The Blaine House

The Blaine House, also known as James G. Blaine House, is the official residence of the Governor of Maine and his or her family. The Executive Mansion was officially declared the residence of the Governor in 1919 with the name "The Blaine House." It is located at Capitol and State Streets in Augusta, Maine, United States, across the street from the Maine State House.The Blaine House was donated to the State of Maine for use as a Governor's residence by Harriet Blaine Beale in 1919. The house dates back to 1833 and was built by James Hall, a retired ship's captain. James G. Blaine, then the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, purchased it in 1862 as a present for his wife, the former Harriet Stanwood, daughter of a prominent Augusta family. Blaine substantially enlarged the building, constructing an addition at the rear that was a near replica of the original structure, and removing interior walls to create a large entertainment space.During World War I the house was used by Maine's Committee for Public Safety. It was presented to the State by Blaine's youngest daughter, Mrs. Harriet Blaine Beale, and established by the 1919 Legislature as the official residence of the Governor of Maine. It was remodeled, to designs by the noted Maine architect John Calvin Stevens, prior to the first governor taking residence in 1921. Carl E. Miliken was the first governor to occupy the residence.