This year, Maine celebrates the 200th anniversary of becoming the 23rd state of the Union.  In 1820, Camden boasted a total population of 1,828 residents in Harbor Village (now Camden) and Goose River (now Rockport) with most living in Harbor Village as Goose River was then sparsely populated.    

Did you know that presently in Camden there are 60 houses which were in existence when Maine gained statehood?  That’s sixty houses 200 years old or older! 

Camden records also show approximately 1009 houses which are 100 years or older and still in existence today.  Although most houses in town are not centenarians or bicentenarians, Camden today still maintains a strong New England village look.  It is a welcoming place of tree-lined streets, and tidy, wood frame houses-some old and some new.  

The Camden Historic Resources Committee wishes to honor these homes by inviting homeowners to purchase plaques for their homes.  During the past year, the Committee has worked with homeowners to help identify the dates their houses were built and to order and install date plaques. To qualify for a plaque, a house does not need to be 100 or 200 years old.  Just 75-years-old will qualify! 

Through research, homeowners have discovered earlier owners and uncovered other facts which might have been lost over time.  The Committee has been reviewing these facts and sharing the information with the Walsh History Center.  Preserving this information through sharing is a gift to the homeowner and to the community.  

We encourage Camden homeowners to add to the Bicentennial celebration by picking up a Historic Homes Plaque brochure in the Town Office or from the Town’s website.  By filling out the application found in the brochure, you will document the history of your home for future generations and likely earn a date plaque for your house.  

Remember, your house does not need to be 200 years old, just 75 years or older to qualify for a basic plaque.  

Thank you for considering a plaque.

Camden Historic Resources Committee includes Eileen Kurtis-Kleinman, chair, as well as Rosalee Glass, Judy McGuirk, Susan Neves, Chris Fasoldt, Pat Skaling and Dawna Pine