General Henry Knox retired from President Washington’s cabinet and departed Philadelphia on June 1, 1795. Knox and his family settled at his family’s estate, Montpelier, at Thomaston, Maine in 1796. Lucy Knox had inherited the land through her mother, the daughter of Brigadier General Samuel Waldo. Knox’s intention when he relocated to Maine was to dedicate his "all to the development of the District of Maine."
Hardly “retired” in the traditional sense, Knox participated in many of the emerging businesses in the area. He shipped timber, quarried lime, made bricks, built a lock and canal system on the Georges River, built roads, helped to establish a local church, founded local militia groups, and experimented with agriculture, shipbuilding, and land speculation. Henry Knox didn’t have time to become truly successful at any of these enterprises. He died unexpectedly at 56 years of age on October 25, 1806.
Henry Knox’s Montpelier was razed in 1871; however, a magnificent replica established in 1929 takes its place. Montpelier stands as a living memorial to General Knox. It houses many of the objects he purchased for the original mansion and provides a place for visitors to learn about Knox’s life and times. For more information about Montpelier, The General Henry Knox Museum, visit: http://www.generalknoxmuseum.org/.
Image of Henry Knox’s Montpelier, Thomaston, Maine