Maine House

Each summer for the last 10 years Deb and I have vacationed at a small dock house owned by Helen Macone in New Harbor, Maine. New Harbor is the name of the town at the south end of the Pemaquid Peninsula.  It is also the name of a small, commercial harbor in the town on the bold Atlantic Ocean.  Before we had children we could drive the 830 miles from Oberlin to New Harbor in 13 hours!

New Harbor is located on the Pemaquid Peninsula, about 1.5 hours from the Portland airport.  Here are detailed directions to New Harbor.

During our 1999 vacation we realized that we would no longer be able to vacation in the Macone dockhouse -- it is a marvelous spot for a couple of adults but it isn't the best place for small children.  We will always have fond memories of our time spent there.  In August we entered contract to purchase a water-front home on the other side of the Pemaquid Peninsula.  On February 8, after five uncertain months, we closed on the 3-bedroom single-story home on the west side of Pemaquid Peninsula, on the east shore of Pemaquid Harbor, just a couple of miles west of the Macone dock house.  The address is 87 Bradley Shore Rd., New Harbor, ME, 04554.

Our new house is located on the Pemaquid Harbor, a much more sheltered and quiet place.  At low tide there is barely a foot of water at the end of our dock.  Unlike New Harbor which exits into the bold Atlantic, Pemaquid Harbor is far more sheltered place.  From our dock you must travel about a mile south by water to reach John's Bay, and then another mile to reach the ocean.  On the other hand, one can travel up the Pemaquid River by canoe several miles, or go west across the John's Bay into the John's River, and from there, pass through the "Gut" into the Damarascota River and 15 miles up the river to Damarascota, all without going into the ocean.  Our property, a total of 1.4 acres of land, includes both a back lawn and a front lawn which slopes about 150 feet down to the shore.  It is a wonderful place for children which provides for a range of activities.

Our lot is shown on the tax map below.  Bradley Shore Road dead-ends into our driveway!  (A separate road serves the lots just west of us.)

Views of the property

Bradley Shore Road ends at our property.  If you turn to the right you drive up to our garage as shown here.  As you can see, our house is a simple, single-story cape with a breezeway and a 2-car attached garage.  The structure is quite similar to the house my grandpa Scofield built ( before the second story was added after the fire).  The main house is 24 ft. x 48 ft.

In addition to the 2-car garage there is a large parking space capable of accomodating 3 vehicles.  The first picture is a view of the turnaround and side yard looking towards the back of the yard where a shed is located.  The second picture is taken from the shed looking the opposite direction towards the water.

As Bradley Shore Road enters the property you turn right to go up to our garage, or left to go down to the dock.  Here is a view from the dock looking back up the driveway to the house.  The long drive from the garage to the dock is paved with asphalt.  The plastic pipe on the ground to the right of the drive brings water to the dock house.  You can see the front porch of our house through the trees.

This picture shows the view from the front porch of the house.  The previous owner cared little for the view of the water so did not do much to clear the bushes and trees.  We hope to clear the shoreline of some growth, as allowed by law.

On the back of the house is a sun room which opens onto the backyard which is surrounded by trees.  Here is a view of the back of the house.

Views from the Dock

Of course one of the most attractive features of this place is the deep-water dock and shoreline.  Here is the view as you walk down the driveway to the dock.

Walking out on the dock and looking back towards the house you get this view.  An unusual feature is this spacious dockhouse which contains running water, electricity, and a wood stove.

Below are a series of views you get standing on the dock.  The picture on the left is the shoreline to the left (towards the harbor opening).  Subsequent pictures show views panning out to the end of the dock, then continuing to the right, eventually looking along the shore to the right (inland).

Views From the Water

The best way to gain a perspective of the dock and shoreline is to look at it from the water.  Here are some water views, unfortunately taken on a foggy day.

Interior Views

The 12-year-old house is built well but it needs much decorating.  The exterior walls are 2 x 6 construction with R-19 insulation.  We actually don't have many pictures from inside the house.  Here are the two we have of the main house and several of the dock house.  The first picture is the view as you enter the breezeway from the garage.  The second shows the view entering the house from the breezeway, with the washer/dryer nook on the right, through the kitchen, and into the dining room.

The Dock House

Here are views from inside the dock house.  This first view is looking from the shore-side of the dock house through the sitting area towards the water.

The next view is from the sitting room looking back towards the shore side of the dock house which contains a kitchen area.