The Plymouth House
Our Legacy, Values & Vision
Our Legacy, Values & Vision
“The Plymouth House is the People Not the Place”
— Tom Shaffner, founder of The Plymouth House
Our Founder
The Plymouth House was founded in 2002 by Thomas D. Shaffner, beloved by many as “Tom.” Tom grew up in a farming family in Freeland, Michigan during the Great Depression. He received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1958, then attended Georgetown University Law School, graduating in 1963. In 1975, Tom joined one of his patent clients, Howard Dearborn, in Fryeburg, Maine to help manage and grow Dearborn Tubular Products, which went on to become one of the area’s largest employers.
While Tom was a dedicated engineer, his even greater passion was helping people find recovery from their addictions. Tom had struggled with addiction for a number of years until he found the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, which he credited with transforming his life. He was an active member of the recovery communities in both Maine and New Hampshire, and in 2002 founded The Plymouth House. His vision for The Plymouth House was to create a retreat for individuals to come and focus intensely on working the 12 Steps to find freedom from addiction.
Our Legacy
In the beginning, Tom helped just a handful of people at a time at The Plymouth House’s then 4.8-acre property in the beautiful foothills of the White Mountains. Today, almost two decades later, The Plymouth House now helps approximately 40-60 people at a time at our retreat, which now sits on a 60-acre property. To date, more than 20,000 people have worked their steps at The Plymouth House.
Before Tom passed away in October of 2016, he gifted The Plymouth House to his philanthropic foundation — the Thomas D. Shaffner Charitable Foundation — which has continued Tom’s legacy of helping both individuals in recovery, and engineering students. Tom also helped found three sober living homes in Maine.
Our Legacy
In the beginning, Tom helped just a handful of people at a time at The Plymouth House’s then 4.8-acre property in the beautiful foothills of the White Mountains. Today, almost two decades later, The Plymouth House now helps approximately 40-60 people at a time at our retreat, which now sits on a 60-acre property. To date, more than 20,000 people have worked their steps at The Plymouth House.
Before Tom passed away in October of 2016, he gifted The Plymouth House to his philanthropic foundation — the Thomas D. Shaffner Charitable Foundation — which has continued Tom’s legacy of helping both individuals in recovery, and engineering students. Tom also helped found three sober living homes in Maine.
Our Philosophy
Tom’s business philosophy was always to put people first. He believed that when you genuinely help people wholeheartedly, everything else works itself out. His motto — “The Plymouth House is the People Not the Place” — lives on today. It is evidenced by The Plymouth House’s extremely active alumni network — now roughly 20,000 people strong. Many of The Plymouth House’s alumni have gone on to become 12 step contacts and work for the organization. The Plymouth House’s growth has been entirely organic, spurred on by its positive reputation and legacy in New England’s recovery community.
In 2021, The Plymouth House partnered with Guardian Recovery Network — a family of well-respected treatment centers across the United States — to increase the center’s capacity to help people. By being a part of Guardian Recovery Network, The Plymouth House is now able to offer expert medical and clinical care, which has allowed individuals to cover the cost of treatment with their health insurance coverage.
Although The Plymouth House has changed and expanded over the past two decades, it has never neglected to stay true to Tom’s original vision — to help individuals transform their lives.
