Waldo County, Maine - Accent on Tampa Bay Magazine

TRAVELOGUE
Waldo County, Maine
Several Centuries of Sea Captains Can’t Be Wrong
Story and photos by Melissa Wolcott and Al Martino
T
his is it. The pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow. Only in this case, it’s a pot of lobsters, and the rainbow ends in Belfast,
Maine — Waldo County to be exact (this is
where “Where’s Waldo” comes in.) Waldo is
located in the bottom center of the state on
Penobscot Bay, with the coastal town of Belfast
it’s only city. “City” is used loosely here, as the
population is only 6,500 people — a number
which hasn’t changed much since the civil war.
The rhythm of life is slow — people don’t live by
their palm pilots.
We had the extreme pleasure of visiting the
area when the weather was crisp and beautiful.
Never having been to Maine before, we weren’t
sure what to expect, and were very pleasantly
surprised by our experience. We flew from Tampa
into Portland by US Air, and drove through Maine’s capital, Augusta,
past lovely hills and shoreline, to arrive in Belfast. When we got out of
the car, we were actually aware of the air — clean and pure with the
scent of sweet grass. When’s the last time you noticed air unless it was
foul?
We checked into the Londonderry Inn B&B, which turned out to be a
great choice. This was actually the first “bed & breakfast” in Belfast,
back in the 1950’s, and parts of the building itself date to 1803. Our
room was very homey, with both antique decor and modern fixtures, and
the most comfortable bed we have ever slept in. The inn is situated on 10
Londonderry Inn’s
comfy bedroom
acres of woodlands, fields and a pond. Our host,
Marsha Oakes, was warm and accommodating.
The 3-course breakfasts cooked up by chef
Nathan, and served in a large fireplaced country
kitchen, were just wonderful. After a hard day of
sightseeing, we came back to homemade cookies
and beverages in the evening. A book containing
recipes from different B&B’s in Belfast is available at the Londonderry Inn’s website. Your family will love you if you serve them some of these
Nathan prepares a
delights!
great breakfast
Belfast’s small town feel and location on
Penobscot Bay gives it it’s serene beauty, with many Victorian style
homes dotting the gently sloping shoreline. It was settled in 1770 by
Scotch-Irish immigrants, who had been trained as weavers. Flax fields
still exist, though mostly for historical purposes. The abundant woods
gave rise to shipbuilding and maritime commerce, and hundreds of
wooden ships were built between 1840-1860, which coincides with construction of scores of beautiful homes, many of which remain today.
Town buildings are from around the 1840s (fires consumed earlier ones.)
The oldest wood building (1800) houses Dudley’s Diner, which somehow survived the early fires. Colburns is the oldest still operating shoe
store in America (since 1832). The first church in Belfast was built in
1820, and is still in use. It’s belfry contains an original Paul Revere bell.
Belfast went through a downtrodden period between WWI and 1988,
when it’s main industry was the chicken business. The industry polluted
the harbor, attracted sharks into the bay, and was generally malodorous.
The Federal government stepped in and fined the poultry plants and
cleaned up the area. In the ensuing years, it came back to it’s former
glory.
We happened to be in Belfast during “Bearfest,” held every year from
the middle of June through October.
The Bearfest is a fun, hands-on,
touchable, public outdoor art event.
Artists from all over decorate, adorn,
re-engineer, embellish, bejewel, and
paint more than 30 larger-than-lifesize bears, which are located on the
streets throughout Belfast. At the end
of the fest, the bears are auctioned off
for charity.
Some of Waldo County’s other coastal towns include Bayside,
Lincolnville and Searsport, which is famous for it’s sea captain’s homes,
many of which are today’s B&Bs. In 1860, mariners comprised almost
one-fifth of the population of Maine.
Bayside is a picturesque enclave of lovely
Victorian summer
homes that started as a
Methodist camp in the
early 1800s. Owners
rent them out when
they’re not using them.
You can find a tiny cottage with combined living/dining/kitchen area
Bayside Cottage
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TRAVELOGUE C o n t i n u e d
and one bedroom for about $400 weekly, up to
a secluded waterfront house with three bedrooms, front deck and lots of lawn, and a guest
cottage that sleeps eight, for about $1,200 per
week. A hillside common includes a playground and shaded benches, leading down to a
pier on Penobscot Bay.
hat about lobster? Ah, as we said in the
beginning, this is THE place for fresh
lobster. After all, Maine lobster is the
most desired of all these crustaceans —
exported all over the world. So lobster lovers,
can you imagine eating it morning, noon, and
night? You can here. We queried the locals, and
they never tire of eating it in all the imaginative
recipes that abound here.
We visited the
A Lobster
Lobster Pound, a
Pound
Lincolnville seaside
feast.
restaurant with the
freshest of lobsters.
It is a 3-generation
family owned operation, and their lobsters are held in
large running salt
water tanks directly
from the ocean.
Along with a
regular menu (steaks,
other seafood) is the
lobster menu, which
includes lobster
cooked any way you
can imagine. They
serve between 300600 people a day about 450 lbs. of lobster meat!
We learned a lot
about lobsters aboard
the “Good Return” a
50 foot lobster tour- Melissa Terry explains all
about lobsters aboard
ing boat helmed by
the “Good Return”
Melissa Terry, a
W
young, but very knowledgeable and experienced captain. The tour takes you out into
Penobscot Bay and hauls up a trap to explain
how it works, about the anatomy and general
life of a lobster, and the lobster industry. (See
our Lobster Primer in the separate box.)
Another beautiful
The Amity
day found us on the
“Amity,” a 1901
sailboat. It is one of
the oldest surviving
Friendship Sloops
around today.
Originally used for
lobstering, it later
became a pleasure
craft. On the Amity,
you can sit back
and relax, or help
raise and trim the
Stephen O’Connell
sails while your
captain, Stephen
O’Connell, tells interesting stories of lobstermen of yore, as well as his own fascinating
world-wide travel adventures.
A very popular New England restaurant is
the Weathervane, with 17 spots in several
states. They are especially proud of their lobster rolls, which are exceptional. They use ALL
of the lobster in the rolls — claws included —
as opposed to just the leavings like a lot of restaurants do. People who weren’t particularly
fond of lobster rolls change they mind after
chowing down the Weathervane’s. They will
also ship live lobsters anywhere in the continental U.S.
e visited Fort Knox (no gold in this one)
in Prospect, which was completed
around 1844 after 25 years of building. It
was built to protect Maine’s towns from
attack by the British, after being taken over in
the two previous wars by them. The fort only
saw two periods of military activity during the
civil war with troops garrisoned there, but it
didn’t see any action. The most interesting
W
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aspect to
this fort is
it’s construction.
It’s really
a monument to
stonecrafter’s
Fort Knox
skill, with
amazing brickwork, arch supports, and circular
stairwells unique to this fort.
Time for more lobster! This time it’s a lobster bake at the 3 Tides Restaurant in Belfast.
They wrap the fresh lobster in seaweed and
bake it over a wood fire - clams, potatoes, and
corn included. The result was truly lipsmackin’, finger-lickin’ good. A fun time was
had by all at this rustic outdoor restaurant.
nyone interested in shipbuilding will want
to see the oldest ship model kit company
in the US (from 1905), the BlueJacket
Ship Crafters, located in Searsport. They
have 70 kits available for every level of expertise. The shop is huge, with over 50 assembled
kits to marvel at. Their most difficult model is
A
BlueJacket’s model of
the USS Constitution
The USS Constitution — the oldest ship still in
commission in the Navy (one of their models is
at the Constitution Museum.) The kit has 2,600
metal pieces alone, plus all the wood pieces.
The finite detail of the ships is amazing —
extremely high quality miniaturization. All the
kits are available by mail order, you can check
out their wares at their website. The craftsmen
will also create any boat kit by special order,
for those that may want a boat they don’t have
in their large roster now — but it may be a bit
costly.
Continuing with the Maritime theme, we visited the Penobscot Maritime Museum in
Searsport, which is actually a little 19th century complex of homes, a church, town hall, a
barn and more. The still-active 1833 church
has a marvelous 1906 organ (which cost a pri-
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Maritime Museum
cey $2,000 at the time), and some genuine
1902 Tiffany windows. The pews have nautical
carvings taken form the bows of ships, and the
1813 clock still chimes on the hour. One of the
dwellings, the Merithew House, was home to 5
generations of sea captains, and has a wonderful large collection of portraits of local sea
captains in the 19th century, as well as some
furniture and items collected by captains on
their world travels. The museum also holds
special exhibits, and we experienced “Real
Pyrates, Reel Pirates”, an interesting, interactive, multi-dimensional exhibit featuring anything connected to pirates. We were pleased as
punch to see our own Tampa Bay Buccaneers
flag hanging in the exhibit as well!
he cranberry is a fruit that really doesn’t
generate much thought in our house until
Thanksgiving (an American tradition since
the pilgrims supposedly served it at the
first Thanksgiving.) It is one of only three
native North American fruits (blueberry and
Concord grape being the other two.) We went
to Moody Farm Cranberry Bogs, and discovered that they
should really be
consumed year
round.
Cranberries
offer several
important
health benefits
— as a lowcalorie, fiberrich fruit, good
for heart disease, certain
types of cancer,
and other types
of infections.
Owners Fred
Fred Moody demonstrates the
and Margo
Moody showed cranberry rake
us the interesting cranberry harvesting process they employ.
There are wet and dry harvests, and the
Moody’s use the dry harvest, as the wet is only
good for juice and sauce. The dry gives you
the wonderful berry itself. The process begins
in winter, in a large man-made bog that has 4
inches of sand and water for the vines. When
spring arrives, the bogs are drained, and in
mid-July, tiny green nodes appear that eventually become red, ripe cranberries. A picker
then travels on the bog combing the berries
free from the vines with a cranberry rake. It
may take three to five years for a new cranberry bed to produce a large enough crop for
harvest, but the vines will continue to produce
a crop for several decades. Fred told us the
way to tell a good berry is if it bounces. No
bounce — no good. Moody Farm is open on
weekends for customers to buy fresh berries,
and cranberry-maple walnut jellies and jams.
We sampled some of their yummy fresh cranberry muffins and jam. Which leads us to....
Dinner! Forgoing lobster for once, we were
intrigued by a restaurant named the “Chocolate
Grille,” and had to check it out. We were halfexpecting some bizarre “chocolate steak” or
“chocolate tuna tartare” on the menu, but it
turned out to be quite normal — yet definitely
above average with imaginative and tasty
selections. Their dessert is what everyone
saves room for, with a special favorite being
Chocolate Soufflé, thick and rich chocolate
with a soft, creamy center that forms a sauce
for a crisp outside. Chocolate Martini, anyone?
Yes, they serve them, and they are delectable!
Going from the sublime to the eccentric, we
T
Joe Bryant with one of his musical treasures.
visited Bryant’s
Museum in Thorndike
the next day, with a
treasure trove of stoves,
antique cars, music,
mechanical toys and
what-not — a fun way
to spend an afternoon.
Joe and Bea Bryant
have their lifetime collection on display, and
invite the public to
poke around in their
cavernous warehouse of
marvels. He collects
music boxes, pianos,
One of Bryant’s
many stoves.
calliope, and she collects stoves. They have
the largest display of antique wood, coal, gas
& wood/gas combination stoves you will ever
see under one roof. Most of the stoves are for
sale, so if you’re looking for a hard-to-find
one, they probably have it. The Bryant’s have
some priceless pieces in their odd collection,
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TRAVELOGUE C o n t i n u e d
Sail the
Caribbean
and some things that are just odd. We saw a
“piano player” — a cumbersome instrument
that came before the “player piano” that we are
all familiar with. If you’re lucky enough to be
there when Joe is there, he will fire up one of
his treasures and sing along with you.
sk the locals in Belfast where would they
recommend to go for lunch, and invariably they will suggest the Maine Chowder
& Steak House. Indeed, we thoroughly
enjoyed our lobster stew with chunks of fresh
lobster meat sauteed in butter with a splash of
sherry and cream. The afternoon sun streaming
in the windows, and the view of the bay from
the restaurant made for a serene and relaxing
lunchtime atmosphere.
When traveling, it is
always a good idea to try
the local wine instead of
your old standbys. You are
often pleasantly surprised
by your “discoveries.” We
took a tour and “tasting” at
the Cellardoor Winery in
Lincolnville. Owners John
and Stephanie Clapp started
their vineyard eight years
ago, with a piece of property containing a 1790
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barn, farmhouse and 68
acres — only 6
of which are
being used for
their grapes.
They have
only been selling their wine for 3 years, as it takes years for
the grapes to get to the point of producing
good wine. The rustic barn showcases their
wines and other related products. They are
pleased to be the “village winery” Waldo
County. We especially liked their semisweet
“Amorosa,” and the crisp dry “Fumoso
Bianco.”
s we mentioned earlier, a lot of the 19th
Century sea captain’s homes are now
B&Bs, and we checked out a few while
we were riding around.
The Alden House is a elegant Greek Revival
B&B from 1840. The inn has four working
fireplaces, imported marble mantels, and a
hand-carved cherry wood banister leading to
seven guest rooms. Innkeepers and environmentalists, Bruce and Sue Madara have a backyard garden that supplies the home with fresh
fruits, herbs and flowers.
Homeport Inn is a beautiful mansion situated
on a hill on the Bay, affording a spectacular
view.
Originally
built in 1861
by Captain
John
Nichols, current owners,
Dr. and Mrs.
George
Johnson have
restored the
home, and
filled it with
period
A Homeport Inn bedroom
antiques and
family heirlooms to remind guests of a lovely time-goneby. Some Victorian cottages on the grounds are
also available for rent.
A Bed and Breakfast that also serves a wonderful dinner is the Bay Meadows Inn, in
Belfast. Their restaurant “Mistral” is overseen
by chef Oliver Outerbridge, who creates inventive menus for the guests. We started our meal
with a dreamy Cream of Butternut Squash
Soup with Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto, and
we knew from there on we were in for a fabulous dining experience. After Shrimp Scampi
with Tarragon and Roasted Garlic and Peppers,
followed by Peach Cobbler with Lemon
Whipped Cream and Blueberry Sauce, we
were proven right. The pet-friendly Inn is
located on a lovely piece of land, with a large
yard leading down to the bay.
One of the few B&Bs that actually “welcomes” children is the “Mad Captain,” an
1870 B&B in Belfast. The name comes from
Captain Herriman, who owned the home originally, and who reportedly went mad when he
lost his ship and his family. Owners Tom and
Linda Briggs Hause have another maritime
connection, as she is a related to the captain of
the famous ghost ship, the Mary Celeste, who’s
captain, family and crew had vanished when
the ship was discovered floating totally intact
in the ocean. One of the charming guest rooms
in the house is named The Mary Celeste. You
can read more about the interesting story of the
ghost ship by googling it on the internet.
Speaking of ghosts, the 1794 Watchtide
B&B is said to be haunted by General Knox
(whom the aforementioned fort was named
after.) Gen. Knox was our First Secretary of
War, appointed by George Washington. There
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The Watchtide verandah
is no written history to say whether “George
slept here” or not. Owned by different families
through the years, the Pettee family bought it
in 1901, and kept it for half a century. Frances
Pettee was socially connected, and many
presidential wives visited, with Eleanor
Roosevelt being a frequent guest who “liked
the cleanliness, good food, spectacular view of
the Bay, and the lack of publicity.” The current
owners, Nancy-Linn Nellis and Jack Elliott,
strive to continue that hospitality today. Back
to the ghosts — many guests claim to have
been visited by spirits who seem to like music
— they turn on radios. There are thumps and
bumps, missing items, and apparitions now and
then. Paranormal investigators say there is
something in the General Knox Suite. The
owners are quick to point out that their spirits
L
are friendly! You can read
more about their ghosts,
and other B&B ghosts by
googling “Ghosts of Waldo
County” on the internet.
The Shamrock, Thistle
& Rose Shop
ain Street in Belfast
is home to some very
charming little shops,
one of which is the
Shamrock Thistle & Rose,
which harkens back to the
original settlers of the area.
The shop sells all things
Scotch and Irish — hand
knit sweaters, colorful shawls, Celtic jewelry,
etc. We bought a most interesting piece of jewelry made from heather stems and silver, which
M
A Lobster Primer
obstering is the oldest industry in North America, and in 2002, 62 million
pounds were brought in (representing around about $187 million) in Maine
alone. The state produces about 70% of the annual harvest in the U.S.
Every summer, 7,000 lobster boats set about 3 million traps in Maine’s
coastal waters. Lobstermen are assigned buoys by the state, and everyone has
their own colors, but can actually go anywhere they want. They can’t claim territory, but lobstermen have staked out their areas and will have “lobster wars”
occasionally. The lobstermen (lobster”women” call themselves lobstermen as
well) work anywhere from 200 to 1,000 traps.
Traps are set around rocks and ledges, where lobsters like to congregate.
They will travel around 15 miles, but always come back to the same area. The
small juvenile lobsters and large breeding lobsters are protected (thrown back if
caught.) When lobstermen trap one with eggs attached to its abdomen, they cut a
notch into its tail and then drop it back overboard. If caught again, the notch
means it must be thrown back and allowed to spawn again. The notch lasts
through 2 shedding seasons. There is less meat inside a soft-shell lobster than
there is in a hard-shell lobster of the same size (this also accounts for their lower
prices). Even though there is less meat in soft-shells than in hard-shells, many
people prefer the taste of the soft-shells. They are considered sweeter and more
tender than the hard-shells.
The legal size for lobsters is measured by the eye socket to the back of case
shell — 3 1/4 to 5 inches. It takes lobsters an average of 5 to 7 years to grow to
legal size, and they grow more slowly as they get larger. Therefore a lobster that
weighs 3 pounds is about 15-20 years old, and a 25 pound lobster would be
approximately 75-100 years old. A minimum size lobster will
weigh around 1 lb., while a maximum size lobster will weigh
between 3-4 lbs. The most popular size of Maine Lobsters are 1
1/4 - 1 1/2 lb. each. Maine is the only state to protect the
resource like this, so if you are offered a smaller or larger lobster, you’re probably not getting a genuine Maine Lobster.
Lobster are actually right “handed” and left “Handed.”
You can tell by the crusher claw.
One of the most interesting tidbits we found out about
lobsters, was that up until the 1920s, lobster was considered junk food, and was used to feed pigs, prisoners, and servants — and, by law, no more than 3
times a week. A daily lobster dinner was considered cruel and unusual punishment! Guess
they hadn’t discovered drawn butter yet.
illicits many compliments. Another
Belfast shop of interest is Mainely
Pottery, which shows and sells the wonderful wares of 25 Maine potters. There
is also an adjacent studio where you can
watch works in progress.
f we still haven’t told you enough,
there is a very informative book
called Moving To Maine by Victoria
Doudera, which cuts to the chase and
succinctly highlights all you need to
know about Maine. You can find it on
Amazon.com. You can also visit Waldo
County’s website.
Folks along Penobscot Bay in Waldo call
their area the “Crown Jewel” of Maine’s coastline, and we find it hard to argue with that.
I
If You Go...
3 Tides Restaurant - Belfast, 207-338-1707;
www.3tides.com
1794 Watchtide - Searsport, 800-698-6575;
www.watchtide.com
The Alden House B&B - Belfast, 877-3378151; www.thealdenhouse.comAmity Belfast, 207-548-6105;
www.friendshipsloopamity.com
Bayside - www.baysidemaine.com
Bearfest - belfastbearfest.com
Belfast Bay Meadows Inn B&B - Belfast,
800-335-2370;
www.baymeadowsinn.com
BlueJacket ShipCrafters - Searsport, 207548-9970; www.bluejacketinc.com
Bryant’s Stoves and Museum - Thorndike,
207-568-3665; www.bryantstove.com
Cellardoot Winery - Lincolnville, 207-7634478; www.mainewine.com
Chocolate Grille - Searsport, 207-548-2555
Fort Knox - Prospect, 207-287-3821
The Good Return - Belfast, 207-323-2155;
www.belfastbaycruises.com
Homeport Inn - Searsport, 1-800-742-5814;
www.homeportbnb.com
Lobster Pound Restaurant - Lincolnville
Beach, 207-789-5550
Londonderry Inn - Belfast, 877-529-9566;
www.londonderry-inn.com
Mad Captains House - Belfast, 207-3382343;
www.mainetourism.com/madcaptains
house
Maine Chowder Steak and Lobster House
- Belfast, 207-338-5225;
www.themainchowderhouse.com
Mainly Pottery - Belfast, 207-338-1108;
www.mainelypottery.com
Moody Farm Cranberry Bog - Lincolnville,
207-763-3113; [email protected]
Penobscot Marine Museum - Searsport,
207-548-2529
Shamrock, Thistle & Rose - Belfast, 207338-1864;
www.shamrockthistlerose.com
US Air - 800-428-4322; www.usairways.com
Waldo County www.waldocountymaine.com
Weathervane - 800-914-1774,
www.weathervaneseafoods.com
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