The Ruggles House Historic House Museum

Happy Birthday Deliverance

ruggleshouse — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:04:50 +0000

Today we celebrate the 278th birthday of Deliverance Barrows Ruggles. Thomas Ruggles’ mother must have been quite a woman. She married Captain Nathaniel Ruggles in 1752 and had eight children, seven who lived to maturity. Her husband died in December 1776, just as the Revolutionary War broke out, leaving her with five sons and two daughters ranging in age from 21 to 4. Thomas was only six years old at the time. Her oldest son Nathaniel Jr. settled in Newport Rhode Island and became a successful merchant. Elisha remained in Rochester, Massachusetts and served in the state legislature.

This portrait is believed to be Deliverance. It was the only oil painting in the house when Lizzie died and the manner of dress would be appropriate to the age and time period for Thomas’ mother. When you see the picture in person, you can’t help notice how her eyes follow you all over the room. You have to believe that no one ever gave Grandma Ruggles any guff.

She died in February 1807 at the age of 72.

>A major purchase (Sept 27)

ruggleshouse — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:00:00 +0000

>September 27, 1797… Thomas Ruggles’ first recorded land purchase in Maine. He purchased 100 acres with a dwelling house, barn and outbuildings for $750. A year later, September 1798, Thomas and his brother Benjamin jointly purchased a dwelling house, work house and half a barn for $150. The house may have served as the first home of Thomas Ruggles.

Hello world!

ruggleshouse — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:01:15 +0000

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

>Happy Anniversary April 6

ruggleshouse — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

>Thomas Ruggles married Ruth Clapp in Rochester, Mass. April 6, 1797

>Happy Birthday Frederick Augustus

ruggleshouse — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

>Today is the 211th birthday of Frederick Augustus Ruggles. Born January 8, 1801, Frederick was the third son and third child of Thomas and Ruth Ruggles. He was born in Columbia (now Columbia Falls) in the first house the family owned in town. He would have moved into the “new” house- the one we know as The Ruggles House- with his 6 brothers and sisters at the age of 19.

Frederick was a farmer and the agricultural census data from 1850 shows him owning 15 improved acres and 35 unimproved acres. That year he produced 23 pounds of wool, 3 bushels of peas & beans, 220 bushels of potatoes, 220 pounds of butter and 12 tons of hay.

Frederick and his brother George had jointly inherited a property called the “Patten Farm”, but he apparently lived in the Ruggles House with his mother and sister Lucy. After Ruth Ruggles’ death, in 1859, Lucy and Frederick shared ownership of the house. Each owned half of the house and had joint ownership of the front door and staircase. Eventually Frederick acquired the whole house.

In 1847 Frederick married Caroline Stone Bucknam, a local girl 12 years his junior. They had two daughters, Emily, born in 1850 and Lizzie born in 1852.

This picture of Frederick in his militia uniform is a charcoal drawing done by one of his daughters.

He died in 1890 at the age of 89.

>Hello Irene

ruggleshouse — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 23:13:00 +0000

>Since there is a rather unwelcome visitor headed to town this weekend, we are battening down the hatches here at The Ruggles House and will be closed Sunday and Monday.

Look for an update on Tuesday.

Be safe everyone

>I scream, You scream…

ruggleshouse — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:10:00 +0000

We all scream for Ice Cream!

Visit the Ruggles House this Sunday from 1-3 for an old fashioned Ice Cream Social. Free house tours and ice cream under the tent on the lawn. What could be better on a summer day? Check out the herb garden, or just sit on the porch and watch the world go by.

>Pretend it’s Spring

ruggleshouse — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:44:00 +0000

Even if it doesn’t feel like Spring here in downeast Maine, you can pretend this Saturday at the annual plant sale. There will be vegetables seedlings, annuals and perennials. See you there.

>The glamorous jobs

ruggleshouse — Sat, 21 May 2011 14:01:00 +0000

>The Ruggles House is lucky to have so many generous members and twice a year we like to let them know what has been going on. One of the less than glamorous jobs is getting the newsletters folded and mailed. Thanks so much to Ellen Tenan, Mike McSorley, Dick Grant and Bill Brundage for matching, folding, stuffing and stapling almost 700 newsletters.

The spring newsletter should be in member’s mailboxes shortly. It will also available soon on our website The Ruggles House

>Spring is Springing

ruggleshouse — Fri, 20 May 2011 15:12:00 +0000

>Here at the Ruggles House things are getting ready for the season. Early this spring there was some plaster repair work done and the entire front hall was repainted. It looks spectacular.

The ceiling in the dining room was also repainted

If the room looks a bit bare, thats because everything was somewhere else…

So last week was spring cleaning day. Floors were washed, walls were wiped, pictures re-hung and everything was dusted. The House is just about back to normal and spruced up ready for opening day June 1st.