The following historical account was compiled from several newspaper articles obtained from the Belfast Historical Society and Museum. Some of the content is a direct copy from the articles, to maintain the integrity of the information.
George Ralph Williamson
At the age of 65, George Ralph Williamson, born 18 April, 1836 and brother of Joseph Williamson, the author of the History of the City of Belfast in the State of Maine published in June 1877, built the house and barn that is now the Northport Inn & Lodge.
George, a native of Belfast, had studied law along with his brother Joseph, at Harvard law school and received the degree of LL.B. in 1860. The LL.B. “stands for ‘Legum Baccalaureus,’ the formal Latin designation for what was once almost universally the first professional law degree in the United States, the Bachelor of Laws.
After a European tour he practiced law in New York City for a few years, and then went to California as superintendent of mines for Goss and Lambard.
He later returned to New York City and married Emma Ingraham Sprague in 1868. They lived together in New York City where the greater part of his business life was engaged in important positions with the Postal Telegraph Company.
In 1900, he and his wife returned to Belfast, purchased part of original lot No. 47, on Northport Avenue, and built the residence there overlooking the bay.
The home was modern for its time, had 16 rooms, broad verandas, water service, electric lights, hot water, telephone, two bathrooms, fire protection and a commodious stable. The residence was also known as Mile Tree Farm, because of a large Elm tree that was a mile from the center of Belfast, the post office.
The original price was $15,000, built from plans of John Calvin Stevens of Portland Maine. His distinguished career spanned over 70 years and he was a major innovator of these Shingle-Style cottage and Georgian Colonial-Style homes. The original lot size was 20 acres with a one eight mile of shore front on Penobscot Bay.
The house and grounds commanded a view of Islesboro and Castine, with sixty square miles of bay and river near at hand and of Mt. Desert and Blue Hill in the distance.
Unfortunately George Williamson died shortly after having finished the home and had been living there for only a couple years. He died September 22, 1902. His obituary commended him and his accomplishments;
“Williamson was an enterprising, progressive man, one who put all his energies into what he had to do. Prompt and reliable in all business transactions, genial and companionable with all with whom he came in contact, he won the highest respect of his business associates and the love and esteem of his neighbors and townsmen. He married, 16 October, 1868, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Emma Ingraham Sprague, only child of William Hammond and Mabel (Heath Bliven) Ingraham. They had no children. His widow survives him.”
Captain Irving G. Barbour
When the home went up for sale, records indicate that it was purchased by Captain Irving G. Barbour and his wife and eventually promoted as a tourist home called Dreamwold. As they grew older and were unable to continue on with the business, they had to sell it.
The Bangor Daily News, Wednesday May 1, 1940, stated that Captain Irving G. Barbour and his wife sold the home to James E. Senner and his son James O. Fenner from Worcester, Mass. The Captain and his wife were unsure of what to do next, but thought to go to Wisconsin where their daughter was living.
James O. Fenner had recently retired from Economic Machinery Co. in Worcester, Mass and will make the Northport property a home for his wife and family and his parents. They will open the residence for overnight tourists and for others who wish to remain for longer periods of time.
Penobscot Meadows Country Inn & Restaurant
During years that followed, the residence was completely remodeled and included six bedrooms and a studio apartment, all with private baths. It was called the Penobscot Meadows Country Inn & Restaurant and opened in 1984.
Belfast Bay Meadows Inn
After the tenure Penobscot Meadows, the residence was sold once again and the new owners converted the barn into what they called the Field House and did a number of renovations to expand the number of rentable rooms.
The following is the promotional copy for the newly renovated property.
Come join us on our 7 bay-side waterfront acres overlooking coastal Penobscot Bay. Our stunning views are dotted with islands and filled with schooners, pleasure boats, and working lobstermen. Watch the white-sailed schooners glide by out on the bay, stroll our seven acres of flowered meadows, and follow the grassy paths to the blue waters of Penobscot bay. Our inn is just 350 yards from its own private beachfront.
Breakfast at the Belfast Bay Meadows Inn is an experience. It begins with fresh fruit, icy cold juice, and freshly ground gourmet coffee. Then choose our signature dish – a delicious medley of tender lobster, creamy eggs, and tasty sweet red peppers. Or our other selections such as blueberry pancakes or waffles. We’re also known for our incredible muffins and baked goods.
Guests can choose from nineteen bright and airy rooms in either the main house or our completely renovated barn. The rooms in the post and beam barn have private entrances off a spacious deck and are completely renovated with today’s conveniences. In our main house we have found that guests feel at ease, as we do, in our large comfortable “downeast shingled cottage.”
AAA and Mobil Rated
Your Hosts: Karin Kane and Richard Jensen
The newly renovated Field House can be seen in the below photo. Circa 1994, the Field House was commissioned by using the original barn, lifting and rotating it ninety degrees toward the ocean, allowing some of the rooms an ocean view. The Penobscot Meadows built studio apartment in the main residence building, can be seen with a private entrance and parking. This apartment is on the ground floor below the original Williamson constructed residence.
A rare ocean photo of the Inn was taken from the shore front. As you can see, the property extended all the way to the shore and guests had a private beach during their stay.
At some point, the owners ran into some financial hardships, selling off the water front portion of the property to stay in business and then eventually closing the Inn entirely.
Belfast Breezes Inn
The Inn was then purchased again and rebranded as the Belfast Breezes Inn and operated successfully for several years as an Inn and Restaurant until the owners had to close it down for financial reasons.
The property was closed down and sat dormant for several years during the COVID pandemic.
The Northport Inn & Lodge
In July 2021, the property was purchased and rebranded as The Northport Inn & Lodge. Chris and Martha Nickerson, the owners of the Whale’s Tooth Pub in Lincolnville needed housing for restaurant employees and saw the property as an opportunity to serve the needs of the restaurant and to also provide other local businesses with extended stay housing.
WABI Channel 5 out of Portland and the Courier-Gazette have great articles on how this collaboration of housing and the restaurant came to be. See the link below.
Whale’s Tooth Pub Provides Housing for Employees
The first upgrade to the property was to build a shared kitchen for extended stay guests and within a few months of opening, the Inn reached full occupancy for both local and out of state travelers.
The Northport Inn & Lodge has been providing housing for the Whale’s Tooth Pub, Traveling Nurses and other local businesses since August 2021, and will continue to grow additional affordable extended stay housing offerings for working professionals in the state of Maine.
History as of June 2024
Extended Stay 