Sweat-Morin Homestead

Sweat-Morin Homestead and Virginia H. Morin Preserve

Virginia Hurd Morin, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 99, left a significant bequest to the Mousam Way Land Trust which included the 1786 home of Reverend Moses Sweat, Sanford’s first Congregational minister, the barn, outbuildings and cemetery on lower School Street in Sanford, Maine. 

The Sweat-Morin Homestead, a 501c3 organization was created and its directors developed and executed a restoration plan to return the property to its 18th century origins. The painstaking process of repairing and restoring the house, barn and five acres of the surrounding grounds began in 2023 and was managed and financed by the Homestead. The historic site officially opened to the public in July of 2025. The project's mission is to create a living history museum open to the public where visitors can see what life was like in rural Maine nearly 250 years ago — at the time of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.

The Sweat-Morin Homestead will be open for tours of the historic house, barn, and property on Saturdays, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm from April through October. In addition, programs and events featuring life in the 18th century, in collaboration with the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society, will be offered to the public throughout the year. 

The Virginia Hurd Morin Preserve is 95 acres of undisturbed woodland that is held and managed by the Mousam Way Land Trust. There is a well-marked loop trail for visitors to enjoy the old growth pines, hemlocks and wetland. The trailhead and parking is located on the north end of the property at the corner of School Street and Oak Ridge Rd in Sanford.