LIVERMORE — Trustees of the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center plan to unveil the new Farmer’s Cottage to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Saturday, March 19.

The barn and a cottage attached to the historical Norlands’ mansion, considered a museum, were destroyed by an accidental fire on April 28, 2008. The mansion was left standing.

During the first phase, at an estimated cost of $1.1 million, foundations for the Farmer’s Cottage and the barn were poured last year and the cottage was rebuilt.

The barn will be rebuilt in the second phase of the project, which is estimated to cost an additional $500,000.

The grand opening celebration is free to the public and includes a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m., followed by an open house and tour, corn chowder and sweets, speeches and a few surprises.

“Our Board of Trustees and staff are excited to share this joyful occasion with the people of Maine,” Executive Director Kathleen Beauregard said in a prepared statement. “Without the generosity and talent of hundreds of people, this milestone would not have been possible. The rebuilt historic Farmer’s Cottage is a thriving part of the living history venue once again.”

Recreating the circa-1870 Farmer’s Cottage was no easy task, Beauregard said.

“Careful attention to the finish details had to hide modern elements and create functional 19th-century aspects, such as a working hand pump at the slate kitchen sink,” she said.

She said the cottage also had to be built to meet current life-safety codes, including a fire-suppression sprinkler system. The builders, managed by Wright-Ryan Homes of Portland, rose to the task of combining those goals, she said.

More than 50 percent of the subcontractors were from Western Maine. Many donated extra time or materials to help the museum meet the budget, she said.

Floorboards were made from the Norlands’ forest, milled nearby and nailed by hand. Businesses such as Hancock Lumber, Hammond Lumber, Central Appliance and Sherwin-Williams Paint donated materials and equipment. Volunteers gathered to put on finishing touches, such as interior painting, cabinetry and the assembly of donated artifacts, such as rope beds and an antique wood cook stove, Beauregard said.

The construction project included the completion of the 80-foot barn foundation and floor, which is ready for the barn frame to be raised by the community, she said.

Everyone is welcome to the celebration and to learn about the next phase of the historic rebuilding project, she said.

The museum’s event calendar for 2011 offers a number of history programs, including the return of the “Live-Ins,” in which visitors live and work for 24 to 72 hours on the farm.

“Tens of thousands of Maine schoolchildren have attended Norlands’ living history programs over the past 37 years,” Beauregard said. “ We hope you will all come see the museum’s rebirth and celebrate with us.”

For more information, log on to www.norlands.org.

dperry@sunjournal.com