The Paul Urann House
The Paul Urann House is one of the earliest frame houses in the community. SSHS is restoring this building to be used as an interactive educational tool for the community.
Mr. Urann was an early settler in the area and the home he built (circa 1800) for his family sits on a portion of one of the original land grants in the township. In February of 2012, the Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society purchased the Paul Urann house on US Highway 1, Sullivan. The purchase was made for several reasons. The property was in foreclosure and there was interest in razing it in order to re-purpose the lot. The house has several features of historical significance. Much of the house remains original with little renovation over its lifetime. Most importantly, it is an opportunity for the Society to display and celebrate local history and remember a prominent early leader of the community.
Project Updates
Upon purchase, the Historical Society began the process of engaging community support, developing strategies and establishing a fundraising campaign.
Much was accomplished that first year:
- The Society raised $14,000 through donations and fund-raising activities
- With help from volunteers and donated equipment, cleared the grounds and removed the interior mess from vandalism.
- Scheduled work days and local high school students spent time learning about the home and its history, as well as helping with yard work and interior cleanup. Began to restore the original windows, scraping, painting and glazing.
- Began research into the Urann family and the house.
- Developed plans to preserve the exterior of the house and concepts for interior restoration and future use. The Society agreed that we would like visitors to the home be able to see, feel and be immersed in the history.
In 2013, we continued the restoration of the exterior, cleaning out and evaluating the interior for restoration, collecting items and furnishings for later use and more work on the grounds. The following projects were completed:
- Repaired the roof and adjacent trim and installed new shingles
- Repaired exterior drainage system.
- Held work days for yard work and minor repairs.
- Continued research into the Urann family and the house.
In 2014, we concentrated on smaller projects. Some funds were collected and the following work was completed:
- Removed non-historical changes to the interior.
- Cleaned out the garage. While not original to the property, it is a useful space that can be made to look original.
- Collected more historical artifacts from donors.
- Held work days where volunteers completed small projects.
In 2015 & 2016, with help from Davis Family Foundation, we completed the exterior painting and began some interior restoration. During preparation work for the painting project, we discovered some sill damage and were able to better determine water damage to the front walls.
In 2017, major work on the project was deferred to acquire further funding. Held several work days at the house doing tasks to prepare for the larger work to come.
2018 & 2019: We received a grant from the Davis Family Foundation in the amount of $8,500 for work continued on the project. Acadia Post and Beam, owned by Paul Maynell, and Kenneth D. Jordan, Inc., Movers & Riggers were contracted to replace the sills on the front and back of the house and work at leveling the structure. In August, Les Fossel of “Les Fossel’s Restoration Resources” did an inspection of the Urann house in order to help clear up mysteries as to when and how the house was constructed. Les also does “Old House and Barn Schools” where he works with building owners to explore the history of their historic home. If there is interest from homeowners, S-SHS will have Les do a workshop here.
In May 2020, the Society received a new $8,000 grant from the Davis Family Foundation. During the summer, we replaced the clapboards to complete the sill project. Volunteers Gerry Gordon and Mike Hosking painted the new siding. Additional work included hooking up the well. Further inside work will continue through the winter as weather permits. If you are interested in volunteering, please let us know.