History of the Elijah Peck House

 The Elijah Peck House was built around 1820 on the corner of Clapboard Road and Center Street, where Elijah Peck lived and ran a store—later operated by John Sanford and Lyman Smith. Over the following decades, the house passed through a long line of owners and tenants, including Charles N. Hatch and his wife, Mary, who made it their home until 1910—the year Hatch moved the entire house to its present site just south of Town Hall. In 1924, the Chasmer family purchased the home, and Mrs. Chasmer opened a gift shop called the Maple Lawn Gift House, where her hand-painted china, hand-painted cards, and rugs were offered for sale.

Through this long procession of residents, the house earned a lasting nickname: the "House of Brides." From the mid-1800s through the early 1900s, at least five young brides came to live there on their wedding day. It was the fifth of these brides, Mary Hatch, who is said to have requested that the house be moved "down the street," setting in motion its 1910 relocation to where it stands today.