City/Town

Islesboro (1887)

Map Title

Mount Desert and Penobscot Bay Real Estate Company Offices at Bangor, Me. Showing Portions of the Property of the Company. Islesboro, Penobscot Bay Maine

Artist

Preview

Publication Date

1887

County

Waldo

Artist

Unknown

Lithographer

Smith Lith. (Bangor, ME)

Dimensions

49.5 x 57.1 cm

Owner

Maine Historic Preservation Commission

Population of City/Town at Time of Publication

1,208

Description of City/Town

In the late 1860s Sabbath Day Harbor, also known as Ryder’s Cove, on Islesboro’s eastern shore became the site of the island’s first summer hotel. Built in 1868, this simple two-and-a-half story wood structure served as both a dwelling for its owner and a summer boarding house for a clientele drawn primarily from nearby Bangor.

During the 1870s and 80s, several Bangor residents constructed modest frame Carpenter Gothic and Queen Anne style cottages at Ryder’s Cove on land acquired from the Mount Desert and Penobscot Bay Real Estate Company of Bangor. Steamboat service contributed to the growth of Ryder’s Cove as a summer resort. The Bangor line promised the city’s businessmen seeking weekend vacation homes that “a steamer will leave Bangor every Saturday afternoon for Islesboro, returning Monday morning.” In 1885 the boarding house was expanded to accommodate one hundred guests by the construction of a three story addition and became known as the Islesborough.

Historic Newspaper References

Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, June 20, 1887

Mr. Frank K. Smith has just completed some fine lithographs of the Mt. Desert and Penobscot Bay Real Estate Company’s possessions at Islesboro. This lithograph is one of the best ever done at Mr. Smith’s establishment and is a splendid piece of workmanship.

Industrial Journal, Bangor, July 8, 1887

We are pleased recipients of a handsome lithograph of several picturesque and beautiful portions of the property of the Mount Desert & Penobscot Bay Real Estate Company. The central scene represents the Seaside Hotel at Islesboro, owned by the company, and its charming environments. The lithograph is finely executed and is from the establishment of Frank K. Smith, Bangor.

The North Star, Presque Isle, July 23, 1887

We have received from the Mt. Desert and Penobscot Real Estate Co. a well executed lithographic picture of Islesboro, Penobscot Bay, Maine. If the picture is not over drawn, Islesboro is an attractive resort, and has many conveniences of location.

Usage Rights

As a publicly supported institution, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for the use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. The copyright and related rights status of the items in this collection have not been evaluated. While many of these images may be in the public domain, it is up to you to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in this collection. You are free to use an item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

Recommended Citation

Courtesy of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.