embargo of 1807, but the family's reverence for its founding patriarch was an equally important factor in preservation. As early as the 1860s, Sayward's descendants opened the house to visitors to show how their forebears had lived in bygone colonial days.
In the early 20th century, the house was refurbished for use as a summer residence, with new wallpaper and white-painted woodwork, but the original furnishings and family portraits remained in place. Today, the house is owned and operated as a historic house museum by Historic New England.[3]
Address: 9 Barrell Ln Exd, 03911 York Harbor
Old Schoolhouse
Historical landmark in York, Maine. The Old Schoolhouse, also known as the York Corner Schoolhouse, is an historic one-room school building on the grounds of the Old York Historical Society at York and Lindsay Streets in York, Maine. Built in 1755, it is one of the oldest surviving schoolhouses in all of New England. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[4]
John Hancock Warehouse
Warehouse in York, Maine. The John Hancock Warehouse is a historic warehouse at 136 Lindsay Street in York, Maine. Built in the 18th century, the small warehouse is notable for its association with Massachusetts politician John Hancock. It is the oldest known commercial structure in the state of Maine. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1969. It is now a museum property owned by Museums of Old York.[5]
Address: 136 Lindsay Rd, 03909-1038 York
Boon Island Light
Lighthouse in York County, Maine. Boon Island Light is located on the 300-by-700-foot Boon Island off the southern coast of Maine, United States, near Cape Neddick. Boon Island Light has the distinction of being the tallest lighthouse in both Maine and New England at 133 feet. The lighthouse has a focal plane at 137 feet above mean high water. The light's beacon flashes white every 5 seconds.[6]
Elizabeth Perkins House
Museum
Address: 394 Southside Rd, 03909 York
Conant-Sawyer Cottage
Summer house in York, Maine. The Conant-Sawyer House is a historic summer house at 14 Kendall Road in York Beach, Maine. Built in 1877 and enlarged in 1896, it is a well-preserved example of a late 19th-century upper middle-class summer house. Its notable owners include Sumner Wallace, a shoe manufacturer from Rochester, New Hampshire, and Charles Henry Sawyer, Governor of New Hampshire. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.[7]
Hawkes Pharmacy
The Hawkes Pharmacy, also known recently as the Rockaway Hotel, is a historic commercial building at 7 Main Street in York Beach, Maine. Built in 1902, it is the commercial building in the village of York Beach to retain significant historic features. The Tudor Revival building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[8]
Pebbledene
Pebbledene is a historic house at 99 Freeman Street in the York Beach area of York, Maine. Built in 1896, this Queen Anne/Shingle style house was the last large-scale summer house built in the area. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[9]
John Sedgley Homestead
Building in York County, Maine. The John Sedgley Homestead is a historic homestead property at Scituate and Chases Pond Road in the York Corner area of York, Maine. Its oldest structure built in the late First Period, probably c. 1715, it is the oldest homestead in the State of Maine that is still in its original setting. Historically the homestead included a cape, farm home, carriage house, stables building, two outbuildings, and a large land holding, all of which is still existing today. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[10]