“…the…Hotel Porcupine, later the Florence (1887; burned, 1918), a Main Street, five-story rectangular block with Shingle-style features and a strong sense of verticality represented by its stacked window bays, bay roof caps, steep-pitched roof planes, and tall, corbelled brick chimneys…represented [with the larger Malvern Hotel] an impressive conclusion to Bar Harbor’s opulent Victorian hotel era.” - “Summer By The Seaside: The Architecture of New England Coastal Resort Hotels, 1820-1950” by Bryant F. Tolles, Jr., p. 165, 170, University Press of New England – 2008 - An excellent study including information about The Island House in Southwest Harbor and its place in the range of hotels on the island during this period along with a very complete history of many of the Bar Harbor hotels. "For the origins and summary of the Bar Harbor hotel scene and the social life that surrounded it, including the first visit of the fleet to Bar Harbor see – “Bar Harbor: The Hotel Era, 1868-1880” by Richard A. Savage, Chapter 17, p. 226 in “Maine – A History Through Selected Readings” edited by David C. Smith and Edward O. Schriver – 1985 The article originally appeared in the “Maine Historical Society Newsletter,” Vol. 10, No.4, May 1971, pp. 101-121 For the complete story of the Leightons and Maine postcards see: ""Greetings from Maine: A Postcard Album"" by R. Brewster Harding, published by Old Port Publishing Co., Portland, 1975 - ""Turn of the Century Views of America's Pine Tree State as recorded by Portland's Picture Postcard Pioneers, Chisholm Bros., the Hugh C. Leighton Co., the Geo. W. Morris Co. and others 1888-1915. This book appears to be the source for other published information on the subject."
Description: “…the…Hotel Porcupine, later the Florence (1887; burned, 1918), a Main Street, five-story rectangular block with Shingle-style features and a strong sense of verticality represented by its stacked window bays, bay roof caps, steep-pitched roof planes, and tall, corbelled brick chimneys…represented [with the larger Malvern Hotel] an impressive conclusion to Bar Harbor’s opulent Victorian hotel era.” - “Summer By The Seaside: The Architecture of New England Coastal Resort Hotels, 1820-1950” by Bryant F. Tolles, Jr., p. 165, 170, University Press of New England – 2008 - An excellent study including information about The Island House in Southwest Harbor and its place in the range of hotels on the island during this period along with a very complete history of many of the Bar Harbor hotels. "For the origins and summary of the Bar Harbor hotel scene and the social life that surrounded it, including the first visit of the fleet to Bar Harbor see – “Bar Harbor: The Hotel Era, 1868-1880” by Richard A. Savage, Chapter 17, p. 226 in “Maine – A History Through Selected Readings” edited by David C. Smith and Edward O. Schriver – 1985 The article originally appeared in the “Maine Historical Society Newsletter,” Vol. 10, No.4, May 1971, pp. 101-121 For the complete story of the Leightons and Maine postcards see: ""Greetings from Maine: A Postcard Album"" by R. Brewster Harding, published by Old Port Publishing Co., Portland, 1975 - ""Turn of the Century Views of America's Pine Tree State as recorded by Portland's Picture Postcard Pioneers, Chisholm Bros., the Hugh C. Leighton Co., the Geo. W. Morris Co. and others 1888-1915. This book appears to be the source for other published information on the subject." [show more]
"Later [Abraham Somes] built a substantial frame house on the site of the Somes House and a part of that house is embodied in the present hotel. Some of the rooms at the back remain almost as they were at first. The house was built as a one-story building and later the walls were raised. Since then there have been many alterations and additions. George A. Somes finally inherited the property, developed the hotel business and built the two cottages toward the shore. His widow now owns it and conducts the hotel." - “Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine” by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, 1938, p. 270-271. “When George A. Somes inherited the [Somes House], he expanded the family inn by constructing two large additions, one attached at the left and the other freestanding to the right, giving the hotel a capacity of 150 guests. Noted visitors included Louis Comfort Tiffany, Alfred Vanderbilt, Joseph Pulitzer, J.P. Morgan, Pres. William Howard Taft, and Mary Cassatt. Known for its chicken and lobster dinners, the Somes House operated into the 1950s with rates of $5 to $10 a day." - “Mount Desert Island - Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor” by Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. and Lydia B. Vandenbergh - Images of America Series, 2001, p. 27.
Description: "Later [Abraham Somes] built a substantial frame house on the site of the Somes House and a part of that house is embodied in the present hotel. Some of the rooms at the back remain almost as they were at first. The house was built as a one-story building and later the walls were raised. Since then there have been many alterations and additions. George A. Somes finally inherited the property, developed the hotel business and built the two cottages toward the shore. His widow now owns it and conducts the hotel." - “Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine” by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, 1938, p. 270-271. “When George A. Somes inherited the [Somes House], he expanded the family inn by constructing two large additions, one attached at the left and the other freestanding to the right, giving the hotel a capacity of 150 guests. Noted visitors included Louis Comfort Tiffany, Alfred Vanderbilt, Joseph Pulitzer, J.P. Morgan, Pres. William Howard Taft, and Mary Cassatt. Known for its chicken and lobster dinners, the Somes House operated into the 1950s with rates of $5 to $10 a day." - “Mount Desert Island - Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor” by Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. and Lydia B. Vandenbergh - Images of America Series, 2001, p. 27. [show more]
"The Island House, owned by Deacon Henry H. Clark, was the first summer hotel on Mount Desert Island. Deacon Clark began the hotel business by taking into his hospitable home the first occasional tourists who came to the island for a short stay. He gradually enlarged his house until in 1885 it was entirely remodeled and did a thriving business, employing many of the townspeople during the summer season." - Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, p. 174 - 1938.
Description: "The Island House, owned by Deacon Henry H. Clark, was the first summer hotel on Mount Desert Island. Deacon Clark began the hotel business by taking into his hospitable home the first occasional tourists who came to the island for a short stay. He gradually enlarged his house until in 1885 it was entirely remodeled and did a thriving business, employing many of the townspeople during the summer season." - Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, p. 174 - 1938. [show more]
This Freeman House, which burned in February 1894, was built c1825 by John Clark, brother of Deacon H.H. Clark, as a residence. The hotel was enlarged from the house and opened during the Civil War. The building stood on the site later occupied by Dr. J.D. Phillips residence, Phillips Lane, Southwest Harbor. See also Thornton, page 152, which has an excellent photograph of The Freeman House. - MH 2005 - Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton - 1938.
Description: This Freeman House, which burned in February 1894, was built c1825 by John Clark, brother of Deacon H.H. Clark, as a residence. The hotel was enlarged from the house and opened during the Civil War. The building stood on the site later occupied by Dr. J.D. Phillips residence, Phillips Lane, Southwest Harbor. See also Thornton, page 152, which has an excellent photograph of The Freeman House. - MH 2005 - Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton - 1938. [show more]
The Claremont Hotel is a historic hotel on Claremont Road in Southwest Harbor, Maine. Built in 1883, the main hotel building is one of the only 19th-century hotels to survive on Mount Desert Island. “In 1883, Capt. Jesse Pease and his wife, Grace Clark Pease, hired Edward Glover to build a four-story hotel. The Claremont Hotel opened in June 1884.” - The Ellsworth American – October 24, 2002. "The Claremont Hotel was built in 1883-4 by Capt. Jesse H. Pease and was opened to guests in the summer of '84. After the death of Capt. Pease in 1900, his wife successfully conducted the hotel for some seasons and then sold it to Dr. J.D. Phillips, who, with his son. Lawrence D. Phillips, now conducts it as a summer hostlery. Some years after acquiring it [circa 1911] Dr. Phillips purchased the Pemetic Hotel or "The Castle" as it was sometimes called, a building which Deacon Clark erected about 1878 as a rooming house in connection with his summer hotel. This stood in the woods across the road and east of the Island Cottage. It was moved to the Claremont lot and made a part of the hotel. Dr. Phillips has greatly enlarged and improved the hotel during his ownership and it has always been a popular place, commanding as it does a splendid view of Somes Sound and the harbor, with the hills in the background. The fiftieth anniversary of the hotel was observed in 1934 with interesting excercises." - Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, p. 168 - 1938. The main building of the Claremont was built in 1883 by Jesse Pease, a retired sea captain, and was one of the first large hotels to be built on Mount Desert Island. It is a 3-1/2 story wood frame structure, finished in clapboards, with a cross-gabled hip roof and a stone foundation. The main (west-facing) facade is seven bays wide, with a simple port-cochere near the south end providing entrance to the building. A single-story porch wraps around the south and east facades (the latter facing Somes Sound). From the eastern facade a broad lawn extends down to the waterfront, where there is a boathouse. The interior has been modernized, but with attention to maintaining original Victorian features. On March 29, 1978 the Claremont Hotel was listed in the National Register of Historic Places - #78000162.
Description: The Claremont Hotel is a historic hotel on Claremont Road in Southwest Harbor, Maine. Built in 1883, the main hotel building is one of the only 19th-century hotels to survive on Mount Desert Island. “In 1883, Capt. Jesse Pease and his wife, Grace Clark Pease, hired Edward Glover to build a four-story hotel. The Claremont Hotel opened in June 1884.” - The Ellsworth American – October 24, 2002. "The Claremont Hotel was built in 1883-4 by Capt. Jesse H. Pease and was opened to guests in the summer of '84. After the death of Capt. Pease in 1900, his wife successfully conducted the hotel for some seasons and then sold it to Dr. J.D. Phillips, who, with his son. Lawrence D. Phillips, now conducts it as a summer hostlery. Some years after acquiring it [circa 1911] Dr. Phillips purchased the Pemetic Hotel or "The Castle" as it was sometimes called, a building which Deacon Clark erected about 1878 as a rooming house in connection with his summer hotel. This stood in the woods across the road and east of the Island Cottage. It was moved to the Claremont lot and made a part of the hotel. Dr. Phillips has greatly enlarged and improved the hotel during his ownership and it has always been a popular place, commanding as it does a splendid view of Somes Sound and the harbor, with the hills in the background. The fiftieth anniversary of the hotel was observed in 1934 with interesting excercises." - Traditions and Records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert Island, Maine by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, p. 168 - 1938. The main building of the Claremont was built in 1883 by Jesse Pease, a retired sea captain, and was one of the first large hotels to be built on Mount Desert Island. It is a 3-1/2 story wood frame structure, finished in clapboards, with a cross-gabled hip roof and a stone foundation. The main (west-facing) facade is seven bays wide, with a simple port-cochere near the south end providing entrance to the building. A single-story porch wraps around the south and east facades (the latter facing Somes Sound). From the eastern facade a broad lawn extends down to the waterfront, where there is a boathouse. The interior has been modernized, but with attention to maintaining original Victorian features. On March 29, 1978 the Claremont Hotel was listed in the National Register of Historic Places - #78000162. [show more]