Abijah Buck and his wife, Phebe Tyler Buck, were the first family to settle in what was once called Bucktown.

Abijah Buck had passed through the area, now known as Buckfield, during a hunting trip in 1776. 

The French and Indian War veteran returned a year later with $1,000 in his pocket, bought land and built a home on the West Branch of the Nezinscot River. 

The Abijah Buck House was finished in 1791 and still stands today. 

Bucktown became known as Buckfield, which was named after Buck. He and his wife raised seven children there. 

The Georgian-style house still has many of its original components.

“This is such a rare example of having so many original features intact,” said Greg Paxton of Maine Preservation, a nonprofit group dedicated to historic preservation. 

The home features the largest known historic fireplace in Maine. The 9-foot kitchen fireplace includes a beehive oven that reaches 700 degrees, said Paxton. 

The home’s original elements include: “Indian shutters,” door latches, “H and L hinges,” fireplace hearths and mantels, hardwood floors, raised-paneled woodwork and a built-in corner cupboard. 

Walls feature Moses Eaton stenciled paintings on one side and used corn cobs on the other. Corn cobs were used for insulation, said Paxton. 

Cindy Tucker of the Buckfield Historical Society and Paxton keep an eye on the place. The home has been donated to Maine Preservation.

The house is one of three pieces of historic real estate that Maine Preservation is currently marketing. The sale would require a preservation easement and rehabilitation agreement.

“We would like to preserve the original features while allowing the house to be thoroughly updated,” said Paxton. 

Go to mainepreservation.org for more information about the house.