A visitor crossing a doorway threshold of the Royal Brewster mansion in Buxton enters a world much as it was 200 years ago.

The mansion at Tory Hill, located at the intersection of routes 112 and 202, has been owned by Richard “Sandy” Atkinson and his wife, Beverly, since 1990. They’ve preserved the spirit of a long gone era of silk top hats, flowing skirts and bustle at Tory Hill, which was then a hub of activity.

During the Buxton Community Fair next month, doors of the mansion, which was built in 1805 by Dr. Royal Brewster, will swing open for tours. The public will be allowed to view rooms from hallways. A $10 donation for a tour will benefit the local Dorcas and historical societies.

The mansion is decorated with a collection of dolls from around the world, antiques and art along with period clothing. “I hang vintage clothing on the doors so people can enjoy it,” Beverly Atkinson said.

Visitors will tread on the same floorboards as many notable visitors. Those who have knocked on the mansion door include a great-great grandson of the legendary British writer Charles Dickens.

“It’s never a dull moment here. We’ve had a lot of fun,” said Sandy Atkinson, a Buxton native who grew up in Bar Mills.

It was last open to the public on Nov. 29, 2002, during a special event at the nearby Tory Hill Church. One person stood in a line for two hours for a tour of the mansion, Atkinson said.

Paintings in the mansion include three by Brewster’s brother, John Brewster Jr., a deaf mute. His works have achieved national acclaim and have sold for as much as $1 million.

The Atkinsons have also acquired 13 original paintings by Gibeon Elden Bradbury, paying $6,000 for one of them. Bradbury, a Buxton native, was known for his paintings of Saco River scenes. “He loved the Saco River. He loved flowers,” Beverly Atkinson said.

The Atkinsons hosted an art show of Bradbury works four years ago. “We love art,” Beverly Atkinson said.

The Atkinson art collection includes an oil painting of Dr. Brewster and a wall mural in the mansion by a present day artist, Bonita Doughty of Hollis. The Brewster portrait and a Tory Hill scene, commissioned by the Atkinsons, were the first two oil paintings by Doughty, who is an SAD 6 school bus driver. Doughty will display her art in the barn during the open house.

Dr. Brewster moved to Buxton from Hampden, Conn., in 1795. Brewster won the hand of Dorcas, daughter of Rev. Paul Coffin, and they joined the Tory Hill Church in 1796.

Dr. Brewster, who bought several parcels of land in Buxton, was fined and thrown out of the church after becoming involved in a land dispute. Beverly said she always pictured Dr. Brewster as “old and grumpy.”

But, “He was young and handsome,” she said as she looked at his portrait.

Brewster lived in the nearby Chase Tavern while his mansion was being built. A Capt. Joseph Woodman has been credited with the mansion construction. The mansion features a semi-flying stairway.

With its church, stores, cemetery and a green, Tory Hill was central in the community. It was there that a militia mustered before marching off during the War of 1812. “It’s rich in history,” Beverly Atkinson said about the area.

The couple has an antique time clock and a brass whistle from an old mill in Bar Mills where his dad and two brothers once worked. As a youngster, Sandy Atkinson played basketball in the barn attached to the mansion. The barn has also become a museum with Persian rugs on the floor.

The Atkinsons have two children and three grandchildren. Their daughter, Pamela Ridley, is a teacher at the Prides Corner School in Westbrook. Their son, Dan Atkinson, is vice president at Silvex, a Westbrook company that Sandy Atkinson bought in 1969.

The mansion sits on five landscaped acres with a gazebo and a pond.

Before the Atkinsons bought the mansion, it had served as a bed and breakfast. The mansion was named to the federal historic register in 1975.

The Atkinsons are looking forward to opening their mansion for tours in July. Members of the historical society will serve as tour guides dressed in period costumes. “We like to share it with people,” Sandy Atkinson said about their mansion.

Royal Brewster mansion at Tory Hill in Buxton.

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