A well-known home that’s been falling apart for years along Route 1 in Searsport burned down on Wednesday night in a fire that was authorized by the town.
The property at 386 East Main St. just sold earlier this month to Robert Lambeth of Stockton Springs, after it was listed for sale for $140,000. The road is also known as Route 1 in Searsport.
Lambeth, who has a building company, was authorized by the Searsport Fire Department to set the fire to demolish “what was left of it,” said an official at the fire department on Thursday who declined to give his name but identified himself as the agency’s interim chief.
The official confirmed that Lambeth received a permit for the fire.
As of 9 a.m. Thursday, some of the remains of the old home were still smoldering and visible from the road.
A man who was at the site on Thursday declined to give his name but identified himself as the property owner’s nephew. He said that the fire was set with a lighter.
“Just lit her up last night, from the back side, and it took right off,” he said.
Originally built in the 1800s, the home had somehow remained standing for years despite the town first ordering its demolition almost a decade ago, according to previous BDN reporting.
It was originally built by Capt. Joseph Loomis Park, one of the many sea captains who historically called Searsport home. Over the years, many passersby have photographed the formerly stately structure.
“It’s been falling down for probably more than 40 years now,” said the interim fire chief. “The last family that owned it, I think they used it for storage. There was probably some intent to fix it, but the financial needs of the structure outweighed the financial means.”
The home’s previous owner, Douglas Brown, died in August and his estate sold it to Lambeth in mid-October, according to records at the Waldo County Registry of Deeds.
“Everything that was there was just clean lumber,” said the interim fire chief. “The previous owner had started to take the building apart, and then I’m guessing their health deteriorated, and their family or estate sold the building.”
