Dark Harbor is a village located on the most southern end of the town of
Islesboro in
Waldo
Waldo may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Waldo (surname), a list of people
* Waldo (footballer), Brazilian footballer Waldo Machado da Silva (1934–20 ...
County,
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. Altogether, Dark Harbor consumes one-quarter of the land in
Islesboro. Many prominent families from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston took summer residency in Dark Harbor.
History
Dark Harbor, named for the synonymous meaning of obscure or hidden, was noted in the turn of the century for its picturesque summer cottages. Following the founding of the Islesboro Land and Improvement Company, the Dark Harbor summer resort began in 1888. The village was the third summer resort location to be built in Islesboro.
Organized in 1902, The Dark Harbor Association was formed mostly of summer residents whose main goal was to improve and beautify the village. The association was responsible for installing and maintaining things like flower boxes, benches, and for mowing lawns.
Since transportation was so limited in the early years, the summer resort built an entire community within the village. Vacationers on Dark Island had access to all of the normal luxuries like a grocery store, stables, blacksmith shops, other types of various shops, a
Christ Church, a library, and even their own post office.
Tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
,
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
, and
yacht racing
Yacht racing is a Sailing (sport), sailing sport involving sailing yachts and larger sailboats, as distinguished from dinghy racing, which involves open boats. It is composed of multiple yachts, in direct competition, racing around a course mark ...
were popular forms of entertainment for Dark Harbor's summer residents. Founded in 1896, The Tarratine Yacht Club provided the residents with a central place for all three sports.
Throughout the years, Dark Harbor has been visited by various famous people such as former
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
President,
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
. Roosevelt visited his daughter, who vacationed on the island, in 1917.
Mary Mallon
Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869 – November 11, 1938), commonly known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish Americans, Irish-born American cook who is believed to have infected between 51 and 122 people with typhoid fever. The infections caused ...
, infamous for being the first named
asymptomatic
Asymptomatic (or clinically silent) is an adjective categorising the medical conditions (i.e., injuries or diseases) that patients carry but without experiencing their symptoms, despite an explicit diagnosis (e.g., a positive medical test).
P ...
Typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...
carrier in the United States, also visited Dark Harbor in the early 1900s. Accompanying the family of
J. Coleman Drayton, Mallon stayed on the island as a cook in 1902, infecting seven members of the family.
Typhoid Fever
Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...
was otherwise rare in the village of Dark Harbor.
The community still serves as a summer colony and home to some of Maine's upper-class.
Notable people
*
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
, 26th United States President
*
Mary Mallon
Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869 – November 11, 1938), commonly known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish Americans, Irish-born American cook who is believed to have infected between 51 and 122 people with typhoid fever. The infections caused ...
, asymptomatic typhoid carrier
References
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Villages in Waldo County, Maine
Populated coastal places in Maine