BACKSPACE: Brooksville inns were once a summer haven for teachers

Over a century ago, Bayside Lodge, Baycrest Lodge, and Fall View House welcomed summer guests, many of whom were teachers staying for the summer. Photo courtesy of Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Collection.

Sept. 22, 2026

Bayside Lodge and Baycrest Lodge next door were located on the Castine side of Cape Rosier. They and the smaller Falls View House down the road welcomed guests who were delivered with their steamer trunks right to the wharf by the lodge.

Many of the summer people were teachers, who stayed for most of the summer. They had much to do: sailing and fishing with residents, picnic excursions to the islands near the head of Cape Rosier, trips by power boat to Castine for church, or by steamer to Belfast for shopping. The furnishings include a South American ocelot pelt and a ship painting. 

Captain Lester and Augusta Blake built Bayside Lodge about the turn of the century. Their son Hobart and his wife Hilda ran it in the 1920s, when this photo was probably taken.

“Eastwind,” the cottage on the left, and the barn across the road (in the image above) were part of the Lodge. The Blakes lived in the house on the far left. Baycrest occupied several buildings to the right of Bayside.  Blake descendants still use the Bayside lodge building.

The living room of the Bayside Lodge. This shot was likely taken in the early 20th century. Photo courtesy of Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Collection.

“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.