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Article: History in houses: Woodlawn in Ellsworth, Maine.
- Article from:
- The Magazine Antiques
- Article date:
- January 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Woodlawn, a splendid house in the neoclassical style, was built in the 1820s on a commanding site on Bridge Hill, overlooking the town of Ellsworth, Maine, and the Union River. The elaborate furnishings reflect the tastes of two men--the builder John Black, a self-made potentate, and his grandson George Nixon Black Jr., a wealthy aesthete and collector.
Little is known of John Black's background. He was born in Whitehaven, England, on July 31, 1781, and while still in his teens was employed as a clerk by Hope and Company, a London banking house with close ties to the affluent Baring family. In 1797, when Black was sixteen, the Hopes and Barings sent him to the ...