September is a time of change in Maine. For decades, summer tourists have returned home as autumn neared.
In the early 1900s, families from Lewiston and Auburn wrapped up their two or three months as summer residents on Squirrel Island and at Harpswell.
The establishment of summer colonies for well-to-do families was a post-Civil War trend. It was 1868 when investors from Lewiston and Auburn bought 130-acre Squirrel Island, a mile south of Boothbay Harbor and just a short boat ride from the mainland. The island, as well as the Harpswell colony that would come along seven years later, was to serve as a summer retreat for the wives and children of well-to-do businessmen. It was close enough for fathers to spend some vacation time there, too.
Families originally camped in tents until the investors drew plans and built 14 cottages the first year. In following years, Squirrel Island improvements included an ice cream spa, boardwalks that also served as spectator seating, clay tennis courts overlooking the ocean, a ramp for beach access, bleachers for the hundreds of baseball fans, and water and sewer systems.
According to the Cultural Landscape Foundation website, there were 115 cottages by 1905. They were large two-story structures, and they stood in a row overlooking the village center. Every summer through the early 1900s, the Lewiston Evening Journal published daily columns of Squirrel Island news with all the details of parties, visitors and sports.
In 1932, a disastrous fire destroyed all of these homes, except for Eagles’ Nest, the cottage of Emily Stanley Warren. It was saved when the wind shifted. Emily Warren was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Stanley. Mr. Stanley was one of the brothers who invented the Stanley Steamer.
The Auburn Colony at Harpswell also came about through investments by businessmen of the Twin Cities.
The preamble to the first bylaws of the Auburn-Harpswell Association says, “On the thirty-first day of August, 1876, the gentlemen interested in the Auburn Harpswell Association and their ladies and friends embarked on their cars for the city of Portland. At Portland the party boarded the steamer ‘Henrietta’ and were soon gliding down the bay among the islands. Arriving at Harpswell Neck, the party landed and after having refreshments in a grove near the landing proceeded to the proposed site of the colony.”
The group purchased the Capt. Nathaniel Pinkham farm and four acres of land. An online history published by the Harpswell Historical Society says all of the cottages were large shingle-style structures, with continuous wood shingles on the two stories, and had extensive porches.
Among the original owners were many prominent names of the Twin Cities. They included Mrs. Edward Little, whose father-in-law gave the land for the first Edward Little High School; E. S. Paul, proprietor of an exclusive dry goods store in Lewiston; Ara Cushman, shoe manufacturer; and U. S. Sen. William P. Frye.
Harpswell was not easily reached from Lewiston-Auburn at that time. There were two options.
The website account said, “A buckboard made the trip from Harpswell to Brunswick and back once a week, but the road was so bad (of the “corduroy type” in the wet sections) that it was a very uncomfortable ride and no one made the journey unless absolutely necessary. The easier way to travel was by the steamer that came from Portland four times a day, and, later, twice a day.”
The arrival of the “Henrietta” was a social highlight of summer life for Harpswell. A band greeted the steamer, and it was said that “the music was terrible, but jolly.”
The Harpswell Colony also suffered the tragedy of fire. On Nov. 5, 1899, a fire started in the cottage closest to the road and quickly engulfed all 20 cottages. The only buildings left unscathed were the assembly hall, stables and dining hall.
According to rumors, the fire was started by local residents in reaction to opposition from a colony member who was against a liquor license for a nearby establishment. By 1902, 14 new cottages had been built.
The Auburn Colony was run in the early 1900s like a hotel. The cottages were rented or loaned to friends and relatives for those weeks that they were not occupied by the owners.
Dave Sargent is a freelance writer and a native of Auburn. He can be reached by sending email to davidsargent607@gmail.com.
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