Abandoned 19th century 'ghost mansion' in stunning sleepy town hits the market for bargain $80K: 'Someone please save this house'

A dilapidated mansion built more than a century ago has hit the market for just $80,000 - but it needs extensive work to restore.

The 4,305-square-foot six-bedroom house can be found in a quiet corner of Frankfort, Maine, and was built in 1864.

The home, however, has been vacant for years - falling on hard times after the previous owner planned to restore it into a bed and breakfast.

His death in 2022 saw it passed to a relative, who is now set to sell the historic property.

Racked with water damage and structural deterioration, the home was recently branded a 'ghost house' by one wary resident.

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'Someone please save this house,' the local wrote, sharing the listing on a community Facebook page. 

'It's a total gut job,' added listing agent Suzanne Chase of the home, in a Friday interview with the Bangor Daily News.

Two days before, she told Fox ABC Maine while stood outside the downtrodden domicile, 'It's the only one that's left in this architectural design.'

To save it, first 'you'd have to fix the roof', she said - citing the 'funnel' of water 'that's putting all of the [rain] into the third, second, first floor and even the basement.'

'Fix the roof and then everything else [follows],' she said, conceding that such undertaking would be as costly as time-consuming.

The  $79,900 asking price reflects this, she said.

The listing adds that 'the materials used and craftsmanship can still vaguely be seen[,] but decades of abandonment and lack of maintenance have taken a rough toll.'

The historic estate is listed as a 'former beauty that is 'currently in need of a massive clean out [and] extensive renovations and repairs.'

A tour through the property carried out by Chase and Fox ABC Maine showed some of the damage to the home's interior, that included sunken ceilings and graffiti.

The outside, meanwhile, has fared a bit better over the years, but is in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint - not to mention some home improvement. 

'You know, it's it's a story,' said Michele Christle, who lives by the home built 160 years ago by famed shipwright Franklin Treat.

Situated down the street, she said, 'When I tell people where live, they always say what's up with that house?'

Aside from architecture that harks back to a former age, the house does boast quite the history.

Treat, a Maine shipbuilder and merchant, had it designed by the Boston architect Calvin Ryder, Christle told the Bangor Daily News - citing features like a mansard-style roof and a foundation made solely of granite secured from a nearby mountain.

Also commissioned was a grand staircase, plaster crown moldings and arched windows, which still stand today.

The shipwright went on to sell his creation to Louisa T. Peirce, the wife of the late granite baron George Albert Peirce. From there, it changed hands several times, before being abandoned for more than two decades.

That's when it came into possession of the most recent buyer, Dana Geel.

The senior did what he could do for the residence, hosting regular yard sales within its walls and on its porch while working to transform it into an inn.  

'We'd often say, "Oh abandoned for 20 years but today you can come in,"' Christle recalled of these showings. 

'And people loved that.'

But Dana passed and the house had to be abandoned again, falling into further disrepair.

Prospective buyers will have to weigh whether the bargain is worth the inevitable project that comes with it - a considerable undertaking for anyone, according to Chase.

In the meantime, the house continues to sit at its place at 9 Main Rd. South, looking more eerie than welcoming. 

'Currently in need of a massive clean out then extensive renovations and repairs, this 4,300 square foot historic icon could offer up to 6 bedrooms and as many bathrooms with its three floors,' the fresh listing warned. 

'Bring your safety shoes, flashlight and visions of preservation!'