It's Bill, 7/27/25: Not a Folly
- Desmond Haskell
- Jul 29
- 2 min read
An Instant Hit
Clark’s Folly Lighthouse went online on Monday, June 30 at 2:30 PM. The Lighthouse was rented almost immediately for the same night at 3:30 PM. Monday night’s guest did not know they were “First,” they just said it looked new. And very nice. The occupancy rate for the lighthouse is over 70% for July—and higher into August.
A Carefully Curated Interior
Knowing a new lighthouse was coming into our West Quoddy Station world, we set aside lighthouse art and antique accessories. Paintings, nautical antiques, lighting, antique furnishings. Even added some comfortable stuff: bedding, armchairs, sofa. We had a good time putting it all together and balancing it out. A work in process, just like the rest of West Quoddy Station.
A Familiar Form
We discovered that Clark’s Folly is very similar to the Grinnell Lighthouse on Isleboro in Penobscot Bay. The Lighthouse is a two-story, square building with an ell attached, shingled, with a functional light tower on a basically flat roof. Our light tower has a restored 19th-century Maine lighthouse lantern. Clark’s Folly has two large upstairs and downstairs bedrooms; each has its own bathroom. The stairway to the second-floor bedroom is reminiscent of a lighthouse with 18 comfortable treads.
Nautical Charm in Every Detail
The ell features a kitchen/dining/living room with a high beamed ceiling. Furnishings include antique 12’ oars, a ship’s wheel, and a dory hanging from the ceiling. Throughout, there are lighthouse and nautical paintings and prints as well as similar folk art. At the far end of the ell, there is a basic bedroom with a double bed. The first floor has toasty radiant heat, while the second-floor tower bedroom is heated with two modern hot water radiators. All well insulated.
Built with Lubec Love
My lighthouse is shingled with local white cedar shingles and trimmed with white cedar from my next-door neighbor’s sawmill. The red entry doorway has a red domed light overhead. We’ve just loamed and seeded the grounds. Two birch-logged gardens are on either side of our welcoming entrance. Please be our guests.
