BRIDGTON — The Bridgton Historical Society has known for several years that the foundations of the house and the “Temperance Barn” at Narramissic, their historic farm in South Bridgton, are facing major structural problems due to water flowing down the hill and undermining the foundations.

The society became aware of the problems with the barn foundation when volunteers, making some repairs and adjustments to the door, noticed that the real reason why it was hard to close wasn’t the door itself, but the fact that the structure was shifting off the foundation.

Christopher Closs of Maine Preservation did a site inspection, which resulted in that organization placing Narramissic on its list of Most Endangered Historic Places.

An engineering plan was made to dig deep interceptor trenches around both buildings.

The drainage project is expected to be completed by the middle of February, if not earlier, but this phase is just the start of a multi-year initiative that will see the buildings stabilized and restored.

Once the moisture problems have been alleviated, the next step will involve rebuilding the foundations and restoring them to their original configuration. The society will then turn its attention to making structural repairs, restoring paint finishes that have suffered from the high levels of humidity and other necessary tasks.

The society is also exploring ways to encourage more use of the property, to reach a broader audience and better fulfill its mission.

FMI: [email protected], 207-647-3699, [email protected], www.facebook.com/BridgtonHistoricalSociety/?fref=ts.

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