In order to log this Virtual Cache, please take and post a photo of you giving the "thumbs up" sign or your geocaching name written on something in front of Stephen King's residence. Your face does not have to appear in the picture (but if you're not camera shy, that would be more fun!) DO NOT VENTURE ONTO THE PROPERTY! EVERYTING IS OBSERVABLE FROM THE PUBLIC SIDEWALK!
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts. Stephen and Tabitha are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.
The 19th century Victorian mansion is on Bangor's nicest historic block, where sawmill barons lived in the city's lumbering heyday. In addition to it looking like a classic Gothic haunted house, The now-iconic manor on West Broadway was originally built in 1858, and has been owned by King and his wife Tabitha since 1980. King surrounded the property with a spiky iron fence with a spiderweb front gate topped by two iron bats. King has said that he doesn't like visitors, but his desire to live in a horror cliche of a house created the perfect photo backdrop for his fans. There's even a frighteningly intricate tree sculpture that sits on the lawn.
The King manor lies on roughly 2 acres of land and was built in an Italianate Villa style. Hayford Park is right in the family’s backyard, while the property is surrounded by lush trees, offering plenty of privacy. The original structure was made out of wood and only had one tower; the left-side tower was reportedly added in 1895, while the large front porch was added in 1912. The property nowadays also incorporates an attached barn with an indoor swimming pool, a three-car garage, and King’s former writing studio at the rear of the house.
While you can't explore the interiors of the house, there are tours that will take you to spots in Bangor (Derry) that have inspired his most famous work. The beautiful, century-old homes in the quiet neighborhood are worth a quick look, too
If you're hoping to glimpse King during a visit, you won't. He spends almost all of his time in his other homes.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.