Hotels and Boarding Houses of Mount Desert Island
part of the Mount Desert Island Cultural History Project
of
V. F. Thomas Co. - P. O. Box 400 - Southwest Harbor, ME 04679
info@vfthomas.com - 207-266-5748
(updated 9 September 2010)
Welcome
to the Hotels and Boarding Houses of Mount Desert Island home page, part of the Mount Desert Island Cultural History Project.
Purpose of this web page:
The purpose of this web page is to present information about Mount Desert Island's hotels and boarding houses. If little is known about a hotel or boarding house, it will be reported below. If a picture becomes available or when substantially more information is learned, a separate web page will be created for that hotel or boarding house and a link will be provided below.
Mystery hotel(?)
This image was e-mailed from a reader who said, "I live in SWH [Southwest Harbor] and found this photo in the attic under a floorboard. Any idea which hotel it could be? It is difficult to tell, but there are flower boxes on each side of the porch at the top step." If you have a solution to this mystery, please e-mail your answer.
How to contribute:
All information (including images) should be e-mailed to info@vfthomas.com or sent by traditional mail to MDI Hotels and Boarding Houses, c/o V. F. Thomas Co.; P. O. Box 400; Southwest Harbor, ME 04679.
Bar Harbor
Agamont House - Main Street, across street from what is now [2010] Agamont Park
built by Tobias Roberts
1881 (July 14): proprietors - J. Lynch and son
1888: burned
Atlantic House - south side of Douglas Avenue
1870: built
1873: burned
1874: rebuilt
1881 (July 14): proprietor - J. H. Douglass; clerk - G. E. Patterson
1887: purchased by Miss M. L. Balch and named The Louisburg
1911: leased by J. A. Sherrad
later leased by L. C. Prior
1916: operated by the Misses Healey
1921: purchased by Lafayette Hotel Corporation and named The Lorraine
1939: torn down
Bay View - corner of Main Street and Mount Desert Street (= site of what is now [2010] the village green)
1868: built for Mr. Hamor and Mr. Young
1873: replaced by the Grand Central Hotel (q.v.)
Belmont Hotel - near corner of Mt. Desert Street and Kebo Street
1879: built
1881 (July 14): J. C. Manchester, proprietor
1886 (July 6): J. C. Manchester, proprietor; J. Pearl Manchester, clerk
1947: burned
advertisement: The Daily Herald, 6 July 1886
Birch Tree
1881 (July 14): Andrew Rodick, proprietor
De Gregoire Hotel - corner of Eden Street and West Street
ca. 1892: construction began for DeGrasse Fox
ca. 1895: purchased by George Wescott
[year?]: purchased by W. R. Lee who added a wing
1907: opened by W. R. Lee
1947: burned
Deering House
1881 (July 14): Charles Higgins, proprietor
Exchange Hotel - south side of Mount Desert Street
1881: The Misses Shannon, proprietors
Grand Central Hotel - corner of Main Street and Mount Desert Street (= site of what is now [2010] the village green)
1873: built
1881 (July 14): R. Hamor and sons, proprietors; S. P. Stockbridge, clerk; "The Grand Central has been refurnished [a]nd forty sleeping rooms added this season." (Mount Desert Herald, 14 July 1881, p. 3)
1892: purchased by Johnston Livingston
1899: purchased by town of Bar Harbor
Hamor house - near corner of Cottage and Main Streets
1864: built for James Hamor
Hotel Des Isle - Newton Way, west of Main Street and south of Mt. Desert Street
1881: built
1881 (July 14): E. G. DesIsle, proprietor; J. Ball, clerk; "The new Hotel Des Isle is nicely furnished and promises to be a very popular [h]ouse." (Mount Desert Herald, 14 July 1881, p. 3)
1897: renamed Maine Central Hotel
1900: torn down; "The hotel Des Isle has been levelled [sic] to the ground, and naught remains but a pile of lumber of what was once a popular hotel." (Bar Harbor Record, 10 January 1900, p. 5, col. 2)
Hotel Hamilton School Street
1881 (July 14): George W. Hamilton, proprietor
advertisement: Mount Desert Herald, 14 July 1881
Lookout House - north side of Eagle Lake Road
1881 (July 14): J. S. Salisbury, proprietor
Lorraine, The - see Atlantic House
Louisburg, The - see Atlantic House
Lynam House
1881 (July 14): John T. Lynam, proprietor; F. C. Lynam, clerk
Maine Central Hotel - see Hotel Des Isle
Malvern Hotel - Kebo Street
1882: built for DeGrasse Fox
1910: purchased by Mrs. Morris Jesup
1911: purchased by Thomas De Witt Cuyler
1924: purchased by Malvern Hotel Company Inc.
1930: purchased by Chester Wescott
1947: burned
Marlborough - Main Street, opposite Cottage Street
1892: built for Charles Higgins
1905: purchased by Martin Roberts
New Florence - see the The Porcupine
Newport House - east of Main Street, just south of what is now [2010] Agamont Park
1869: built
1881 (July 14): W. M. Roberts, proprietor; E. W. Young, clerk
1938: torn down
Ocean House
1870: built
1881 (July 14): Samuel N. Higgins, proprietor
1973: [torn down?]
advertisement: Mount Desert Herald, 14 July 1881
Porcupine, The - Main Street, opposite Mount Desert Street
1887: built
1906: purchased by Miss T. E. Martin and renamed the New Florence
1917: purchased by [?]
1918: burned
Rockaway House - east of Main Street, eastern side of what is now [2010] Agamont Park
1870: built
1881 (July 14): Tobias L. Roberts, proprietor
ca. 1916: torn down
Rodick House - west side of Main Street
1866: built
1874: expanded
1881 (July 14): D. Rodick and sons, proprietors; E. W. Taft, clerk; "Mr. E. W. Taft, the clerk at the Rodick House, has looked after the comfort of the many guests of that hotel for six seasons before the present. ... The Rodick House is fast filling up with all-summer guests. They come early in the season, stay late in the fall, and are sure to come again the next year. There is no more homelike and comfortable hotel at Bar Harbor." (Mount Desert Herald, 14 July 1881, p. 3)
1881–1882: expanded
1886 (July 6): "largest hotel in Maine" (see advertisement from The Daily Herald, 6 July 1886, below); D. Rodick & sons, proprietors
1906: torn down
advertisements: Mount Desert Herald, 14 July 1881, The Daily Herald, 6 July 1886
St. Sauveur
1870: designed by John Clark; built
1880: annex added
1881 (July 14): F. J. Alley, proprietor; D. W. Bunker, clerk
1881: burned
1882: rebuilt
1945: torn down
summer boarding house
1881: A. F. Higgins, proprietor
summer boarding house - Salisbury Cove
1881: T. S. Liscomb, proprietor
summer boarding house
1881: [A. J. or J. A.?] Rodick, proprietor
summer boarding house
1881: C. A. Wallace 2nd, proprietor
Summit House - top of Green (now Cadillac) Mountain
Wayside Inn - west of Eden Street
1881: Mrs. R. G. Higgins, proprietor
West End Hotel - south side of West Street
1878-1879: built
1881 (July 14): O. M. Shaw and son, proprietors; C. W. Wormell, clerk
1900: torn down; "Mr. C. B. Dalton of Dalton & Co. Portland, who bought the West End hotel was registered at the Porcupine Monday [8 January 1900]." (Bar Harbor Record, Wednesday, 10 January 1900, p. 5, col. 3)
"Messrs Dalton & Co., of Portland, who bought the West End hotel a short time ago, put a force of men at work Tuesday [9 January 1900], taking it down. ... It is estimated that there is 500,000 feet of lumber in the building and 600 windows and doors. The principal part of the lumber will be carted to the wharf and shipped by vessel to Portland where it will be used either in constructing another hotel at Cape Elizabeth or else in the erection of cottages there. As will be seen from an advertisement on another page there will be a large amount of material to be disposed of, and those wanting kindling wood will have a chance to get a liberal supply at a reasonable price." (Bar Harbor Record, Wednesday, 10 January 1900, p. 5, col. 3)
"Charles C. Linscott, while at work on the West End hotel last Friday [12 January 1900] afternoon, met with quite a severe accident. He was engaged in tearing off the clapboards with a chisel, and thinking to accelerate matters substituted a shovel for the chisel. In the use of this in some way he leaned back too far and losing his balance fell on to the roof of the veranda. Even here he did not realize his danger, but the roof being covered with ice he began to slip. There being nothing for him to catch hold of, he continued sliding until suddenly he fell over the edge. The railing of the verander [sic] underneath projects out some few feet further than the roof and in his fall Mr. Linscott struck across it on his stomach. The railing gave way and he fell over backwards striking on the rocks below. No bones were broken but his ankle was badly sprained and he suffers considerably from the shake up. He is lame all over so he can hardly move. He will be confined to the house for about a month." (Bar Harbor Record, Wednesday, 17 January 2000, p. 5, cols. 3 and 4)
Mount Desert
Asticou Inn
designed by Frederick L. Savage
1883: built by (and for) Augustus C. Savage, father of Frederick L. Savage
1900 (September): burned
1900–1901: rebuilt
1911: operated by George Savage, son of Augustus C. Savage
Central House - Somesville
1881: William Fennelly, proprietor
Glencove Hotel - Seal Harbor
Harbor Cottage - Northeast Harbor
1881: A. C. Savage, proprietor
Kimball House - Northeast Harbor
1881: Daniel Kimball, proprietor
Manchester House - Northeast Harbor
1881: Thomas Manchester, proprietor
Mount Desert House - Somesville
1881: Daniel Somes, proprietor
later operated by Daniel Somes Jr.
[year?]: purchased by William T. Manning of New York for a summer home
Petite Hotel - Seal Harbor
Rockend Hotel
Seaside House - Seal Harbor
1881: J. Clement and sons, proprietors
[year?]: renamed Seaside Inn
Somes House - Somesville
summer boarding house - Somesville
1881: E. E. Babson, proprietor
summer boarding house - Somesville
1881: G. B. Somes, proprietor
Southwest Harbor
Ashmont
Claremont, The
1883–1884: built by Edward Glover of Rockland for Jesse H. Pease
1884–1900: operated by Jesse H. Pease
1900–1908: operated by Grace Pease, widow of Jesse H. Pease
1908: purchased by Dr. Joseph Dana Phillips
1938: managed by Lawrence D. Phillips, son of Dr. Joseph Dana Phillips
Dirigo House
Freeman House
1881: J. A. Freeman, proprietor
Island House
1881: Henry H. Clark, proprietor; "There are four hotels at Southwest Harbor. Deacon Clark still keeps the Island House." (Mount Desert Herald, 14 July 1881, p. 3)
1897: following death of Henry H. Clark (21 January 1897) sold to S. R. Clark, who took it down
Ocean House
1881: N. Teague and son, proprietors
1885–1886: addition of two bays, a third story, and a mansard roof
Pemetic House
1881: H. H. Clark, proprietor
Seawall House
Stanley House
1876: built for Sans Stanley
Tremont
summer boarding house - Bass Harbor
1881: C. M. Holden, proprietor
Tremont House - Bass Harbor
1881: L. F. Benson, proprietor
