BANGOR (AP) – The home of Hannibal Hamlin, President Abraham Lincoln’s first vice president, has gone on the market for $449,000.

The three-story dwelling, built in 1851 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features three parlors, six bedrooms, 31/2 baths, marble mantelpieces, a mansard roof and a mother-in-law apartment.

In 1933 Hamlin’s heirs donated the property at the corner of Fifth and Hammond streets to Bangor Theological Seminary, which has used it as a home for its presidents.

The theology school moved to the Husson College campus.

The Rev. William Imes, seminary president, last month took up residence in a smaller dwelling.

“The Hannibal Hamlin house is a big house that was way more than we needed for a residence for the president,” Imes said. “It was an honor to own it, but maintaining it was a challenge. We’d like to get out of the challenge business.”

Because of its listing on the historic registry, every repair and upgrade must conform to specific standards, adding to the cost, Imes noted.

“I valued my time in the Hamlin home as an opportunity to live in his house, but it was a lot like living in a museum,” he said. “There were three rooms we almost never used.”

Hamlin served as vice president from 1861 to 1865. A native of the western Maine town of Paris, he also served in the Maine House of Representatives, the U.S. House and Senate, and as governor of Maine.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-12-08-06 1229EST