The Woodlawn Museum

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A story of national significance, Woodlawn is the lens through which one can learn the history of Down East Maine, the state of Maine, and indeed the nation.

Get involved at Woodlawn and help Preserve the Past.

Woodlawn, part of the Ellsworth landscape for 180 years, was once home to three generations of the Black family. Today it is an historic house museum and public park. The mansion is both an architectural gem and a historical treasure. Built between 1824 and 1827 for Colonel John Black, this stately brick house, based on a published design by American architect Asher Benjamin, contains the original furnishings of one of Eastern Maine's most distinguished families. Willed to the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations (hyper link to trustees page) by George Nixon Black, Jr., the Colonel's grandson, Woodlawn has been open to the public since 1929. This beautiful home, its original furnishings, its outbuildings, and its grounds reveal much about changing economic, social and domestic conditions between 1820 and 1920. Moreover, the family story is a fascinating one beginning with Colonel Black who amassed a fortune through land and timber dealings and ending with his grandson, a wealthy Boston gentleman who built the famed north shore shingle style cottage "Kragside" and bequeathed a major portion of his estate to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Click here for a more detailed (printer friendly) history of the Mansion, and a synopsis of its national significance.

Read the twelve page supplement that was included in the Ellsworth American and Mount Desert Islander on August 12th 2004. The article focuses on Woodlawn's 75th anniversary. Note: This document is in PDF format, and is not suitable for printing. 2.7 Megabyte file size.