Gilkey’s Harbor 
ISLESBORO 
A BIT OF THE MAINE COAST 
By ELIZABETH PRESCOTT LAWRENCE 
N OWHERE in the world is there more beauti¬ 
ful scenery than on the Maine Coast, and 
people from all parts of the country migrate 
there in great numbers, for the summer months. 
The further north one goes the grander it is, 
tinged with a certain wildness not to he found else¬ 
where. One of the most fascinating spots is Dark 
Harbor, on the southern end of the island of Islesboro; 
surrounded by smaller islands, and protected on the 
west by the lovely Camden Hills, and Penobscot 
Bay. The air is.a strong combination of sea and 
mountain, and there is less of fog and dampness 
than on the unsheltered seacoast. Islesboro 
itself is about twelve miles long, and very narrow, 
especially in one place, where only the road connects 
it. Here, in a tiny bay, lie the hulks of two old 
schooners, making a picture that one must pause 
to enjoy, for they form the foreground of the view 
over the west bay to the hills beyond. Yet it is 
hard to say which is most beautiful, when, after 
exhausting one’s adjectives in endeavoring to des¬ 
cribe the loveliness of this western view, one turns to 
an equally lovely one over the eastern bay, looking 
towards the town of Castine and Green Mountain 
on Mount Desert island—-the blue waters of the Reach 
flecked with the white sails of yachts and fishing 
boats. 
The houses of the summer residents are not pre¬ 
tentious in any way, and the owners rather pride 
themselves on having everything quite simple and in 
absolute keeping with the life and surroundings. 
For the most part, the exteriors are somber in color¬ 
ing, with stained roofs; but inside one finds cozy 
halls and big living-rooms, made attractive and home¬ 
like by open fires and piano, books, and many flowers. 
One very individual house is that of Dr. Francis P. 
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