The Places That Held Us Together
Every family has houses — but not every family has anchor houses.
An anchor house is more than wood and foundation. It is a place where people gathered, where stories were told, where generations intertwined, and where the heart of a family quietly formed itself.
Anchor houses are points on a map, yes — but even more, they are points in memory.
They are the places we returned to again and again, the places that shaped who we became.
This page honors four great Anchor Houses of the Elcik, Gamache, Skillin, Lucas, and allied family lines — each one a center of gravity in its own era.
Anchor House #1 — The 1910 Elcik Home
“The First House We Ever Owned”
Lisbon Falls, Maine
Residents: John P. Elcik & Mary Pelarsky
Era: circa 1908–1930s
In 1910, a U.S. Census taker recorded something extraordinary for a newly arrived immigrant family: John Elcik owned his home.
Valued at approximately $500, this modest wooden structure represented a monumental achievement — the first permanent foothold in America for the Elcik lineage.
This was the foundation house — the place where the Elcik story in America truly began.
Anchor House #2 — The Gamache Home of Lisbon Falls
“The House We Always Returned To”
45 Davis Street (later 21 Davis Street), Lisbon Falls, Maine
Residents: Norman Gamache & Gertrude “Auntie Gert” (Elcik) Gamache
Era: 1950s–1990s
This house was the heartbeat of the extended family. For decades, it was the one place that always stayed the same.
Few houses in the family memory are recalled as vividly as this one.
Anchor House #3 — The Lucas Home of Old Orchard Beach
“The Multigenerational House with Room for Seven Children”
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
This home still stands today as a Bed & Breakfast Inn — a living connection to earlier generations.
Anchor House #4 — The Skillin & Adams Hearths
“Where Language, Tradition, and Craft Were Preserved”
Various locations across Maine
These were quieter houses, but deeply influential ones — preserving the cultural glue that held families together.
What Makes a House an Anchor House?
Across all examples: continuity, stability, identity, generosity, and memory.