Local Fun: Part 1: Visited the "Captains Christmas" Lord's Mansion in Kennebunkport, Maine

You'd likely be surprised at how many events there are in northern New England in the winter months, and one of them we enjoyed was the "Captains Christmas" in Kennebunkport, Maine. A little history: the town was an important shipping and shipbuilding center in the early 19th century, and those industries were virtually shut down by a British blockade during the War of 1812. Lord was a shipbuilder! Today's blog is Part 1 of our cool, historic holiday experience.

(Photo: Rob and Tom outside the Nathaniel Lord Mansion)

WHAT IS THE CAPTAINS CHRISTMAS? - 2024 marked the third year in a row for the Kennebunkport, Maine Captains Christmas. There are several historic homes, located close to each other that make up the "Captains Collection." These are all homes that were owned by Sea Captains back in the 1800s. After all, Kennebunkport is on the ocean. The Captains Christmas was centered around one of the mansions, which we will walk you through, and its associated carriage house which was filled with Christmas crafts. There were also heated outdoor "tents" we'll show you. Everything was nicely decorated for the holidays!

(Photo: Paintings of (L) Phoebe (Nathaniel's wife) and (R) Nathaniel Lord in the mansion today. Credit: R.G.)

WHO WAS NATHANIEL LORD? Captain Nathaniel Lord (1776-1815) was the son of Tobias Lord, a Revolutionary War veteran and later, a shipbuilder in Kennebunk. He followed his father’s footsteps and ran a shipyard, owning many ships and being one of the most prosperous merchants in the area. Nathaniel used his workers to build this house and its associated barn in 1812. 

(Photo: Nicely decorated entrance to the mansion. Credit: R.G.)

WHAT IS THE NATHANIEL LORD MANSION? The Captain Nathaniel Lord Mansion is a historic house at 6 Pleasant Street in the village center of Kennebunkport, Maine. It is a fine example of Federal period architecture. It remained in the same family until 1972. It is now a bed and breakfast called The Captain Lord Mansion, Inn Spa. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, according to the website "Historic Buildings of New England."

INSIDE THE MANSION - Rooms were tastefully decorated for Christmas with lit trees. The mansion has been beautifully restored, too. We noticed three floors of room for Bed and Breakfast tenants. 

On the first floor, there's a small gift shop, a big living room with lots of seats to relax and it has a working hearth! There's also a big kitchen with what appears to be an old hundred-plus year cast iron stove. 

(Photos: Hallway inside the main entrance and the Rob and Tom in the large living room with roaring fireplace in the background. Credit: R.G.) 

 When we walked into the kitchen to explore, we smelled cookies that were being freshly baked!      (Photo: The old cast-iron stove in the kitchen area. Credit: R.G.)

   

VIEW FROM ABOVE!  One of the Innkeepers realized we were tourists and allowed us to climb a back stairway that wound around and up 4 floors to a crow's nest overlook. The overlook was a small area in an octagon shape- about 10 feet in diameter. It provided at 365 degree view of Kennebunkport. On one side you could see the harbor.  

 I made a short video from the crow's nest so you can see where we were. Link: https://youtu.be/GMMZ_V_W2kQ?si=BrIFZb5yfZc7vvPk 

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Let's go back down the 4 flights with Tom (below)  and into tomorrow's blog that will take you to the Christmas part of the "Captains Christmas" 

 NEXT: The "Christmas Barn" and the Cool Outdoor "Tents"