Photos by Mimi B. Steadman
On an early September day, Robert McCloskey’s beloved children’s book, One Morning in Maine, was on my mind. We’d just driven part way down the western side of the Blue Hill Peninsula, following hilly, sinuous roads to Bucks Harbor. It was here, in this picturesque hamlet within the town of Brooksville, that McCloskey set Sal’s adventure back in 1952.
Nearly three-quarters of a century after he drew the book’s charming black-and-white illustrations, very little has changed in Bucks Harbor. The “Condon’s Garage” sign still hangs on the small, clapboard and shingled building where Sal, her little sister Jane, and their father brought his outboard motor to be repaired. The double garage doors, the dormer windows tucked into the roof, and the Methodist Church steeple just beyond are all still there. The garage is no longer in operation, the gas pumps are gone, and so is Mr. Condon. But it still felt as though Sal might run up to show us the gap where her baby tooth had fallen out.
Just around the corner, we found the Buck’s Harbor Market to be as busy as it was the day she and her family stopped in for groceries—and a special ice-cream treat. Unlike Sal, we managed to resist the lure of ice cream as well as a mouthwatering display of fresh pastries and donuts. It was clear, however, that a busload of youngsters from Brooksville Elementary School who arrived as we left shared Sal’s enthusiasm. They’d come for an annual ice-cream social on the lawn. It was easy to imagine Sal and Jane eagerly joining in.
The last drawing in One Morning in Maine is of Bucks Harbor’s eponymous harbor, snugly tucked in behind heart-shaped Harbor Island. Notched into the shore just above the entrance to Eggemoggin Reach, this serene hideaway has long been a favorite stop for yachts, and was one we looked forward to visiting every year when we had our downeast flybridge cruiser.
A short walk from Condon’s Garage, a gravel lane leads down to the water and Buck’s Harbor Marina. In recent years, the marina had fallen into stagnation. Happily, it’s now thriving under new ownership, with lots of work done on the dock and the store. I have fond memories of warming up in the enclosed outdoor hot shower on brisk autumn mornings. There are now new indoor showers on the dock, but I was glad to see there’s still an outdoor one, too.
In addition to Robert McCloskey, Brooksville can lay claim to Helen and Scott Nearing, revered sages in the back-to-the-land movement, who moved from rural Vermont to the village of Harborside in 1952. Their book, Living the Good Life: How to Live Sanely and Simply in a Troubled World, became a bible for those intent on emulating the lifestyle they practiced at their homestead, Forest Farm.
Thousands of disciples made pilgrimages to the hand-built stone house in the woods on the edge of Cape Rosier. There, they’d pitch in with the Nearings to learn organic gardening skills and contemplate sustainable living, vegetarianism, pacifism, and advocacy for social and economic justice. More than three decades after the couple’s deaths, people still come. Some are followers of the Nearings’ philosophy; others are merely curious. Now called the Good Life Center, the homestead and demonstration garden welcome them all from spring through fall. We decided to stop in.
Sarah Marcus and Jordan Humphrey, stewards for the 2025 season, greeted us and offered us tea. The Nearings built their very appealing house using stones they collected on the beach across the road—when Helen was in her 70s and Scott was in his 90s. The charming exterior is reminiscent of a Swiss chalet. The sparely furnished interior feels timelessly modern and spacious, with a large picture window offering broad water views. The Nearings’ extensive library crowds shelves along the walls.
Across from the house, the bountiful vegetable garden enclosed within a skillfully made stonewall prompted both our admiration and our envy. It was a vivid testament to the effectiveness of organic gardening methods. Pointing to an errant poppy blooming amid the perfect, leafy rows, Humphrey told us, “Helen loved poppies, so when one pops up anywhere, we always leave it.”
He led us down a short path to a wooden yurt where small gatherings take place. Its conical, wood-shingled double roof suggested Japanese influences, while the structure’s circular construction and porthole-like windows resembled a spaceship that had just landed in the woodsy clearing.
That spaceship image lingered in my mind as we headed home. Our time in Brooksville, I mused, felt as though we’d come from a different, noisier world, landing for a while in this quiet, welcoming little town where the past and present are seamlessly interwoven.
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Contributing editor Mimi Bigelow Steadman lives on the Damariscotta River in Edgecomb.
If You Go To Brooksville
Do
The Good Life Center welcomes visitors several days every week between Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples Day. A $20 cash donation is requested. Special events are offered throughout the season, including a speaker series, homestead workshops, and tours and work days for individuals and groups. Visit goodlife.org for a full schedule.
Eat
Tinder Hearth Bakery is well known for its exceptional croissants, breads, and sweet baked goods available for purchase in the café; breads and pastries may be pre-ordered. Wood-fired pizzas are served on Friday evenings; reservations for pizza nights are taken beginning on the previous Monday morning, and are strongly recommended. The menu, which also includes creative salads, features produce from local farms. Seating is in a cozy barn with mismatched furniture, and at picnic tables set amid lush gardens. The opening times are somewhat complicated—be sure to check in advance. Buck’s Restaurant, behind Buck’s Harbor Market, offers an upscale dinner menu, Friday through Sunday in season. Crazy Otto’s Street Food cooks up delicious international choices such as gyros, burritos, and banh mi sandwiches. Across the road, Lucy Q’s Place, also a food trailer, serves fried seafood and burgers. All of these businesses except Tinder Hearth Bakery are seasonal.
Shop
Buck’s Harbor Market stocks a good selection of groceries, pre-made items, and baked goods. If you haven’t read Robert McCloskey’s wonderful books, you can buy copies here. Walker Pond Pottery, on Coastal Road, is home to David McBeth’s beautifully shaped cups, mugs, bowls, and other vessels.
Hike and Paddle
Owned by Maine Coast Heritage Trust, the 17.6-acre Lookout Preserve features a half-mile hike up to the top of Lookout Rock for stunning panoramas of Eggemoggin Reach, Penobscot Bay, and the Camden Hills. Technically a hill, 250-foot-tall John B. Mountain rises amid a swath of undeveloped acreage beside Eggemoggin Reach. Stewarded by Blue Hill Heritage Trust, it offers a short, steep, and rocky loop trail to the summit. There is also the relatively flat Old School House Road, as well as the Spur Trail, a short hike to a view of Horseshoe Cove. Comprising forest, meadow, wetlands, ponds, and rocky shoreline, Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park encompasses 1,345 acres, including 115 on Holbrook Island. Located on Cape Rosier, its extensive trail network of old roads and paths ranges from easy to difficult. There are docks on the island and on the mainland. Both are easily accessed by dinghy from visitor moorings in Tom Cod Cove and the anchorage in Smith Cove. There are several put-in places for kayaks. There is no entrance fee. Open all year, the preserve is a good spot for wintertime snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Across the way in Castine, Castine Kayak Adventures offers rentals and also conducts paddling tours to Holbrook Island.
On the Water
Buck’s Harbor Marina has more than 30 moorings for seasonal and transient use. They accommodate boats up to 70 feet ($50 per night; includes water, showers, Wi-Fi, pump-out, and access to coin-operated laundry). Larger vessels can sometimes tie up overnight at the fuel dock, if available. Reservations in season are strongly recommended. The Bucks Harbor Yacht Club maintains a few visitor moorings that are available on a first-come, first-served basis for a stay of one 24-hour period. Three additional moorings are set aside for boaters with dinner reservations at Buck’s Restaurant that evening. Seal Cove Boatyard, in Horseshoe Cove in Harborside, also has guest moorings. The town of Brooksville maintains two service moorings, in Bucks Harbor and Smith Cove, that may be used with the harbormaster’s permission. Those who use them are asked to make a donation to the town. There are also two guest moorings at Tom Cod Cove and one at Holbrook Island. There are no reservations for these; it’s first come, first served. Launching ramps are located at Betsy’s Cove on Route 175, around the corner from Buck’s Harbor Market (permit parking only); on the Bagaduce River near the bridge; and in Smith Cove at Dodge Point. For information, contact Harbormaster Debrae Bishop (via cell at 207-664-4885 or email at harbormaster@brooksville.org).
