a not-so-BRIEF history
Circa 1875
Stereograph, half-view by F.H. Crockett
Circa 1875
Stereograph by James P. Armbrust
Circa Unknown
OG crew hanging on the porch, photographer unknown
Want to hear something crazy?
This property has been welcoming guests since our buddy Abraham Lincoln was only 30 years old and wouldn’t be president for another five terms!
the captain
It starts with John Lindsey picking up roughly 100 acres of what is now downtown Rockland for $33. Thirty-three dollars. We ran the numbers and that shakes out to about $1,300 in today's money, which is considerably less than what we paid. So either John Lindsey was an exceptionally sharp negotiator, or we aren't. Probably some of both.
His son George built a home on the land, and for a while it did what homes do. Then in 1839, Lindsey looked at that house and saw something more: a place that could actually serve the town around it. He expanded it into a tavern and inn, added livery stables, and didn't just draw up the plans and step back. He hauled the materials. He burned the lime. He apparently made some of the bricks himself. The kind of guy we have a lot of respect for around here.
He eventually sold the inn to a man named T.B. Severance, and the building moved on to its next chapter. But something from those early days stuck — a practical ambition, an honest approach to craft, and a genuine desire to welcome people in. That DNA never really left the walls.
the property
Severance kept things running as an inn through 1857, reportedly putting guests up for $1.50 a night across 25 rooms. Inflation has since done what inflation does, so we'll have to charge you a bit more than that.
The building took a hard hit in the 1920s when a fire damaged the inn and the top floor was ultimately removed. Please reference our smoking and candle policy, as we don’t want a replay.
Not long after, the Camden & Rockland Water Company purchased the property and carried out major façade renovations in 1923, using it primarily as office space.
Then in 1994, the Lindsey found its way back to hospitality. Two modern-day sea captains, Ken and Ellen Barnes, undertook a major renovation to update the property and re-establish it as an inn, setting the stage for the guest house experience that followed.
the new owners
We’re Brett and Megan, and we’re the incoming caretakers of The Lindsey Hotel.
Not long ago, Brett was working for a general contractor, Megan in PR and marketing, and from the outside it all looked neatly assembled. Inside, though, we felt a pull toward something more personal. We wanted to build and run something as a family, investing in ourselves and the community we call home. We wanted to show our son you can take a leap into the unknown in pursuit of a dream.
Before us, Eric and Raleigh spent five years giving The Lindsey a stylish, thoughtful renovation and bringing new life to the property, so thank you to them. They’re also genuinely wonderful people, and we’re grateful they trusted us to take the baton. We plan to carry it with care.