Neal S. Dow House, 19th-century historic residence in Portland, United States.
The Neal S. Dow House is a brick building on Congress Street with Federal-style design elements and seventeen rooms arranged across multiple stories. The structure combines different sections, including a Victorian entrance portion and a single-story flat-roof addition.
The house was built in 1829 and belonged to Neal Dow, who wrote Maine's first prohibition law in 1851. His political activism extended to running for the presidency in 1880.
This home served as a gathering place for those fighting alcohol consumption and provided refuge to African Americans escaping slavery before the Civil War. The building represented both reform activism and humanitarian values that shaped how people lived together.
The house operates as a museum today, displaying original furnishings and personal items from Neal Dow's time. Visitors should plan time to explore the multiple levels, as the building spans several stories with various room layouts.
The house contains three distinct building sections with different architectural styles merged together. This arrangement reveals how the property evolved and was modified to meet changing needs over time.
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