NSHS seeks support for Clase house restoration

New Sweden Historical Society Members and Friends

Thanks to the generosity of James and Lynn Silcox, the New Sweden Historical Society is now the proud owner of the Capt. Clase House on Station Rd. in New Sweden.

Located just down the hill from the New Sweden Museum, this house, one of the first colony log cabins, was owned by Capt. Nicolas P. Clase.  Clase was a member of the first group of Swedish immigrants who arrived in New Sweden in July of 1870.  His infant daughter, Hilma, died on the journey and was the first Swede to be buried in New Sweden.  As one of the few colonists who spoke English, Capt. Clase was put in charge of keeping accounts at the colony storehouse.  He was also appointed as the local agent to smooth the process of Swedish immigration to Maine, and served as New Sweden’s first postmaster.

Thanks to the Silcox family, acquiring this historic property was the easy part.  Now we need your help.  The house itself has been vacant for many years and is in pretty rough shape.  The bones of the house are solid but the leaky roof, crumbling plaster walls and ceilings, loose stones in the foundation, and much more need work before we can open the house to the public.  Our goal is to restore the house (both inside and out) to how it would have looked in the late 1800’s.

We have already done two things to stabilize the structure for the winter:   a temporary patch was put over a hole in the roof, and Carl Soderberg Construction donated time and heavy equipment to take down the partially collapsed summer kitchen addition. 

Come spring of 2009 we will begin the restoration project.  If you enjoy working on old houses, don’t mind getting really dirty, and/or are willing to donate your time or special skills to the project, contact me and we will add you to our volunteer worker list.  We will contact you once we’ve established a work schedule.

We will also be seeking grant money to fund the restoration project, but these types of grants often require a cash match (usually 50/50).  A tax-deductible donation to the Clase House Restoration Fund (c/o New Sweden Historical Society, Box 33, New Sweden, ME 04762) will help us save and preserve this once-beautiful home that is an important link to the Colony’s past.

Thank you for your continuing interest in and support of the New Sweden Historical Society.

Sincerely,
Debbie Eustis-Grandy
President, New Sweden Historical Society lakka@atiwi.com or 207-896-5240

  November, 2008, before removal of the summer kitchen