A Magical Castle on the Cliffs of Maine

Listing of the Day

Location: Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Price: $3.35 million

Royalty may never have lived in this castle, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive.

Called "Beckett’s Castle," after the eccentric man who built it, the seaside home recently hit the market for the first time since 1981.

The owner, Nancy Harvey, passed away last year and her family is selling the estate. Harvey paid $150,000 for the property, records show, buying it at auction after its previous owner left it in disrepair. According to the listing broker, Tish Whipple of Town and Shore Real Estate, Harvey poured money and love into the home, which was her summer residence. She added a master bedroom suite on the first floor, a carport outside and converted the carriage house into a guest cottage.

"She brought the property back to life," Ms. Whipple said. "She saved it."

Constructed in 1874, the home was the creation of Sylvester Beckett, a Portland-based lawyer and literary figure, who built most of it himself from local stone, according to a 1974 report nominating it to the National Register of Historic Places. The most prominent feature of the building is its 30-foot tower, which serves as its entrance.

The rest of the home has more of a cozy, cottage feel, with delightful little details like a painted refrigerator in the kitchen and tons of nooks and crannies that Whipple says any child would find "magical."

"It’s almost like a fantasy," she said. "This castle in the woods."

The stats

The home comes in at 1,981 square feet, and offers three bedrooms and three bathrooms. There is also a guest home/artist’s studio on the property, which has an additional bedroom and bathroom. It sits on a one-acre lot.

Amenities

Harvey was an avid gardener, and the rose garden she added to the home was featured in books by the British rosarian, Peter Beale. In addition, the home comes with 350 feet of deeded ocean property, which is accessed from the main house by granite steps.

More:House Island, One of a Cluster of Islands Off Portland, Maine, is An Oasis with a Storied Past

Talking point

The home is often listed as being one of the most haunted sites in Maine, with the ghost of Beckett said to revisit the castle and cause mayhem, taking sheets off beds, opening doors and ripping paintings off the walls.

Ms. Whipple said those reports mainly came from its former owner, Robert Lins, who lost the house after failing to pay his taxes. Harvey never had any problems with ghosts, so Ms. Whipple believes "if there is a spirit there, it’s benevolent."

Agent: Tish Whipple of Town and Shore Real Estate

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