Area History

Sometime before 1784 Andrew Tucker established himself on this lot. Of the fifteen families located near Southwest Harbor, ten lived very near the little cove beside The Moorings. This natural protection from the sea was then, as now, a fine place for ships as well as people to “moor.”

Native Americans came here each summer until the 1930s to fish and to gather sweet grass. From the Moorings may be seen at least ten of their campsites as well as the Jesuit Village area of 1613.

The Main House has within it the original foundations and timbers used by Mr. Tucker, who, as his family grew, greatly expanded it. A portion of this structure is the oldest in town and very possibly on the island.

In 1830 the Tuckers moved to Blue Hill and the property was sold to Andrew Haynes who once again enlarged it. When his wife passed away, Mr. Haynes married Hanna Caroline, the “Prussian Lady.” This wonderful story is contained in Rachel Field's, God's Pocket. About this time the land became known as Haynes' Point and was the site of a successful ship building and fisheries operation.

The J.L. Stanley Co., another fisheries operation, acquired the property about 1860. A windmill, constructed at the end of the wharf, was used to pump water for the fishery. The property then passed to Erasmus Hansen, a Swedish sailmaker, who kept it until he was drowned at sea.

Around the turn of the century, a Gloucester sea captain, Mr. Parker, bought The Moorings. In 1925, It was sold to Mr. B.B. Hinckley, who used it as a summer home. An old barn was converted in 1937 to what is now “The Pilot House.” Also in 1937, "Lookout Cottage" was constructed. In 1916 The Moorings was operated as an Inn, and in 1938, the dining room and lounge were added. A small house was constructed by Mr. Hinckley's son, Henry, where the yacht yard now stands.

After a 1960 fire destroyed the local Dirigo Hotel, Betty and Les King began managing The Moorings (with help from their daughter, Leslie) and eventually bought it from Morton Jenks. In June 2008, Leslie Watson (Betty & Les's daughter) inherited the inn and plans to continue her family's passion for the business and area. Leslie, with solid roots in Manset and Southwest Harbor, is now a 4th generation innkeeper representing 48 years in the same family business.

The Moorings Inn overlooks the mountain range and great harbor of Mount Desert where continuous yachting and commercial craft are at work and play just offshore. This is a view that you and your family will always treasure as ours has continued to have for several generations.