BACKSPACE: Brooklin’s life in Haven

New photo exhibit showcases local summer colony a century ago

The Eastern Steamship Company's J.T. Morse arrives at Haven's wharf in Brooklin in 1906. The Morse was a wooden-hulled 214-foot sidewheeler powered by a vertical single-cylinder steam engine with a nine-foot stroke, connected to a pair of 28-foot diameter paddle wheels via a walking beam, according to archival records from the Penobscot Marine Museum. Photo courtesy of the Penobscot Marine Museum.

July 21, 2026

BROOKLIN—Rockbound Chapel in Brooklin is hosting an exhibit called “No Sleep ‘till Brooklin: ‘Pack’ Dodge and the Haven Colony 1900-1930.” The chapel is located at 718 Reach Rd.

The exhibit showcases photos from the Haven Colony in Brooklin, a historic, seasonal summer community established in the late 1800s and located on Center Harbor near Steamboat Road. The photos, which are part of the Penobscot Marine Museum collection, will be on display the remainder of the summer season. The exhibit was curated by Maynard Bray and Robert Baird.

The exhibit focuses on photographs taken or owned by Parker "Pack" Dodge, who spent summers throughout his life in Brooklin. Born in 1884 in Washington, DC, Dodge worked as a patent attorney, with a stint in the army during World War I. He spent summers in Brooklin beginning in his childhood and eventually retired there in 1967. He was an amateur photographer throughout his life and his collection of nearly 1,000 large format negatives was donated to the museum by his grandson, John Dodge.

Haven youngsters John Parson, Ken Parson and Will Dodge pose on the wheelhouse ladder of the steamer J.T. Morse in 1905. Photo courtesy of Penobscot Marine Museum.

“The vessel's main deck is closed in, with freight carried forward, the iron-encased engine room amidships, and a dining room aft which afforded an uninterrupted view of the water and the shore scenery,” according to the museum’s description of the ship. “A companionway leads from this deck up to the saloon which is enclosed in plate glass and extends forward two-thirds of the entire length of the boat. The furniture is of rattan, the upholstering of leather, the draperies and window shades of valance and silk velour. There are 11 tables in the dining room, which will accommodate 51 persons.”

“BACKSPACE” is a partnership between the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport and The Rising Tide that showcases the unique coastal and maritime history of our towns in and around the Blue Hill Peninsula. For more information about the Penobscot Marine Museum, please visit their website.