Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-07-19
Correspondence.
Hint for Owners of Shore Property.
BROOKLYN, July II, 1899.

bhOOhLlN, July ~, 1879
To the Editor Of The Amertedn:
when the summer season of 1899 closes.
,be peopIe of Maine will say that never
before in the history OF summer travel
vas there such a rush OF visitors to our
shores; not alone to the fashionable
summer resorts, but to every available
town, farm house and cottage that nestles
in shady nook by the sea. The people
living on the coast, who own the land, are
heginning to see that in the summer
travel lies one of their chief sources OF
wealth for the future.
Maine can be justly proud of the class
OF people that visits her shores year by
wear. The rougher element is sure to stay
near large cities, where beer and wine
flow day aud night, hut 1t Is the substan-
tiaI men OF means and families W no seek
the cool climate and quiet peaceful rest
that Maine affords.
That every man who has the interest
OF his town and State at heart should
encourage such people to come to our
shores, goes without saying. But do they
do so? | have in BROOKLYN a little sum
by cottage, as the years went by, until
now have quite a little settlement for
summer visitors. While the townspeopIe
have never given any encouragement in
the way OF street improvements, they
have not taxed my cottages beyond rea-
son. The town officers, especially the
first selectman, has pointed out the at
mr. Of tn, 70 oh
visitor, and have no doubt encouraged
them 10 invest their money in a summer
home in Brooklin.
There is room in Brooklin for thou
sands Of visitors, and they are anxious to
come when attractive places are pro-
vided for them, but what they want are
cottages, the nearer / he shore the better
Capt. Babson's success at Little Deer Isle,
has shown that to be a fact. He cannot
supply the demand for cottages, although
he has now nearly forty buildings.
Brooklin has high, rocky, bold shore;
there are but few places where the sea
drains out leaving bad smelling fats.
There are plenty OF attractive places
along Eggemoggin reach that are now
used for calf pastures, where but little
grows on The lodges except trees, and they
are usually cut down for firewood as soon
as they attain any growth. II the trees
were left TO grow, a few acres OF those
rocky pastures near the shore might be
worth more in few years than any farm
in the county, but such land cannot be
made valuable by simply holding 1t and
using 1t for a pasture.
Some OF the most attractive places along
the coast are owned by men who do lit
tie farming and manage to make a living
in that way, who would not sell an acre of
land for a cottage unless he got as much
as the whole farm was worth. Those peo-
pie will continue to own their farms, and
their sons, and grandsons, perhaps for a
thousand years, and the farm will never
increase in value one penny. While they
may be good citizens, honest but poor
farmers TOR who ever heard OF wealthy
farmer in our part OF the Stste?) they will
not help TO build up the town to any
great extent.
The way to make those farms valuable
is to advertise them, and when 1t is known
what the people want, what better way Is
there to advertise them than by building
cottages? IL the farmer has not the ready
money, it would pay him i'll the end to
give away good slice of his land to some
one who would build. There are two es-
sential thiEgs to be considered: the cot
tages must be near the shore aud have
some shade trees near them, or any adver
tisement will be valuable but for one
.
season.
The only advertising have done for the
past two years is to write hundreds of
letters IN answer TO inquiries, stating that
my cottages are all engaged nearly year
ahead, and That there are no OF her cottages
in Broo.lin. y. V. TIBBETTs.