Hartley Mason Reservation

Hartley Mason Reservation. . , Hartley Mason was a man of industry and vision who was said to resemble his ancestor, John Mason. In 1621, John Mason and Sir Fernando Gorges secured the patent rights of development of the Piscataqua region from King James I and Charles I of England., Hartley W. Mason was born in Portsmouth, NH, in 1844, the son of Daniel and Augusta Manson Mason. Daniel was a long time resident and craftsman of Portsmouth. In 1886, as ad for Daniel’s business at 1 Green Street said “Sawing Turning and Planing as well as Boxes and Shooks made to order.” A Shook was a set of staves and headings sufficient for one hogshead, sack, or barrel, trimmed and bound together in compact form., Hartley W. Mason , Although there is much history and anecdotal information describing Mason Hill, very little has been recorded about Hartley Mason, the man., His obituary states that he began his business career at the age of 18, thus suggesting that he did not attend formal college. Municipal records indicate that between 1867 and 1873, Hartley Mason had a dry goods business located at 3 Market Street. Other records show that he had an office on Market Street in 1886. His obituary contains references to his being a salesman of woolen goods to retail stores in Boston, including Jordan Marsh., Hartley and Anna Townsend Newick were married on January 2, 1867 in Portsmouth, NH. Hartley and Anna had two sons, Harry C. and John Tufton, and two daughters, Ethel T. and Rita Mason. History records that Hartley traveled to Europe as many as sixteen times. These trips may have fostered his interest in Italian architecture., Hartley Mason’s travels may have been influenced by Anna’s family association with merchant shipping. Anna was the daughter of Captain John Townsend of State Street, Portsmouth, who was drowned on a voyage at sea. Anna’s brother, James L. Townsend, was a partner in a ship-building company in Newburyport, MA, that built the famous clipper ship Dreadnought., The first indication of his interest in obtaining and developing property in York Harbor was the purchase in 1881 of a lot in what eventually the Hartley Mason Reservation. Addition property and building were acquired in 1894., Hartley Mason died at the age of 82 in Roxbury, MA, on December 16, 1925. He was predeceased by Anna, who died on May 24, 1921 at the age of 82., The Hartley Mason Reservation , Hartley Mason’s hand-written will of June 2, 1921 contained a provision creating the “Hartley Mason Reservation.” His will read in part, “all buildings will be removed and the real estate held in trust for the purpose of a public pleasure ground forever.” It further established that the income from the then existing bath houses and other privileges shall be used to improve and beautify the property for public enjoyment. The bath houses that were a significant component of the Reservation, first built around 1893, were eventually destroyed in a fierce winter storm in 1978., Mason’s will gave the real estate to a trust, and further stipulate the it would be administered by three trustees, on to be the Chair of the York Board of Selectmen, one to be appointed by the Judge Probate of York County, and the third to be selected by the first two trustees. Furthermore, the last two were to be residents and property owners of the immediate locality. The first Trustees were appointed in 1993 and they were William Layman, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, James Erwin, esq. and Ala Reid., At its zenith, the Hartley Mason property included six shingle-style buildings, typical of resort architecture along the Maine coast at the turn of the century. The houses were identified by the names Rocky Knowl, Overbank Cottage, Hill Top Cottage, Sunny Side, The Lodge, and The Octagon.