SOMESVILLE, June 23, 2023 - - One of the most historic houses on MDI was demolished this week, 15 months after it was acquired by a London couple who are long-time summer residents.
Pave Paradise put up a parking lot! This news leaves me almost speechless. When I moved to MDI 46 years ago I lived in Somesville and often walked by this beautiful home. Back then the mere thought of it being torn down to make way for yet another McMansion would have been simply unthinkable. Even to suggest such a thing would have immediately resulted in a person being shunned by the local community if not being ridden out of town on a rail. Downtown Somesville back then was a lovely New England coastal village made up largely of well kept old homes owned by people whose families had long distinguished local histories. Fernald's Store was a combination general store/hardware store/auto repair garage owned by the Fernald brothers. Although it lacked the proverbial pot belly stove and cracker barrel it was a community meeting place through which both natives and the occasional person "from away" could establish and maintain friendships. I met Virginia Somes Sanderson, the owner of the house back then, via my job working as a stock clerk at Don's Shop 'n Save in Bar Harbor. She was a fascinating character with an encyclopedic knowledge of history and an abiding love for Somesville and MDI. I can not even imagine how she would have reacted to the desecration of this historical landmark. When are the people of Mount Desert Island going to awaken and say, "Enough is enough!" From cruise ship mobs in downtown Bar Harbor making NYC look like a remote village in the Himalayas, through the endless destruction of historical homes, and the conversion of year round homes to Air B&Bs, this beautiful island is under attack. The time to fight back, to honor the sacrifices made by Abraham Somes and the other original settlers, is now!
Virginia Somes Sanderson also wrote an interesting book called “The Living Past”, detailing the history of the island from the time Abraham Somes “settled” the island to the present (well, the early 80s when it was published). It is dedicated to her grandparents, Thaddeus and Emilie.
So Musson represents both the landowner and the town? Where I come from that sounds like a conflict of interest. Or am I missing something.
Pave Paradise put up a parking lot! This news leaves me almost speechless. When I moved to MDI 46 years ago I lived in Somesville and often walked by this beautiful home. Back then the mere thought of it being torn down to make way for yet another McMansion would have been simply unthinkable. Even to suggest such a thing would have immediately resulted in a person being shunned by the local community if not being ridden out of town on a rail. Downtown Somesville back then was a lovely New England coastal village made up largely of well kept old homes owned by people whose families had long distinguished local histories. Fernald's Store was a combination general store/hardware store/auto repair garage owned by the Fernald brothers. Although it lacked the proverbial pot belly stove and cracker barrel it was a community meeting place through which both natives and the occasional person "from away" could establish and maintain friendships. I met Virginia Somes Sanderson, the owner of the house back then, via my job working as a stock clerk at Don's Shop 'n Save in Bar Harbor. She was a fascinating character with an encyclopedic knowledge of history and an abiding love for Somesville and MDI. I can not even imagine how she would have reacted to the desecration of this historical landmark. When are the people of Mount Desert Island going to awaken and say, "Enough is enough!" From cruise ship mobs in downtown Bar Harbor making NYC look like a remote village in the Himalayas, through the endless destruction of historical homes, and the conversion of year round homes to Air B&Bs, this beautiful island is under attack. The time to fight back, to honor the sacrifices made by Abraham Somes and the other original settlers, is now!
Virginia Somes Sanderson also wrote an interesting book called “The Living Past”, detailing the history of the island from the time Abraham Somes “settled” the island to the present (well, the early 80s when it was published). It is dedicated to her grandparents, Thaddeus and Emilie.
What a shame to see that beautiful home demolished. One can only hope that the new house is, as promised, sensitively rendered.