Save This Old House: Maine Second Empire

Price: $65,000
Location: Frankfort, Maine
Contact: Tara Roy, Realty of Maine, 800-639-2162

The history: This charming 4,305-square-foot house was built by local merchant and shipwright Franklin Treat in 1864, back when granite, lumber, and shipbuilding were this small town's big industries. Ten years later, Treat sold the home to Louisa T. Peirce, whose late husband was granite baron George Albert Peirce and whose great-nephew Waldo Peirce became a well-known painter. After the Peirces, the house passed through many hands. Though it has been vacant since the 1980s, Treat's initials remain etched in the front doors' glass panels.