WELLS — Route 1 will be closed for several hours Friday morning as a historic house is moved to a new location.

The Storer Garrison House, one of the most significant historic buildings in Wells, will be moved from its current location at 1099 Post Road (Route 1) to the Mike’s Clam Shack property at 1050 Post Road, near the intersection of Route 1 and Chapel Road.

Additional Photos

The historic Storer Garrison House, one of Wells' oldest buildings, will be moved from its current Route 1 location to a new site less than a half-mile farther north. John Ewing / Staff Photographer

The section of Route 1 between those two locations will be closed from 9 a.m. until at least 11 a.m. Central Maine Power Co., FairPoint, Time Warner and Maine Fiber will lower lines during the move, which may cause brief interruptions in service.

The Storer Garrison House was built in 1816 using timbers from the garrison that protected residents during a three-day attack in 1692. Its 9-inch beams show notches and cuts from their original use in the Storer garrison, believed to have been located near the Storer Garrison House.

The Storer Garrison House, a familiar local landmark, is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

Town officials scrambled to find a way to save the building when owner Mark Gagnon decided to remove it to show the views of the ocean from his property. Mike McDermott, owner of Mike’s Clam Shack, offered to buy the building and pay for Chase Building Movers to relocate it.

Chase Building Movers has spent the last several weeks prepping the house for the move and removing a small office addition. The town will keep the office for a use to be determined later.

During the move, town officials suggest drivers use routes 9B and 109 to detour around the area.

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