The Corson House is a two-structure historic farmhouse and cottage located in the quiet village of Southwest Harbor Maine. The main house is a three bedroom cape built in 1839. While updated over the years, the Corson House retains it homestead-like charm and sits on an acre and a half of landscaped yard facing the woods lined by a rock wall. The Corson Cottage is a large roomy pine cottage that was built behind the farmhouse in 2002 by the current owner, Mary Holway.

Abraham Somes, a fisherman from Gloucester Massachusetts, and his wife Hannah along with James and Rachael Richardson were the first folks to establish a permanent settlement on the Island of Mount Desert in 1771. The hardy villagers co-existed peacefully with the Abenaki Native Americans who portaged the waters of the island they came to know as their summer home. By the mid 1800’s the town of Tremont which included what is now Southwest Harbor had a population of 1,500. The Corson House was built during this time (1839) by homesteaders named Jonah and Martha Corson. They lived off the land and the sea which surrounded it. The Corsons later sold the place to Captain Samuel Rumill, a Ship Captain who raised a very large family in the small farmhouse. The old house has passed hands over the years but has maintained its charm.

During the 1920’s, Mount Desert Island became a luxury tourist area for wealthy “rusticators” who lavished the island with summer mansions they called “cottages.” Similar in fashion to Newport Rhode Island, many mansions lined the shore line and gave the island its reputation for being a retreat worthy of experiencing. While most of the mansions were lost during the Great Fire of 1947, some remnants of those hey days can still be enjoyed, not the least of which is the Claremont Hotel located in Southwest Harbor.

Mount Desert Island offers a unique experience to visitors and residence alike. The natural beauty offered by this special island is second to none. Mary Holway, once a summer visitor, fell in love with Maine and made the Corson House her own in 2000. She now shares her place with her family, guests, and friends who come to experience he Island’s beauty and serenity and who always leave with personal satisfaction and peace of mind.