Criterion A: Exploration/Settlement
Criterion C: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1854 to 1892
Local Level of Significance
The Pelletier – Marquis House in St. Agatha, Aroostook County, Maine is significant under Criterion A for its association with early settlement and Criterion C for architecture. The house was constructed in 1854 on a property Andre Pelletier settled the previous year. Ownership of the land was disputed in 1875 but Pelletier was determined to be the lawful owner. A ca. 1890 addition to the house was built by Andre Pelletier or his son Leandre nearly doubling the size. The period of significance for architecture is the construction dates 1854 and ca. 1890. The period of significance for association with settlement is 1854 to 1892. The first church in the village was built in 1889, and the Town of St. Agatha was incorporated in 1899 each reflecting a more settled community. The end date of the period of significance reflects the death of Leandre Pelletier and the general date of the end of early settlement in town. The house is a modest building of stick frame construction. It is a small subsistence farmer’s/laborer’s house with several Acadian and French-Canadian characteristics. The use of buckwheat chaff for insulation, the flush board wall finishes, and the distinctive St. John Valley stile and panel ceilings are important characteristics.