Our Story

Creating a More Stable Community, One Family at a Time

The Lamb House aims to promote community stability by providing a shelter where all family members can stay together when fire or flooding has rendered their homes uninhabitable.  This avoids the emotional disruption caused when children change schools and the family’s wage earners must live separately to remain close to their places of employment.  The Lamb House has the look and feel of a safe, comfortable, single-family home, and it contains everything expected in a normal household.

When not in use as an emergency residence, The Lamb House is available for organization-based volunteer groups providing services that benefit the region.

Thanks to enthusiastic local support, The Lamb House can offer furniture, and household items to the resident families for their new homes.

Located in the Cherryfield Historic District, The Lamb House is listed on the National Historic Registry as the Jerimiah Burnham homestead.

The Lamb House began life in the middle of the 19th century as a 3-story, single family home on a hill overlooking the Narraguagus River in Cherryfield.  Its current mission as a shelter began in 2013, when the Cherryfield Congregational Church next door, purchased the empty and neglected property.   At a church meeting, parishioner Mark Richmond  suggested that they turn the house into a shelter for families that had been burned out of their homes.  Winter fires are particularly common in the region, and the idea caught on. A committee was formed to determine its feasibility and the Lamb House Project began.

Using volunteer labor, donations and grants, The Lamb House was renovated into a dwelling that can comfortably house a family through four seasons.  In 2015, the Lamb House Project welcomed the first resident family.

In 2017 the Lamb House Project changed its name to The Lamb House, Inc. and became an independent charitable organization with its own governing Board of Directors.

Using funds from contributions and targeted grants, plus in-kind donations, the Board replaced all major appliances, and installed a new furnace and generator. The cellar underwent extensive moisture remediation, and the structure was painted its iconic blue. When The Lamb House asked for donations from the community, we received so much furniture, we were able to provide the client families with items for use in their new households.

The Lamb House has weathered many storms of it’s own, including two different winter freezes (2019 and 2023) which relied on emergency fund raising and countless volunteer hours to bring the house back to peak condition. The Lamb House was also able to operate throughout the COVID 19 pandemic.  

In 2025, the Lamb House revised its mission statement to allow for more flexibility in how we meet the housing needs of the community. While continuing to work as an emergency shelter, we have elevated the priority of providing housing to community groups rather than only providing this service when the shelter is not in use. We have also expanded eligibility for shelter stays to include additional emergencies” beyond in fire and flood. These slight changes help ensure the Lamb House is always serving a purpose and never sits empty for any length of time. The Lamb House’s updated mission is to:
Provide temporary shelter to those who have lost their homes to fire, natural disasters and other emergencies, and for groups who benefit the region’s wellbeing. 

New furnace installed in 2016.