1877 House is located on St. John Drive at the edge of the Conservation Area, overlooking Morse River Marsh about 1 1/2 miles from Seawall Beach.  The house, built in 1877 after a fire destroyed the original house, was part of a Morse family subsistence farm. The original barn remains. 1877 has been the Jim St. John family summer home since 1948. It shares St. John Drive with the Aframe, about 100 yards away, beyond a screen of trees.

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1877 retains its farmhouse style. On the first floor is a fully equipped kitchen, dining room and livingroom, both with wood stoves and a cupboard of games and puzzles and shelves lined with books for all ages. Also on the first floor are a double bedroom with twin beds that can be converted to a king, a half bath and a utility room with washer, dryer and a shower. There is baseboard electric heating throughout. Upstairs there are 5 bedrooms, including 2 with queen beds, a full bath and a half bath. There is internet service; there is no television but plenty of puzzles and games.

 

​The Morse River is an ideal place for swimming, birdwatching and exploring in the canoes or kayaks kept for both the 1877 and the Aframe. A 1 ½ mile moderate walk through the forest on a pleasant path is the mile-long Seawall Beach, the perfect place for swimming, building sandcastles, or collecting shells. From the top of the Morse Mountain are views of the coast stretching from Portland to Monhegan, and an archipelago of islands in between.

 

1877 and Aframe are the only MRA houses where pets are allowed, but dogs are not allowed at the beach. These 2 houses make an ideal location for a wedding or reunion. There is electric service in the field in front of Aframe where a tent could be placed.

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