History: Then and Now
Walter Reid & Reid State Park

This part of town was the home of Walter Reid in his childhood. As he amased his fortune, he picked up large parcels of land along Harmon's Harbor and Sheepscot Bay. It was he who gave the whole section its name of Swguinland. Before that it was variously known as The Wood, the West Side (for it stood on the west side of Harmon's Harbor), and somewhat cryptically, "Egypt".

Around 1902 Reid organized the Seguinland Cottage Company (later Seguinland Realty) with the idea of establishing an exclusive summer resort. The nucleus was the original Inn, which was intended as a retreat for Reid's wealthy associates in New York City. It was called "The Seguinland". Mayor Noyes of Augusta was the contractor for building the hotel. He was also a member of teh Company, as were Frank Chase and Governor Haines. Haines wanted to build a golf course, but it was not deemed practical.

The heart of the Inn was the vast Lounge, and the heart of the Lounge was the immense floor-to-ceiling fireplace. It was customary to center a special stone above the mantel of a fireplace. The one at the Inn is large and heart-shaped, but not visible a the moment because it is concealed by a marine oil painting.

This was no ordinary hearth. Every component was water-worked by nature to smooth spherical or oval form. Some came from teh Sheepscot shore and were handpicked by Walter Reid himself. Others were brought by the fireplace builder, John Wadsworth Berry, from a spot at teh cliffs of Sea Beach on Indian Point. There at the Flounder Hole, the sea performs a miracle of lapidary art, churning, grinding, shaping and polishing the boulders breached from the ledge. Berry was no novice. Before practicing his trade, he had studied for three years in Boston with a master mason, William Card, and the Inn fireplace is a monument to his skill.

The first operator of the Inn was Mr. Hammond. On July 1, 1908, the Seguinland was opened unde rthe proprietorship of the Inn's second operator, James C. Durrell. Rates per person were $3.00 per day; by the week $17.50 for one person, $29.00 for two in the same room. There were 26 guest rooms and 2 baths.

A windmill across the road pumped water for the kitchen and the two bathrooms. Drinking water was brought from Mildred Dunham's in five-gallon carboys. Mr. Durrell's wife was a motherly woman everyone called "Ma" Durrell and she helped him at the Inn.

Louise Reid Butler recalls coming down from her home in Waterville to summer at the Inn. Her mother died there. Her father Walter stayed on another year and a half while restoring a little Cape Cod house which became Louise Butler's present home. Work on a home which Reid had started for himself and his wife came to an abrupt halt with her death and was never completed. From Waterville the family moved to Portland for winters...

The second owners of the Seguinland were Walter Beane and his brother Willie. They purchased it from Seguinland Realty. After repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933, Maine went "wet" with the rest of the country, but only for a short while. In this period Walter [Beane] and his wife Ethel MacMahan Beane operated a little bar in the basement of the Seguinland, under the dining room and accessible from the far side near the fireplace.

Walter Beane sold the Inn to a man from Cousins Island. Mrs. Anne Perry became the operator and rented nine rooms. The Bath Independent on May 23, 1957 read: "Seguin Lodge in Georgetown will be re-activated this summre by Mrs. Perry, well-known for her experiences as caterer and director of the Bath public schools hot lunch program, assisted by sons Donald, George, Harold and Robert. Newly furnished rooms with semi-private baths will be available... There will be facilities for shuffleboard, and for bridge near the fireplace."

Mrs. Perry also hosted functions for organizations. Liquor was served at some of these private parties. The man from Cousins Island was opposed to drinking in any circumstances. He sold the Inn to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Rice... The Lounge with its great stone hearth became the owners' apartment for the next several years. The Rices did not operate it as an Inn. They removed the addition to the kitchen, and divided the lounge into kitchenette, bedroom and living room...

From the Rices, ownership went for a couple of years to the Dunphys, who sold it to the Hardcastles in 1976. When the Hardcastle family of Dallas, Texas took possession in June of that year, they set about restoring the original character o fteh Inn. It was renamed 'Grey Havens' by the four Hardcastle daughters... Lover of [J.R.R Tolkein] will recongize the name as derived from The Lord of the Rings: the last home of teh Elves as they set sail for Middle Earth... In 1985 Grey Havens was officially designated to the National Register of Historic Places.

Addendum:

Between 1910 and 1915, students of Clarence H. White's Seguinland School of Photography used the Seguinland Hotel as a residence. You can read more about the School in The Georgetown Tide, Volume 31, Number 1.

The Walter Reid home is known now as The Mooring B&B, owned by Walter Reid's great-granddaughter, Penny Barabe, and her family.

Marcus and Cathy (Mitchell) Headley purchased the Grey Havens Inn in the spring of 2005.


Source: A Brief Grey Havens History. The above is excerpted from an article written by Carolyn F. "Billie" Todd for The Georgetown Tide, Volume 11, No. 3, the September - October 1985 issue. An Addendum has been provided at the end.

Today at Grey Havens: Time For God's Change

As some of you already know I have battled poor health since we purchased Grey Havens in 2005. Sadly I have experienced both breast cancer and a 3.5" kidney stone (yes, 3.5"!!). These past few years have certainly been difficult and unfortunately led to Grey Havens being closed for 2008.

We were able to welcome some of you in 2009 and hopefully the years to come will be easier. However, "Every cloud has a silver lining" and God has directed my heart in a new and creative direction.

With Blessings, we are going to create a Healing Garden in honor of women with breast cancer and their families. It is our intention for this garden to be not only beautiful, but therapeutic as well. The garden will be designed on the slope between the Inn and the water. Visitors will be encouraged to be active participants in this venture - planting a flower themselves as a lasting tribute and memory. There will be an emphasis on pink flowers since it is the color associated with breast cancer. So many of us are impacted, either directly or indirectly, by breast cancer.

For Grey Havens this partnership will help to sustain and beautify the property for visitors and guests to enjoy. It will, of course, make the existing grounds so much more beautiful, the already magnificent view all the more special. My dream is to have this pink garden visible from far out to sea. And for my family and I, it will allow us to share this peaceful and tranquil setting with people and families whose need to be at peace with God is imperative.

I encourage you to support Grey Havens in this venture. Please consider a donation to this worthy cause and help create this pink oasis of rest for all who have suffered the rigors of cancer. In my heart I feel it is Time For God's Change here at Grey Havens, and I hope many of you will feel inspired to participate in helping me to create a Healing Garden.

Blessings,

Cathy