Once a hostelry in Hollis known as Carll House, Quillcote was a forerunner of the modern day condo and is still perhaps a haunt for long-ago occupants.
The house became the summer home of children’s author Kate Douglas Wiggin, who renamed it “Quillcote” in 1894. Bill and Carla Turner now own the landmark home.
Until she moved away at age 16, Wiggin lived in a cottage across Salmon Falls Road from the house that would eventually become her home. Returning later to summer in Hollis, Wiggin bought Carll House. But not all its rooms came with the deal.
An addition built in 1866 had become known as Olive’s Part. The Carll’s had deeded rooms of the addition as the living quarters for their adopted daughter, Olive Braddish. Later, Wiggin acquired Olive’s Part, which today houses Wiggin’s personal library and memorabilia.
The Turners have restored Quillcote to the grandeur of the Victorian era Wiggin knew. It was built in the 1770s as a four-room house and enlarged over the years. Carla Turner said the federal style front was added in 1810, transforming it from a farmhouse. It once had a ballroom upstairs.
The author’s grandfather clock, spinning wheel and family photos hanging on its walls lend a special air to Quillcote. Wiggin’s piano, built in Portland, is the central piece of a former dining room. Wallpaper and homespun wall-to-wall floor coverings in the room have been preserved from Wiggin’s time.
The story of Quillcote includes some tragedy as well, including the story of the untimely death of 4-year-old James Carll. After toppling over a railing, the youngster fell down a stairwell and died. He’s buried near Wiggin’s monument at Tory Hill Cemetery.
While Carll died years ago, there are some who believe his spirit still resides at Quillcote.
Bill Turner’s parents bought the historic home from the only heir of Wiggin and her sister, Nora Smith. An insurance man inspecting the house for the Turners told of seeing a little boy in a sailor’s suit running up the stairs.
“We hear people on the stairs a lot,” Carla Turner said. “This house is definitely inhabited.”
Quillcote is a registered federal landmark in a historic district along the Saco River. The Turners are preserving the past for future generations and give tours for special groups like school children.
Bill Turner is retired from the postal service and from teaching and his wife, Carla Turner, is a special education teacher at Bonny Eagle. The couple said restoration is an ongoing work at Quillcote. “I’m reassembling Kate’s house,” Carla Turner said.
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