Fitz Henry Lane painted one of the earliest views of Southwest Harbor, and seems to have studied the shore carefully. The view shows a lumber schooner loading its long cargo through a port in the bow of the vessel. The white house immediately to the left of the vessel probably shows an early version of the Seth Higgins Clark House. The white house at the center of the shore is the Nathan Clark II House. The white building at the far left is Deacon Henry Higgins Clark's Island House Hotel, early in its career, before it was expanded into several stories with a mansard roof. Clark descendants, and their houses, are still in Southwest Harbor. William Howe Witherle (1821–1906) accompanied Lane on his trip around Mount Desert Island and recorded many of their adventures in his diary. On August 21 he wrote, "… George, Joe & myself took breakfast this morning at the Island House – and a fine one it was – price 25 cts – Mr. Lane took 2 sketches here…” The sketches referred to were of the shore and harbor, not the hotel. See: Witherle, William Howe. William Witherle Diary (unpublished manuscript) (August 16–21, 1852). Personal diary in the collection of the Wilson Museum, Castine, Maine (A00060-1a-1h).
Description: Fitz Henry Lane painted one of the earliest views of Southwest Harbor, and seems to have studied the shore carefully. The view shows a lumber schooner loading its long cargo through a port in the bow of the vessel. The white house immediately to the left of the vessel probably shows an early version of the Seth Higgins Clark House. The white house at the center of the shore is the Nathan Clark II House. The white building at the far left is Deacon Henry Higgins Clark's Island House Hotel, early in its career, before it was expanded into several stories with a mansard roof. Clark descendants, and their houses, are still in Southwest Harbor. William Howe Witherle (1821–1906) accompanied Lane on his trip around Mount Desert Island and recorded many of their adventures in his diary. On August 21 he wrote, "… George, Joe & myself took breakfast this morning at the Island House – and a fine one it was – price 25 cts – Mr. Lane took 2 sketches here…” The sketches referred to were of the shore and harbor, not the hotel. See: Witherle, William Howe. William Witherle Diary (unpublished manuscript) (August 16–21, 1852). Personal diary in the collection of the Wilson Museum, Castine, Maine (A00060-1a-1h). [show more]
Photograph was taken from near the present standpipes on Freeman Ridge Road [2006]. Clark & Parker 2nd store (on the point on left) was built in 1885. The 2nd Stanley House (on the point at the right) was built in 1885. See Photograph #5090 for another view of the fleet in the harbor.
Description: Photograph was taken from near the present standpipes on Freeman Ridge Road [2006]. Clark & Parker 2nd store (on the point on left) was built in 1885. The 2nd Stanley House (on the point at the right) was built in 1885. See Photograph #5090 for another view of the fleet in the harbor.
"From high on Freeman's Hill, one can view the development on Clark Point, an area once owned by the island's first minister, Ebinazer Eaton. Deacon Clark's hostelry and the William Underwood & Company spurred development on this point. Many of the residences belong to Clark family members. Storekeepers and tradesmen drawn to the area for work were settling here as well. Far off in the distance, the towers of Robert Kaighn's elaborate 1892 summer cottage signal the beginnings of the summer colony." - Mount Desert Island - Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor by Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. and Lydia B. Vandenbergh - Images of America Series, p. 52 - 2001 Compare this image to item 12583 for a contemporary view of the same scene.
Description: "From high on Freeman's Hill, one can view the development on Clark Point, an area once owned by the island's first minister, Ebinazer Eaton. Deacon Clark's hostelry and the William Underwood & Company spurred development on this point. Many of the residences belong to Clark family members. Storekeepers and tradesmen drawn to the area for work were settling here as well. Far off in the distance, the towers of Robert Kaighn's elaborate 1892 summer cottage signal the beginnings of the summer colony." - Mount Desert Island - Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor by Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. and Lydia B. Vandenbergh - Images of America Series, p. 52 - 2001 Compare this image to item 12583 for a contemporary view of the same scene. [show more]