Thomas Butler (b. 1674)

1790 - Butler House – 16 Agamenticus Road

This house is part of the South Berwick Village District on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the first settlers to farm in the area of today's South Berwick Village was Thomas Butler, born in 1674. About 1790, his descendants built the Butler House still standing near the intersection of Portland Street and Agamenticus Road.

A 1913 photo in the Old Berwick Historical Society archives has a note that reads, “Old Butler House… 2nd oldest house in town.” While this is not necessarily accurate, the Butler House surely is one of the oldest houses in South Berwick Village. The large hill rising up behind the house has been known to this day as Butler’s Hill (or Powderhouse Hill, for the ammunition storage that used to be up there).

Thomas Butler and his Descendants by George H. Butler, M.D., written in 1886, details a long string of Butler descendants at the site.

This photo from about 1900 shows the rear of the Butler House and the Soldiers' Monument traffic island just beyond it, viewed from the heights of Butler’s Hill. The Thomas Jewett House can be seen to the left, across Portland Street.