198-200 Broadway, Rockland, Maine: A Brief History
Imagine Rockland, Maine in 1891, a rough and tumble coastal city, booming with rapidly expanding industries, including lime, ship building, and fishing. Duplexes were springing up across the city to meet the demand for workforce housing. This is where our story about a young redhead begins. Edna St. Vincent Millay was born in a double-house at 198/200 Broadway, during a raging snowstorm, on February 22, 1892. The house was new and the first occupants of its north side were Henry Tolman Millay and his wife, Cora Buzzell Millay.
Fast forward to1934, when the Rockland's Women's Educational Club decided it was important to commemorate the poet and her birthplace. They raised funds, one penny at a time, to place a commemorative wooden marker on the house. Their fundraising efforts exceeded their expectations and they were able to upgrade to a bronze plaque—and this was during the Great Depression.
“I am very pleased and touched that so many women in the city in which I was born should wish to honour me in this way.”
—Letter from Millay to Mrs. Perry Rich
president of Women’s Educational Club
The Millay House Rockland is almost finished, ready for phase three, and needs your help!
Years pass and the plaque was removed. The house was occupied and used as much as any other house on the street, perhaps even more so, and sadly, fell into disrepair. In 2015, a group of neighbors and friends met to tour a funky, old, falling down, bright blue disaster of a building that was in danger of foreclosure, condemnation, and demolition. They remembered that this was the house in which Edna St. Vincent Millay was born and shifted into action.
In November of that year, the midcoast’s Free Press published an article outlining the house’s dilemma, citing it as a rescue mission. Roxanne Quimby saw the article and was very intrigued. She drove to Rockland that afternoon, met with one of the friends about the house, and helped to clarify and begin the mission to conserve the heritage of this important place, and contribute to cultural tourism.
Fundraising efforts in 2016 and 2017 enabled the newly-formed nonprofit, Millay House Rockland (MHR), to restore the exterior, giving the formerly sad, blue facade a rejuvenating facelift. Their efforts prevented the house from further deterioration, and from being torn down completely. But that was just the beginning of its transformation.
Throughout 2019 and 2020, members of MHR continued to raise funds and plan the interior restoration of what locals call Millay House, conducting meetings via Zoom during the pandemic, along with the rest of the world. Renovation began in earnest in 2021. Local businessman Kirk Rouge, principle of K.R. Construction, overcame supply shortages and shipping delays throughout 2021 to transform the north side of the house. Meeting our goal to provide additional housing for Rockland and the means to maintain the house, this half of Millay House is now a dwelling that is rented out. As of mid-2022, we have almost completed the renovation of the south side, which will be used for a writer-in-residence and other programs that aim to preserve Millay’s legacy and contribute to the appreciation of, and participation in, literary and creative expression.
Work remaining includes refinishing the floors on both levels, completing the kitchen (one cabinet is delayed in arriving, as are some appliances), finalizing countertops, and plumbing and electrical work. We’re in the home stretch! Next, MHR hopes to furnish the south side in period pieces, and outfit the kitchen so it can be used by the writers who stay here and by Millay House Rockland members as we provide programs and develop multidisciplinary partnerships with other creative organizations.
