During the late eighteenth century, the Kennebunks emerged as a place of architectural distinction. The purpose of this exhibit was to document the significance of this relatively small area within the larger context of the colonial revival movement. The career of one of the principal figures in the revival, architect and historian William E. Barry, was of particular focus.

By the time of the Centennial celebration of America’s Independence in 1876 the United States was experiencing a Colonial Revival. There was a nostalgia for the past, and many Americans sought solace in the image of a more harmonious and homogeneous United States. The country had been urbanized and industrialized, its population expanded as a result of immigration and its political unity had been challenged. People embraced what they thought represented simpler and more serene times. Architecture, decorative arts, and landscape from the Colonial and Federal eras were of particular interest.

“Rusticators”, well-educated travelers and those retreating from the busy cities, found that the eighteenth-century port towns, including the Kennebunks, had retained their “enduring charm”. The classically proportioned Colonial (1700-1780) and Federal (1780-1820) buildings found in the Kennebunks provided inspiration for the newer turn-of-the-century creations.

This exhibit focused on Kennebunk antiquarian and architect William E. Barry. Barry loved the architecture of the area and spent countless hours sketching the grand structures built by the prosperous ship captains and merchants. Barry brought his knowledge of the Kennebunks’ Federal and Neoclassical homes with him to Boston firms, and, along with other prominent architects, developed a unique New England Colonial Revival style.

In 1874, Barry published Pen Sketches of Old Houses, which included many examples from the Kennebunks and southern Maine. Of particular interest were the Federal neoclassical houses, like those of his family members, which represent the area’s period of maritime prosperity. These stately Federal buildings provided the inspiration for the construction of new hotels, cottages, schools, and more.

Early American architecture and classical forms found their way into the gardens of the Colonial Revival era as well. Elaborate garden designs, garden structures, such as pergolas, and garden furniture became important to exterior living space. People retreating from the cities embraced nature and the outdoors.

Interior spaces were also included in this new aesthetic movement. Family heirlooms, once relegated to the attics became mixed with newly hand-crafted decorative arts and stylized fabrics and papers. Beautifully rendered hand-printed wallpapers, hand carved furniture and interior woodwork adorned Colonial Revival interior space. Featured in the interior scene in Enduring Charm is hand-printed wallpaper, reproduced and donated by the John R. Burrows & Company and a beautifully hand-carved mantel by William E. Barry.

During these days of “Grace and Leisure” of the Colonial Revival era artists, such as Abbott Graves, produced impressive works of art inspired by the landscape and architecture of the area. Works by Graves and Louis D. Norton were also displayed in the exhibit.