Visit the Colburn House State Historic Site

The Colburn House State Historic Site is located on the banks of the Kennebec River north of Brunswick and south of Augusta.

The home is more than 250 years old. It was built in 1765, before the founding of the United States, by Major Reuben Colburn.

The home itself is rather unassuming. The site is small but preserves a significant and little-known moment in the Revolutionary War.

Benedict Arnold stayed at the Colburn House

Reuben Colburn was a patriot, a friend of George Washington, and, perhaps most importantly, a capable shipbuilder. Major Colburn’s home would serve as the staging point for Colonel Benedict Arnold’s (before he became a traitor) ill-fated attempted invasion of the British stronghold Quebec City. Colburn quickly built 200 boats for the expedition. The boats were capable of carrying more than 1,000 colonial soldiers. Colburn’s home was Arnold’s headquarters as he prepared to head north through the Maine wilderness.

Several people who would go on to make significant contributions to American history, took part in the failed invasion, and would have been present at Colburn’s home. Those include Benedict Arnold, who would eventually become the notorious traitor famed for abandoning the American cause and joining the British.

Other historical figures visited the Colburn House

Aaron Burr was also there. He would serve as the 3rd Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson. He is best known as the man who killed Alexander Hamilton in a dual. Captain Daniel Morgan was also there. He would become a very well-respected battle tactician of the revolution. Later in life, he would command part of the troops sent to squash the Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania. Captain Henry Dearborn was also present; he would later serve as Secretary of War under President Jefferson.

A visit to the Colburn House State Historic Site will not take all day. We spent about an hour there on a beautiful fall afternoon on our way to Acadia National Park. The historical significance is incredible; if you are in the area, it’s definitely worth stopping. Later on our way south, we stopped by the home where Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, also worth a visit.