Rockport, Maine

People read about Maine in books and look at pictures of its wonders in magazines. I remember viewing photos of Maine lighthouses, harbors, and ships when I was a kid. I grew up in New York, so after seeing these things, I was certain they were located in some far away country. Obviously, as a ten year old, I hadn’t yet strayed too far from home.

Even today though, if I were to unwittingly land in the stunning mountains of Maine, I wouldn’t know where I was for sure. I might guess I was somewhere in New England – perhaps New Hampshire or Vermont, but I couldn’t be certain I was in Maine.

This begs the questions – what is Maine? And once that’s answered – where can I find it? I hope to provide some insight down below.

I’m thinking of a word. It’s quintessential. It means: representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class. “He’s the quintessential cat. He ignores me when I try to pet him, but sleeps on my head all night long.” If the meaning of quintessential was applied to Maine, what would come to mind? Lobsters? Boat building? The rocky coast? Lakes and ice fishing? I’ll tell you what I think represents the state as closely as possible – as far as I’ve seen so far – and that’s the town of Rockport and its extraordinarily beautiful harbor.

Laura and I visited Rockport recently and, while I had previously done a bit of snooping around online, we were so very pleasantly surprised with many different aspects of the area; how the town was situated (it’s landscape and topography), its personality and ambiance, and the history of everything that surrounded us. And when I say so very pleasantly surprised, I mean, I said on a number of occasions, “Yes, this is where I need to retire, not that I’ll actually ever retire, but you get my meaning.” Of course I didn’t rehearse that entire statement verbatim again and again, but the sentiment was there.

In this post I’d like to accomplish a few things. First, I feel a burning desire to express how fond I am of Rockport. I want you to read this post, look at my photos, and walk away wanting to visit the town yourself. I want you to believe in me and my sincerity. Second, I’d like to teach you a bit of history; about a seal, lime kilns, and an old feud between towns. Third, (and this one is a big surprise) I’d LOVE to show you the best view of the harbor you’ll ever see from one of the most lovely hotels in which you’ll ever step foot. And finally, I’ll talk literature, New England, bookstores, and libraries. It sure does seem like I’ve got my work cut out for me so I better get started.

Andre the Seal

Andre is one of the only seals in the world to have his own Wikipedia page. It’s not a big, complicated Wikipedia page, but it’s one nonetheless.

The story goes like this: Back in 1961, a baby harbor seal, otherwise known as a pup, was found stranded in close proximity to the island of Robinson’s Rock, Maine. Robinson’s Rock is a tiny island that sits just about five miles east/southeast of the town of Rockport in West Penobscot Bay. The seal was adopted by the current Harbormaster of Rockport at the time, whose name was Harry Goodridge. Harry named and raised Andre from puphood to adulthood and thought Andre would ultimately return to the wild once raised and released. Andre apparently had other plans and never left Harry. The two lived together in Rockport until Andre died in 1986.

The sculpture in the photo above was created by Jane Wasey in 1978. Through time, the sculpture sustained damage from the elements and in 2018, it was refurbished and returned to its former glory.

You’ve likely heard of Andre the Seal. His story has been shared far and wide. Books have been written about him. Movies filmed. TV showed aired. He’s actually quite the celebrity and if you decide to visit Rockport one day, you’ll find him immortalized on the lawn inside of Rockport Marine Park.

Rockport Lime Kilns

Back during the 19th century, Rockport was humming with activity. Many newcomers to the state aren’t aware of its rich history as it pertains to quarries and limestone. According to a good number of locals (video down below), the Rockport area quarried and cooked (calcined) limestone into some of the world’s best lime. This lime was used as an ingredient in concrete and some of the lime that was produced in Rockport has even been shipped to Washington DC, where it was utilized in the construction of the Capitol Building. It wasn’t until the Chinese entered the industry that Rockport found itself unable to compete. The Chinese lime was simply too cheap, putting many Rockland quarries out of business.

Basically, the process works like this: Limestone is found in/on the ground. It’s drilled and explosives are used to break the very large underground rock into somewhat manageable pieces. The smaller stones are crushed and fed into kilns, where they’re fired, or calcined, until a chemical reaction occurs. During the process, C02 is released and lime is produced. While there were more than a few kilns located and abandoned in the Rockport area, some remnants of these kilns still stand in the Rockport Marine Park today. They were once fed by a railroad the traversed alongside what is now Pascal Avenue.

I took some photos of the remains of the Rockport kilns and have posted them below.

The Rockport/Camden Feud

I won’t get too involved with this, but I felt that I should mention something about the longstanding feud between two neighboring Maine towns, Camden and Rockport. I’ll offer a brief summary and then embed a video you may watch if you’re interested in learning more.

Succinctly put, Camden and Rockport were once one town. Because of different levels of affluence, the two towns never saw eye to eye. Camden was more wealthy while Rockport was more industrial. A time came when Rockport asked Camden for assistance building a bridge. Camden declined. Rockport proposed that they break away from the Camden/Rockport union to form their own town. Camden couldn’t stop them and the two towns split into what they are today.

It’s really quite the dramatic story and if I imagine being there, I can also imagine tempers flaring. I encourage you to watch the below video. If you were ever interested in learning about a hot piece of coastal Maine history, this would be the one.

The Story of Two Maine Towns That Fought for 200 Years

The Rockport Harbor Hotel

After emerging from the Rockport Marine Park, Laura and I walked up to the town itself. We found what can only be described as something straight out of a storybook.

While the town itself was lovely, the views from the top of Main Street were even better.

This is where things get interesting. After walking around for a bit taking photos, we headed up towards the buildings on Central Street. As we reached the hotel, we met two gentlemen standing on the sidewalk. Pleasantries were exchanged and come to find out, one of the gentlemen was part owner of the brand new Rockport Harbor Hotel. After expressing my sheer adoration of the building’s aesthetics, Tyler (one of the gentlemen we met on the sidewalk) asked if we’d like a tour. Before we knew it, we were exploring the main floor dining room and bar, riding up the elevator (little known fact – Jay Gaulard took the maiden voyage of the hotel elevator – write that in the history books), touring some guest rooms, and gasping at the views of the harbor from the fourth floor balconies. Needless to say, this isn’t something that happens everyday and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m also grateful for my camera – I took some very nice photos with it. Wait until you see these things.

Mind you, as of the writing of this post, the hotel isn’t yet finished. It should be ready to open on December 27, 2023. In the photos below, you’ll see what it looks like when a luxury hotel is under construction, nearing completion.

These are two photos of the front of the hotel. What a magnificent building.

Again, this tour really was the highlight of our time in Rockport. Yes, the town is incredible and I love it, but to get a behind the scenes peek of the hotel was just perfect. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Our guide was gracious and we wish him the best of luck with the hotel.

PS – I’d like to quickly add that this hotel is going to be exquisite. While we were touring it, I took notice of all the obvious care taken in regards to the craftsmanship as well as the decor. The rooms were interesting with their design – sort of like mini apartments. The bathrooms were to die for and the views – well, you saw the views above. I’m very much looking forward to my first stay.

Rockport Public Library

We continued to walk up Central Street and passed Mary Lea Park and the Rockport Opera House.

At the top of the hill was the most classic New England white clapboard home you’d ever see. The town is full of traditional New England homes. I’ll get to that topic in a bit.

And beyond that was the brand new Rockport Public Library.

We entered the library to walk around for a quick tour. It’s everything you’d expect a library to be. It was actually built not too long ago in 2020. I’d say it’s in nearly the perfect spot. It sits upon a hill overlooking Central Street and everything to happens there. It’s idyllic to say the least.

Barnswallow Books

I’d like to take a moment to mention something about unexpected surprises (as if any surprise is expected). The tour of the hotel was a surprise. The new library was a surprise. The harbor view was a surprise, but what we were truly surprised by was how historic and beautifully New England Rockport truly is. I’ll tell you what I mean below.

While I was taking photos of the harbor from the balconies of the hotel, I noticed a few very nice homes positioned on a hill to the north of the harbor. I knew that once we left the hotel, we’d explore the area of the homes. There was a fair amount of cedar shake siding as well as the white clapboard I mentioned above and whenever I glimpse those two building materials, I know high quality craftsmanship isn’t far behind. That and wealth. I wanted to see more. This was the reasoning behind our trek up Central Street. Beyond the houses though, I spotted an old church, which I’ve come to discover is a former church. Take a look at it from an interesting vantage point at the bottom of the hill upon which it sits.

Upon strolling around the neighborhood on the hill, we chanced upon a cozy bookshop called Barnswallow Books. What initially drew us in was the lighted Christmas tree in the barn adjacent to the shop.

While looking at the Christmas tree in the barn, I asked myself, “Jay, how often do you see something like this? Not off often. Doesn’t this warrant further exploration?” I answered in the affirmative and subsequently entered the shop to look around. We were the only ones inside, besides the girl who worked there. We were the third and fourth people to enter all day, which was perfect sounding to me. The quieter the better. I’ll show you some of the photos I took of the barn and the shop below.

What an incredibly fulfilling day exploring one of Maine’s quaintest seaside towns. While lifelong Mainers might not think experiencing a town like this would be too big of a deal, pretend for a moment you lived on the other side of the world. Or lived and worked in NYC. Now think about strolling around a town like Rockport, soaking in the ambiance of the antique wood-framed homes and buildings, watching boats sail by in the harbor. It’s a big deal to live something like this. I for one am completely enthralled, which means I’ll be returning for many more visits. So with that, I say thank you to the town of Rockport and to those we met this December day in 2023. I appreciate your hospitality.

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