Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The Wedding Cake House

The Wedding Cake house located in Kennebunk, Maine is by far the most photographed house in all of Maine.

It was built for his wife, Jane, by George W Bourne, a ship builder, using only hand tools in 1852. The work was completed shortly before his death.

According to legend, the carving was done during the lonely hours aboard ship by a recently married sea captain who had had to leave his bride before he even had time to eat his wedding cake.

At one time, the barn, connected to the house by a shed, caught on fire. The barn and shed were torn down by fire fighters in order to save the house. The barn and shed were reconstructed by Bourne, who had been to Europe and admired the Cathedral of Milan. The barn and shed were built in that fashion. The Federal styled house was soon to be Gothic style. He then added unifying designs to the house to marry the both styles together.

Unfortunately, over time, the trees have grown to obscure the house. To see more detail, click on the photos.

4 comments:

Jason Collin Photography said...

Thanks for the history on this house...sounds like an interesting place...and tasty too!

Unknown said...

Thank you, Jason. I wish those trees weren't in the way. It's so beautiful.

Jim S. said...

Neat place with an interesting story. Seems like you really got around with your camera and enjoyed your trip.

Unknown said...

I sure did, Jim. We went everywhere for 4 days and I just kept shooting and shooting. I'm paying for it now, though. I'm still editing. LOL

Thanks for your comment.