16 children at Merithew House

16 children at Merithew House

Sixteen boys and girls in and in front of a hammock on the lawn at the side of the Jeremiah Merithew house in Searsport, Maine. Probably a school picture. The girl at the far left in plaid appears to be Joanna Colcord (Also see LB2003.61.113) Built by Captain Jeremiah Merithew in 1826, the Merithew house is now an exhibit building belonging to Penobscot Marine Museum. Captain Merithew like many other sea captains was hard-working, wealthy… and ornery. "He was both a sea captain and a ship builder," he said. "They went to sea, became captains, were in command of ships for a while and then they'd invest in a shipyard and build ships. And that's what he did. He was a rather cantankerous old gentleman. The Congregational Church there built a wooden sidewalk here. He didn't want it there, so as soon as they built it, he would tear it down.