End of Square looking North

End of Square looking North

View, looking north, of the "Foot of the Square" from Northport Avenue (the intersection of High Street to the right and Church Street to the left): In this view, one can see the James P. White house in the center, behind the mostly bare tree. Also, note the horse watering trough in the foreground and a team of horses drawing a wagon, heading south on High Street. JAMES PATTERSON WHITE HOUSE The James Patterson White house was designed by Calvin Ryder and built in 1840. It is one of the state's finest examples of high Greek revival architecture. White, a native of Belfast and a successful businessman, was born in 1800 and died in 1879. He served as Belfast's Mayor from 1861 to 1863 and a state senator from 1862 to 1863. James Patterson White was born in a log house in Belfast on 2 September 1800. His father was Robert White, was a successful farmer in Chester, New Hampshire, before buying property in Belfast. Robert White married Susannah Patterson on 24 December 1799. Her father, James Patterson, was one of the first settlers of Belfast, arriving in 1770. James P. White showed a keen business sense early on. He clerked in several stores before forming a partnership with William Avery in 1824. The next year, he married his former boss's sister, Mary Ann Clarke. By the time he entered his thirties, James P. White was already successful in several types of business, often in partnership with family members. Businesses associated with White's name included the Belfast Foundry Co., Marine Railway Co., Belfast Shop Co., and the Waldo Mutual Insurance Co. His interests included paper mills and ship-building. At age 36, he became one of only seven members of the Board of the newly formed Belfast Bank. Three decades later, he became President of the bank, a position he held until his death. As a businessman, he was intolerant of laziness, sloppiness, and intemperance, but he readily hired and promoted men of ability and loyalty. He possessed a practical approach to business matters. When his neighbor Josiah Simpson constructed a stable and woodhouse on White's property, he simply sold Simpson the small parcel. White was active in civic affairs, though he did not seek after elected office. He was part of a committee established in 1845 to investigate the feasibility of forming the town of Waldo. Three years later, he was appointed to a committee charged with determining whether becoming a city would cost more than being a town did. He served as an alderman from 1856 to 1858. He was urged to run for mayor in 1861, won that post, and became a state senator the next year. James P. White's friend, business partner, and neighbor Joseph Williamson was Belfast's preeminent nineteenth-century historian. This is how Williamson described the city's reaction when White died on 25 March 1879: As a mark of respect, the places of business in Belfast were closed at the time of his funeral, and the bell of the Unitarian Church, which he had attended during his whole life, was tolled. Mr. White is still [1902] well remembered by the older citizens of the town, which his energy, incessant industry, and unusual capacity for organizing and carrying on business enterprises, were instrumental in building up. James P. White purchased his first house in 1824 to provide a place in which to live with his bride, Mary Ann Clarke. This fine two-story Federal structure at the corner of Church and Pearl Streets in Belfast is within the Belfast Historic District, which is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. James P. White purchased his first house in 1824 to provide a place in which to live with his bride, Mary Ann Clarke. This fine two-story Federal structure at the corner of Church and Pearl Streets in Belfast is within the Belfast Historic District, which is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. By 1840, however, this house was getting crowded for White's family, which now included seven children. His many business successes allowed him to build not just a larger home, but a showpiece home. He was bold enough to do this in the middle of the depression that followed the Panic of 1837. He engaged an up-and-coming 30-year-old architect named Calvin Ryder to design and construct his new home. Ryder designed several buildings in Belfast, including the Baptist Church and three other Greek Revival residences, including Joseph Williamson's house. But the one that stands out, his masterpiece is the James P. White House at 1 Church Street. James P. White was one of the richest men in Belfast. When he died in 1879, he left an estate worth $166,763.65. In addition to his exquisite home, he owned two stores on Main Street; $13,500 in U.S. Bonds; 1/8 shares of two ships; and many thousands of dollars in personal notes from business partners and associates, corporate bonds, and shares of stock His extraordinary house has been occupied by other extraordinary people. This article will identify and discuss each of the next five owners of the James P. White House, taking its history down to the middle of the twentieth century. EARLY OWNERSHIP SUMMARY: James P. White et al (1840 - 1884) George & Harriet Burkett (1884 - 1892) Dr. Everard & Ellen Wilson (1892 -1910) James P. & Millicent Jessie Taliaferro (1910 - 1926) Fred & Deborah Elizabeth Wagar (1926- 1936) Frank P. & Mary Wilson (1936 - 1960) James P. Taliaferro of Jacksonville, Florida purchased the home from Dr. E. A. Wilson as a summer home in 1910. Born in 1847, Taliaferro served in the Confederate army during the Civil War, became a successful lumberman, and represented Florida in the U.S. Senate from 1899 to 1911. He died in 1934. NOTE: The wooden walkway on the extreme right leads to the boyhood home of our esteemed volunteer and researcher, David Ruberti