The Blaine House is a historic home was built in 1833 by James Hall, a retired ship?s captain. The home became the residence of James G. Blaine after a purchase was made in 1862. It was said that the house was meant as a present for his wife, the former Harriet Stanwood, a descendant of a prominent family called the Augusta.
In 1919, the Blaine House was donated by Harriet Blaine Beale to the State of Maine for a governor?s residence. Then, in 1920, the first chief executive to live in the historic house was Governor Carl E. Miliken. According to historical documents, the first governor commissioned an architectural firm to design the grounds of the Blaine house.
Now, the Blaine House is home to the current Governor Paul R. LePage and First Lady Ann LePage, the 70th first family in the State of Maine. The first family raised five adult children: Lisa, Lindsay, Paul, Lauren, and Devon. The Governor and the first lady are also grandparents to two grandchildren, Nicholas and Olivia.
Despite being a residence of the present government official and his family, the Blaine House is still considered a public building. The basic upkeep is tended by the State Government; however, funding is still needed from other agencies to restore and maintain its original architecture.
In 1989, former Governor McKrnan and his wife, U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe, started a restoration program and formed a Friends of the Blaine House to provide improvements and enhance and protect the beauty of the Blaine House. The organization is currently seeking members to support their cause, their activities, and have more manpower in restoring the Game Room, renewing fabrics and carpets, running internship programs, maintaining exhibit art works by Maine artists, keeping historical documents and searching for artifacts in relation to the Blaine House.
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