A proposed zoning change in Wiscasset would help Castle Tucker return to its roots.

A century ago on the property along the Sheepscot River, the Tucker women tended vegetables, berries and grapes, along with Northern Spy and Gravenstein apples.

“The family fortune had diminished to the point where the women had to use their kitchen as a source of income,” said Peggy Konitzky, Wiscasset site manager for Castle Tucker's owner Historic New England.

The family sold pies and filling, along with relishes made with vegetables from the garden, Konitzky said.

These days, the grounds don't reflect the 1895-1920 time frame that Historic New England focuses on when telling the story of the place,  she said.

Other, unplanned vegetation Mother Nature has planted has changed the landscape, according to Konitzky.

“It blew in,” she said of the newer growth.

The zoning change voters will consider making in the neighborhood this June would let Historic New England move forward with transitioning the grounds back in time.

Over the next several years, as money allows, the organization would bring back a vegetable garden and make other landscaping changes to restore the property's late 1800's-early 1900s appearance, Konitzky said.

Castle Tucker and several other properties would move from the shoreland resource protection district to the less restrictive shoreland residential district.

Wiscasset Town Planner Misty Parker is aware of no opposition to the proposed change. All affected property owners were notified and none spoke out against it at an April 8 public hearing, Parker said.

However, Parker has heard from people both in and outside the neighborhood who support the change. “I think that having more flexibility while still protecting the quality of the water is favorable,” she said.

The properties are compatible with the district they would be entering, Parker said.

Voters will decide on the proposed change at the polls June 11.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.