A Guide to Maine Museums

Montpelier - General Henry Knox Museum

The General Henry Knox Museum is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the life and home of General Knox and his family, and providing educational community events. The Museum is located at the junction of Routes 1 & 131, on 30 High St. in Thomaston, Maine.

General Henry Knox was born in 1750. In 1775, General George Washington chose Knox as his Chief of Artillery. Knox spent most of the Revolutionary War by Washington’s side and following the war, he was chosen to be the first Secretary of War. Knox and Washington became and remained lifelong friends. In 1795, Knox retired to a large tract of land, located in what is now Thomaston, which his wife had inherited from her mother. On this land, they built an elaborate nineteen-room mansion and named it Montpelier. Knox had a hand in much of the area’s economic development: He shipped timber, made bricks, participated in agriculture, built a lock and canal system on the Georges River, built roads, helped found a church, and quarried lime. A true extrovert, he once welcomed over 500 townspeople to a party at Montpelier. Knox died in 1806, at the age of 56, but he left behind many people dedicated to preserving his legacy.

Flying Staircase - Montpelier

The original Montpelier was torn down in 1871, but a replica was built in its place in 1929. The Montpelier Museum now houses many of the objects Knox kept in the original mansion.

A tour of Montpelier begins in an orientation room, which showcases changing exhibits, a cannon, and many photographs and paintings, with an introductory video. Guests are then invited to tour the mansion. Much of the inventory is original, and what is not is a close second. Wallpaper in many of the rooms is copied from wallpaper salvaged from the original mansion. In the ladies’ withdrawing room, the wallpaper is embedded with mica, which makes it sparkle in candlelight. Also found in this room is the famed Longman & Broderip piano, rumored to have been the first piano in Maine.

General Henry Knox

The oval room is another patrons’ favorite. This main room features thirteen foot ceilings, two marble fireplaces and large doors which fit the curved walls. This room offers an impressive view of the St. Georges River. Another architectural achievement which intrigues guests is the semi-flying staircase, a magnificent set of stairs with no visible means of support. The Museum’s one kitchen displays several domestic implements, some of which bear the stamp that Knox put on all of his family’s tools.

The Museum is open from Memorial weekend through Columbus Day. Guided tours are available Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 until 3:30. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for children. (Visitors under the age of 5 are free.) The Museum offers a family rate of $18. Group tours are available by appointment. Please call (207) 354-8062 for more information.