Fire destroys Jamie Wyeth paintings, damages historic buildings, in Maine

PORT CLYDE, Maine (AP) — A fire destroyed several waterfront buildings in Maine, including an art gallery with several paintings by Jamie Wyeth and an illustration by his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth., the building’s owner said Friday.

The original paintings and illustration, along with several signed prints, books and photographs, were lost when the fire started late Wednesday and spread to several buildings including the Maine Wyeth Art Gallery, said Linda Bean, who owned both the art gallery and the Port Clyde General Store, which also burned down.

The Jamie Wyeth paintings that were destroyed were “Snapper,” “With Green Peppers” and “Red Tail Hawk,” and N.C. Wyeth’s illustration was from Henry David Thoreau’s book, “Men of Concord.”

The Wyeth family famously have ties to the area. Jamie Wyeth’s dad, Andrew Wyeth, painted his 1948 masterpiece “Christina’s World” in nearby Cushing. His grandfather, N.C. Wyeth, had a home in Port Clyde.

The fire started in the Dip Net restaurant and quickly spread to three businesses in Port Clyde, a village that’s part of the town of Saint George, the state fire marshal said. All three buildings were destroyed, and firefighters remained at the scene until Thursday evening.

No one was hurt.

The fire left a hole in the waterfront, saddening the community. “Everybody in town has at one point worked at the general store, myself included,” said Magan Wallace, planning and assessing clerk.

Bean, whose grandfather founded the retail giant L.L. Bean, said Friday she intends to rebuild. “My hope is to restore the premises and resume its businesses and jobs there as fully and as soon as possible,” she said.