The Curtis Guest House

History of the Property

The Curtis was built in 1882 as the Lowell House and was acquired by the Educational Bureau in November of 1887 to provide meeting space for the Bureau and moderate priced accommodations for visitors.

"It was furnished in a home-like manner as a restful retreat for those not desiring hotel or cottage life. Scores of persons ... took shares of ten dollars to equip the kitchen and dining room for this 'big home by the sea'. Most of the bedrooms were named in memory of various friends, by those who donated funds for their furnishing." *

The Reverend Silas Curtis, Pastor of the Free Will Baptist Church in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, contributed so generously to the acquisition in memory of his wife, Patience, that the building was renamed “Curtis Home”, later becoming simply "The Curtis".

"This building became the center of sociability for all Cottage residents stopped to sit down on the steps of the long, open porch of those earlier days to tell stories, ponder questions, and crack jokes with one another and with those staying at the Curtis. To this building for years to come came young people to attend classes and book lovers to draw books from its small library." **

In 1917 the front porch was rebuilt and the rear of the second floor was extended over the kitchen to provide bathroom space on the second and third floors. Today, the function of the Curtis remains the same as in its early days. Educational Bureau meetings and events are held at the property and it operates as a guest house with a resident hostess who manages the bookings and provides for the daily needs of the guests.

* Centennial History of Ocean Park, Maine: 1881-1981 by Adelbert M. Jakeman.
** History of the Educational Bureau, Ocean Park, Maine: 1885 - 1985 by The Educational Bureau of Ocean Park.