Z is for Zion's Hill

Zion's Hill (or upper Summer Street Kennebunk, from the fire station to the railroad bridge) was so named in 1833 when John Osborne, whose house formerly sat on the current Kennebunk Free Library site, stood up at a Town Meeting and vented his anger. The townspeople voted not to issue liquor licenses to proprietors, of which John Osborne was one. At the end of a long harangue Osborne said vehemently, "If the Lords of Zion's Hill would just mind their own business and allow me to tend to mine, there would be no trouble about this liquor business." This play on words, referring to the influential Lord Family of Kennebunk whose many relations and generations lived all along Summer Street, seems to have stuck over the centuries.

Summer Street remains unique because all of the major architectural styles — with the exception of Georgian — of the 19th and 20th centuries are represented. Below are the house numbers and names of the residences arranged as if one were walking southeast along Summer Street.

This section of Summer Street is part of the oldest historic district in Maine, created in 1963. In 1974, this local district was listed as a National Register Historic District.

13 – The Elisha Chadbourne House

15 - The Phineas Hemmenway House

18 – The Augustus Lord House

20 – The William Lord House

21 - The Burleigh Smart House

23 – The Nathaniel Lord Thompson House

25 – The Charles Thompson House

27 – The Daniel Paul House

31 – The Ivory Lord House

33 – The Edward Morton House

35 – The Joseph Titcomb House

37 – The William L. Thompson House

39 – The Horatio Moody House

38 – The George Lord Little House

36 – The Moses Maling House

34 – The Charles Goodnow House

32 – The John Adams Lord House

30 – The William Thompson House

26 – The Hartley Lord House

5 & 7 – The Downing – Charles House

9 – The Downing – Converse House

19 – The Jeremiah Paul House

29 – Captain George Lord House

41 & 45 – The John Chadbourne House

49 – Cartwright-McCarn House

51 – William F. Simpson House

50 – The Cashen House

46 – The Sylvester Chick House

44 – The Ralph Andrews House

40 – The Elliot Rogers House

14 – Enoch Hardy House

10 – William D. Hay House

8 – Dr. Fisher House

47 – Walter L. Dane House

22 (24) – The Taylor Barry House

11 – The W. D. Hay House