THE WAUKEAG HOUSE

THE WAUKEAG HOUSE

Built at the head of Sullivan Harbor, the Waukeag House was an imposing structure constructed in the 1870s as a hotel by three local Sullivan brothers - Asa, Newton, and Stillman White. It was built on the land where Dunbar's Store stands today.  The hotel had rooms for 100 guests on the upper floors and long piazzas, or balconies, along the length of the building.  From its location at the top of the hill, guests could enjoy the panoramic views of Frenchman's Bay and Mt. Desert Island in the distance.

The White family were among the original settlers on Waukeag Neck in what is now Sorrento.  The White’s 100-acre farm was located on the West side of the peninsula overlooking Flanders Bay.

In December 1876 the three White brothers acquired the land in Sullivan where they would build their hotel from Watson White for $400.00. (see deeds book 155 / page 373).

In 1911, the High School newspaper published a short history of Sullivan by Armond Joy that included a description of the Waukeag House hotel and the White brother’s attempt to build a Summer resort in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The brothers tried to lure visitors from Mt. Desert Island to also venture over to Sullivan.  A distinguished writer was quoted as saying - 

       "Any person who goes to Mt. Desert and does not visit Sullivan, has not seen Mt. Desert.  Here the scenery is grand indeed.  It may be finer in other climes, but it must be the grandeur of the supreme."

Although originally advertised as a vacation retreat, luckily for the brothers, the Sullivan mining boom occurred.  The hotel proved a popular spot to stay for a few years for many visiting the area with business at the mines.

In June of 1880, Ellsworth photographer Irving Osgood traveled to Sullivan to take pictures of the fine views.  One of the pictures was taken at the Waukeag House with members of the Patriotic Sons of America lined up on the porches.

Seen below is a copy of Osgood's photo from the archives of the Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society.

In the years before rail connections to Sullivan existed, the White brothers' attempts to attract tourists across Frenchman's Bay did not prove successful.  Evidently, when the mining boom ended so did the brother's efforts to keep the Waukeag House in business.  By the Spring of 1883, during an economic slowdown, the hotel was put up for auction.

Because the auction seems to have not found a new buyer, in May, new operators tried their luck at taking over the hotel for the summer of 1883.  Samuel White of Bangor leased the property in May to try again to market Waukeag House to tourists.  To help him run the establishment, he hired W. M. Thayer, an experienced hotel manager.  Thayer had formerly run the Penobscot Exchange hotel in Bangor.

By the Summer of 1884, the Waukeag House had been sold and the new owner rechristened it The St. John House.  Not only was there a new name but the hotel had been "...thoroughly renovated and improved."  The new owner was also counting on attracting guests arriving by rail via the Maine Central's new terminus at Mt. Desert Ferry in Hancock.

The new proprietor was listed as John Shoenbar.  During the mining boom, Shoenbar had been the superintendent of the Milton mine and began publishing a local paper, The Sullivan Bulletin, to promote the mines.  Evidently, he was one of the lucky ones who made enough money during the boom to have some funds left over to invest in new ventures.

By 1885 business for Shoenbar at the St. John seemed to be going just fine.  He had hired a new manager from Newport RI and attracted enough visitors to keep 60 hotel rooms filled.

Shoenbar also partnered with two brothers from Sullivan in the Spring of 1885 to establish the Long Pond Water Company to supply drinking water to the town.  The company was authorized by the Maine Legislature to raise $25,000.00 by the sale of stock at a par value of $100.00 per share.  The company was also approved to issue bonds valued at $100,000.00 to support construction costs.

His partners in the water company were Charles Simpson & Stanislaus (Stan) Wilson. Charles and Stan were brothers-in-law.  Stan was married to married to Charles’ sister Georgie.  Charles Simpson was a member of the Simpson family of Sullivan, among the founding members of the town.

Charles and Stan were evidently local entrepreneurs and had tried their hand at inventing cooking utensils.

The demise of mining in Sullivan coincided with the construction of a new rail link from Bangor and a new railroad terminal at Hancock.  The transportation improvements attracted an explosion of new Summer visitors to Mt. Desert Island and with it, subsequent land development.  In addition to sales around Bar Harbor and other towns on Mt. Desert Island, in 1883 a plan for Hancock Point was laid out for cottage lots.  The original design was done by noted Boston landscape engineer, Joseph Henry Curtis, and assisted by local surveyor Charles P. Simpson, one of the partners in the Long Pond Water Co.  Curtis is noted for being among the original Summer settlers in Northeast Harbor together with President Charles Eliot of Harvard.

With a ready supply of water and other land sales beginning in the area, Sullivan and Waukeag Neck seemed ripe for cottage development next.  In 1884 rumors were published indicating that land on Waukeag Neck had indeed been sold to parties from Boston and Bangor and was being readied for division into building lots.  The local reports, however, made it seem like this was an ominous sign for Shoenbar, the proprietor of the St. John in Sullivan.

Two years later, this same land on Waukeag Neck that had formerly been owned by the Bean family, was bought by a group of "Boston capitalists."  This group was in fact headed by Charles Lewis and he represented the Frenchman's Bay and Mount Desert Land and Water Company of Sullivan.

This new company began to not only purchase land on Waukeag Neck but in July it also bought controlling interest from Shoenbar in his St. John's Huse hotel.  The land company immediately restored the hotel to its original name -- The Waukeag House.

During the early years of the company's development of the new Sorrento resort, Waukeag House was an important part of the development.  This early brochure for the land company prominently featured the Waukeag House as part of the attractions available to visitors.

However, with the success of the other large hotel built by the company at Sorrento Harbor, the Waukeag House was leased to the Sullivan Harbor Land Company to operate in 1890.

By 1900 it was reported that the old hotel, which had been in operation for less than 25 years, had sat vacant for several years and was feeling its age.  Although still owned by the company that controlled Sorrento, it was no longer being maintained and in shape to be operational.  And this article indicates that since it was quickly deteriorating, "... all are glad to see it go, unless it could be sustained."

The Dunbar brothers were eventually able to buy the building along with the land with the impressive views back toward Mt. Desert Island.  More about this period in the Waukeag House history can be found in my story about Dunbars Store.