The Parsonage is located in a classic Federalist-style estate in the historic district of Searsport, Maine, home to legendary sea captains.

The estate was completed in 1831 as a parsonage for Rev. Stephen Thurston, his wife Clara, and their large family. Rev. Thurston was pastor of First Congregational Church, a stunning historic building up the hill, crowning the campus of the Penobscot Marine Museum. Clara was a respected community leader in her own right. She was the aunt of Winslow Homer, one of America’s greatest artists, who not only stayed in the home but even sketched pictures of the family (and their cow!).

The Parsonage collection includes a number of historic treasures related to the family including: Harper’s Weekly engravings by Winslow Homer; watercolors by Winslow’s mother, Henrietta Benson Homer; Clara’s personal Bible; photographs of the Thurstons; and handwritten poems dedicated to the Thurstons by the famous Revolutionary War diarist Joseph Plumb Martin. Inspired by the Thurstons’ legacy, hospitality is at the core of the Parsonage’s identity.

We also recognize and honor the fact that we are guests on the traditional lands of the Wabanaki, People of the Dawnland, specifically the Penobscot Nation for whom this land remains sacred.  It is a special privilege to look out to the island of Wahsumkik (‘bright sand beach’), now the largest uninhabited island on the eastern seaboard, whose rich biodiversity is preserved through the Friends of Sears Island.