Kinsley House
The original part of the Kinsley House was built in 1794 by Reuben Newcomb and about 1800 was purchased by Martin Kinsley who added the front portion of the house.
Martin Kinsley was born in 1754 in Bridgewater, Mass. and attended Harvard College where he studied medicine. He served in the Revolutionary War and became known as Major Kinsley. Subsequently, he became a circuit court Judge, Justice of the Peace, Postmaster and U.S. Senator---and was serving in the Senate in 1820 when the Missouri Compromise, which also brought Maine into statehood was enacted. In 1834, Martin Kinsley moved to Roxbury, Mass., where he died in 1835.
After 1900, Kinsley House was used as a wayside stop for travelers and as a birthing home.
(From the Hampden Historical Society Handbook)
It is now used as the meeting place for the Hampden Historical Society. The archives are available for use by the community. The house can be rented for group meetings. And tours are given of the home and its artifacts. The Kinsley House is open on Tuesdays from 10 Am to 4 PM for tours and work in the archives.