Sullivan in Hancock County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)
Summer Rusticators, the Tourist Trade and the Waukeag House Hotel
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., September 22, 2011
1. Summer Rusticators, the Tourist Trade and the Waukeag House Hotel Marker
With the help of steamship & train travel in the late 1800s, summer tourism peaked. But within a few short decades, the age of the auto and better roads to Bar Harbor - plus closing mines and quarries - led to decades of gradual economic decline and population loss for Sullivan.
Steamships ferried passengers between trains - to and from Boston, New York, Portland, Bar Harbor and points DownEast.
The Waukeag House [1877-1900] was located just to your left
"Waukeag House is a fine summer Hotel, containing 60 rooms, furnished in good style...and kept in a first class manner...with spacious piazzas 650 feet around the hotel, and running water..." - The Mining Journal
On the rebound in the 21st century
Spurred by demand for summer residences and regional growth, the local economy is rebounding once again.
The Sullivan Harbor Land Company hoped to subdivide and develop this area - declaring to visitors "the necessity of coming here instead of Bar Harbor." However, the Company ran into financial difficulties in 1895 and their plans evaporated.
Erected by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1895.
Location. 44° 31.346′ N, 68° 12.558′ W. Marker is in Sullivan, Maine, in Hancock County. Marker is on U.S. 1 near Benvenuto Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Marker is at a roadside pullout on the south side of U.S. 1. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sullivan ME 04664, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Historic Architecture in Sullivan Harbor (a few steps from this marker); The view of Frenchman Bay (a few steps from this marker); Defenders of the Union (approx. 2.2 miles away); Franklin Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away); Old Town Hall Site (approx. 4.6 miles away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away); World War Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away); Exhibit of the Granite Industry (approx. 4.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sullivan.
Photographed By Unknown, 1915
2. Photo of Steamboat Norumbega on Waukeag House Hotel Marker
Photographed By Unknown, circa pre/1901
3. Waukeag House Hotel Photo on Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., September 22, 2011
4. Summer Rusticators, the Tourist Trade and the Waukeag House Hotel Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 21, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 626 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 21, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 22, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
