Dark Harbor

Dark Harbor

Dark Harbor steamboat landing and the second Islesboro Inn (1917) In 1885, James Winsor, a Philadelphia steamship company owner and James Murray Howe, a real estate broker from Boston, who together had acquired land on North Haven, felt that the southern end of Islesboro was ripe for development. Accordingly, they commenced acquiring land and in 1888 formed the Islesboro Land and Improvement Company. By 1899, it had purchased 1500 acres of land (about ¼ of the island) for $60,000.00. To attract wealthy families to buy "a piece of the rock" they built the firs Islesboro Inn in 1889-1890 for $25,000.00. It opened with 39 rooms and many bathrooms with room rates approaching $10.00. Having sold out its first summer, additions to the Inn were subsequently built in 1891, 1899 and 1915 bringing the total number of bedrooms to 180. Designed by well-known architects, on often vast acreages, these summer "cottages" were built to provide generous seasonal experiences for their families and friends "from away." The Company built the Islesboro Inn in 1889 for prospective clients to reside while they decided on whether to buy property in Dark Harbor. The Inn's wealthy clientele, mostly from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis, bought property and built large houses to accommodate their sizable staffs. In 1891, the newly constructed Dark Harbor landing was host to regular steam boat trips from Rockland, and thus began the third summer community on Islesboro. Similar to the summer residents of Ryder's Cove and Hewes Point, the Dark Harbor summer people valued a more natural, rugged summer experience, including walking on the stone beaches, family bon fire parties, and indoor card and board games, especially Bridge, Canasta and jig saw puzzles. St. Mary of the Isles and Christ Church provided places of worship for this summer community. The Dark Harbor summer residents enjoyed the pleasures of the Tarratine Club, offering golf in the 1890s, yachting in the 1920s and tennis in the 1940s. After the first inn burned in 1915, it was replaced in 1917 by a second inn with a more conventional architectural style. The new inn was located on the site of the first inn but was slightly larger, with the main section measuring 50 by 237 feet. Construction commenced in late 1916 and the inn opened its doors to the public July 1, 1917. Because of World War I, business was slow during the summers of 1917 and 1918, but rebounded in 1919. Business was so good that a third story, 80 foot addition was constructed for the 1920 season. The second inn was very successful until the stock market crash of 1929. It became a private club from 1930 to 1932, reopened to the public in 1933, closed during World War II and was torn down in 1951, leaving only the ballroom which was converted into a private residence.