If you haven’t visited Castle Tucker in Wiscasset, Maine…put it on your post-covid list. The Tucker family consisted of individuals who knew how to work for what they wanted and refused to quit. The imagined parties and social gatherings that occurred here quickly shifted to the bustling urgency of completing chores and ensuring everyone was fed and cared for as you’re led from the foyer, to the billiards room, kitchen and so forth. These walls have seen so much that it doesn’t seem to need the story of the inhabitants to be told, as it has a personality of its own.
Before it became Castle Tucker this prestigious architectural beauty was the home of Silas Lee, a wealthy Chief Justice who also had his hands in the shipping industry. His wife Tempe planted Elm trees in front of the building and called the estate Elm Lawn. The couple would only be able to enjoy their new home for seven years before Silas died of spotted fever in 1814. When you throw in Jefferson’s Embargo of 1807 and the War of 1812 (that was in 1812 for those who aren’t paying attention) Tempe regrettably had to rent out her beautiful home and build a much smaller home on the remaining piece of property.
The home changed hands several times as the once bustling seaside town became soaked in poverty. In 1858, Captain Richard Holbrook Tucker Jr (if that name doesn't impress you, nothing will) swooped in with his wife and new baby, added a few renovations and called it home. The couple would have six children over the years, five of which would make it to adulthood. Tucker owned dozens and DOZENS of ships over the course of his career and was obviously quite successful.
So, while I have the utmost respect for sea captains and that whole side of Maine’s history, I want to talk about his eccentric family. Let’s do it.
First we have his wife Mollie. She was known to be quite…shall we say persnickety? Her father was Joseph Armstrong, whose portrait hangs in Castle Tuckers billiard room.
Then we have Mary who was an actress in Buffalo Bills Wild West Show. She married an alcoholic, became a morphine addict and died at 41. I wish I could find more info on her than that, but so it is.
Then we have Richard, named after his dad. He was a quiet soul who liked to stay out of trouble, keeping drama at bay as best as he could. It only seemed fitting that he would become an astronomer.
William moved out west and sold insurance for a living. He sadly suffered the death of a child and cut ties with the rest of the Tucker family for reasons unknown.
Jenny was known as the first traveling saleswoman, selling subscriptions for McCall magazine. She then became a typist and a law secretary. She eventually moves home to help her mother care for the estate as well as the boarders taken on in order to save their home. This could be why she was the one who inherited the home.
Ahhh yes, the family fell on hard times just as the Silas's had years before. The Tuckers spent more then they earned leading them to have to rent out some rooms to tourists as a B&B. Guest's would be enticed into waterfront views and salt water baths (which meant go to the bay and scrub off). The chamber pots would be cleaned out and eventually a wonderous 'two holer' was installed to accommodate those needed a more modern approach to toileting.
This family definitely knew how to survive. Not only were they involved in the AirBnB market before it was even a thing, they also raised squab to sell in town as well as to serve to their guests. Family members even took it upon themselves to cook and serve meals, clean and wait on guests in order to save the home. A resourceful group, they did everything they could manage themselves. Even the dinnerware was hand painted!
Throughout their struggle they were able to keep up appearances while simultaneously boarding tourists. I don’t know if anyone who makes an above average living these days would be willing to (or even know how) to open up their much loved home to strangers, wait on them and sleep in the back rooms while the guests had the biggest rooms with the best views.
By now you are probably wondering “didn’t we miss a child? I thought there was one more…” You would be correct. And that child would be Martha Armstrong Tucker Stapleton, however, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, she was known as Patty.
Patty attended school for some time before returning home to teach and help the Tucker family keep Castle Tucker in the family. She would also take part in volunteer work all the while keeping her dream of being a writer alive by sending articles in to newspapers and magazines.
Eventually, Patty moved to Colorado in 1881 at the ripe old age of 20 and became a reporter for the Denver Tribune under the pen name Patience Thornton. She eventually married the editor for the Denver Republican, William Stapleton, making her name Patience Stapleton. The only other person I know who has that many alias’s had a LOT to hide……but I digress.
Martha/Patty/Patience wrote several novels including her first novel Kady, Trailing Yew, Babe Murphy, The Troublesome Lady, A Mountain Tragedy, The Major’s Christmas and other stories, My Jean and Island Light: Monhegan Island.
While she became a respected author in her own right in the state of Colorado, she also became a key player and spokeswoman for the women’s suffrage movement, using her writing talents to bring awareness that women could intellectually hold their own in the late 1800s. Sadly Patience passed away in 1893 of cancer at just 32 years old. For all she had accomplished during her short life, one can only imagine what else she could have tackled had her life not been cut short.
Images from what used to be Patience's bedroom at Castle Tucker give you a glimpse into her life prior to her success. Who knows if any of her novels were thought up or even written here? Check out the cage crinoline's hanging in the closet!
There is so much going on with each member of the family that I have a hard time keeping up. It’s exhausting just to think about the upkeep Castle Tucker must have entailed. It’s actually quite exhausting for me just to sit outside the building knowing all the hustle and bustle that went on inside over the years, whether it was for leisure or the Tuckers working their behinds off. It is quite inspiring to know that a once prominent family wasn’t afraid to get dirty and do what needed to be done in order to stay in their home. I’m not sure many would do that these days.
Castle Tucker has a beautiful yet looming presence as it sits atop the hill on the Sheespcot Bay. With a dash of “come here/stay away” energy, it’s impossible to get past it before it pulls you in. Being the slippery piece of property that it is, no matter how loved it has always been by every single inhabitant, it refuses to belong to just anyone. The energy of days past still lingers on inside without a doubt; one has to wonder if anything or anyone else still lingers on within the walls as well.
As a "Maine Tucker" living abroad in the Philippines, I can attest to the inbred ability to "rough it", when needed.