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For Rent: One Lighthouse Cottage
The lighthouse and
adjoining cottage in Prospect Harbor, owned by the Coast Guard and
the Navy respectively, have uses beyond just making for a pretty
photo.
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The Navy-owned Gull Cottage makes for both a pretty picture and
a year-round getaway spot. |
It’s a little-known
fact that the cottage is available for year-round rental, for two-
to five-night stays. Called Gull Cottage, the guesthouse sleeps as
many as six.
The catch: You have
to be military, either active duty or retired, to make a reservation
for what is clearly one of Gouldsboro’s best-kept secrets.
Preference goes to active military and their families.
Rates for daily
rental run from $20 a day for enlisted folks, to $60 for some
officers and their civilian guests.
“It’s a fairly
well-kept secret,” said Dennis Ihle, resource assistant at the small
Naval Satellite Operations Center detachment. The unit at the end of
Lighthouse Point Road employs nine military and seven civilians. It
was entirely unconnected with the recently closed Navy base in
Winter Harbor.
The other trick to
getting into the guesthouse is knowing when to call for
reservations. There is a monthly, three-hour window when calls are
taken, between 8 and 11 a.m. on the first working day of each month,
for the following month (Aug. 1 for September dates, for example).
Between 35 and 45
requests tend to come in each month, and between eight and 12 of
those are accommodated. Ihle or Don Perry handle the initial calls,
then forward the entire day’s batch of requests to the detachment’s
headquarters in California. Those who don’t get chosen may get a
callback later in case of cancellations.
Built in 1891 for
the lighthouse keeper’s family, the cottage had been abandoned for
many years even though the lighthouse was still operational. Once
scheduled for demolition, it was renovated in 1969 for exclusive use
as a Navy recreational asset.
The lighthouse,
built in 1850 and rebuilt in 1891, is one of Maine’s oldest. It is
fully automated.
Those seeking
guesthouse reservations can call 963-7700. |
