William F. Perry House, historic house in Maine, United States
The William F. Perry House is a 19th-century residence in Bridgton situated on a hill overlooking the town, built in 1870 and modified in 1874. The structure combines Italianate and Second Empire styles with a mansard roof topped by a cupola, projecting window bays, and decorative brackets framing the windows and cornices.
Built in 1870 for cattle merchant William Cross, the house was purchased in 1874 by William F. Perry, a prosperous textile mill owner. Perry secured major contracts to supply cloth to the Union Army during the Civil War and invented an improved turbine technology that became widespread in Maine mills.
The house reflects William F. Perry's display of wealth and taste through its elaborate exterior details and ornamental features. The design represents how 19th-century households in Maine blended practical farm living with fashionable architectural styles from the city.
The building sits on a hill at the corner of Main Street and Highland Road with clear views from the street. The site now functions as a tea house where visitors can experience the historic spaces in a relaxed setting.
William F. Perry invented an improved turbine design right in Bridgton that made mills throughout Maine more efficient. This innovation helped modernize local textile production and demonstrates how one entrepreneur shaped the industrial development of the entire region.
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