The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in the Park, in the Town of Bristol.
Joe and Phi Just After Their Wedding at the Nearby 1812 Farm, Visit the Lighthouse. They Live in Westbrook.
The Front Door of the Soon to Reopen Sea Gull Shop Next to the Park. It’s Scheduled to Reopen September 9, 2021.
Artist Judy Nixon is Treasurer of the Non-profit That Stays Open Until Columbus Day Every Year. She Stands in Front of Some of Her Paintings For Sale at the Gallery.
For generations now, the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse on the rockbound coast of Maine. has been an important tourist attraction for many looking for a vacation from away, including this blogger. Located in the town of Bristol, the Lighthouse sits in a Park on a cliff with a view of Monhegan Island twelve miles offshore.
The Lighthouse was commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams. Since then it has served as a beacon for boaters in the area – sometimes successfully and sometimes not so successfully. The original price for the tower and the house was $2,800..00, There were fourteen light keepers whose salary early on was $350.00 per year. Finally, the light in the tower was automated in 1934 eliminating the need for any more light keepers.
In 1960, the Pemaquid Gallery was added to the Park. It displays and sells paintings from 33 artists all of whom live in Lincoln County. The Gallery keeps the same schedule as the Lighthouse and will remain open until Columbus Day. “We’ve had an extremely busy summer,” said an employee of the Gallery this afternoon.
On private property next to the Park, is the Sea Gull Shop. Earlier this year, this popular gift shop/ restaurant burned to the ground. The cause of the fire was never determined. But as of this writing, it is anticipated it will reopen on Thursday, September 9th. This delayed reopening follows several unanticipated problems – such as the need for a new septic tank and the arrival on site of damaged doors that could not be used on the rebuilt structure. Otherwise, it’s a go!
During the past two years, neighbors of the Park and Bristol residents have noticed significant changes to the Park and its surrounding area. “In the last two years we have seen more New Yorkers than people from any other state. They were trying to get away from COVID-19 initially. They were trying to skip quarantines.
Governor Mills made it so that people from out of state couldn’t rent accommodations in Maine. That kept summer people away. But, some went to campgrounds. Some New Yorkers stayed with friends in the area,” said Seth Fletcher, who works at the Park for the town of Bristol. “A lot of these people were summer residents who winterized their homes. During most of my life, these seaside mansions were empty every winter. But for the first time they were winterized.”
Seth went on to explain that this change caused Bristol a lot of problems. Some of the businesses and services in the Bristol and Park area close in the winter. This unanticipated increase in the local population “overburdened what is left open.”
A part-time neighbor of the Park acknowledged that he has seen a significant increase in the number of out-of-state cars since the pandemic hit. “They come from New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania – all over,” he said. “It’s become a pandemic haven.”
Another longtime neighbor took her comments a step further. “It’s a different breed coming to our area,” she said. “They have a different set of expectations. They want everything right now – food delivery and Uber services. It’s a different tone. Actually, they are just plan rude,” she said. “Some of us are thinking of closing our portion of the road. We don’t want them here.”
It’s well known that the Maine real estate market has been in a boom cycle in the recent past. Real estate sales are up dramatically as more people are able to work remotely and want to live in rural areas with more space in which to raise their families safely and enjoy their senior years safely as well. That’s thanks to Maine Governor Janet Mills,(D), the first woman Governor of Maine.