Housing
This section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine’s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market and the public policy behind them. Read more Housing coverage here.
A sprawling 25-acre estate perched at the mouth of the Kennebec River is for sale for $3.8 million.
The property, known as Gilbert Head, includes four buildings and sits on the southern end of Long Island off the coast of Georgetown. Its waterfront position gives the home a clear view of Fort Popham, Popham Beach and the boat traffic cruising the Kennebec River.
“It’s the centerpiece at the mouth of the river and serves as a waypoint for people,” said Poe Cilley of Vitalius Real Estate Group, the listing agent for the property.
Built in 1862, the main house offers five bedrooms, three bathrooms and more than 3,300 square feet of living space. There’s also a small boathouse, barn and studio building on the property, according to Cilley.
The estate hit the market on May 12 with an asking price of $3.8 million. That’s significantly more than average home value in the coastal community, which Zillow placed just below $700,000 as of April.
The sellers have meticulously updated and maintained the home over the past 22 years while living there seasonally and raising their children, Cilley said.
“This property has raised families for decades,” Cilley said. “What a magical place to spend the summer fishing and picking blueberries. I can’t imagine a better place to grow up.”
Before the sellers occupied the home, renowned artist Stephen Etnier lived and painted there with his wife, Elizabeth, who wrote a book about their time in the island home. In the book, she describes spending more time in the house’s smaller rooms closer to the center of the building during the shoulder seasons, as they’d live on the island from April to December, Cilley said.
The property includes a deep water pier made of Deer Isle granite, meadows, wooded walking trails, and a small beach that appears on the east side of the island at low tide.
While the island is not private, only a handful of people live there, Cilley said, and conservation agreements preserve the land from further development.
The home is accessible only by boat, but does have electricity, internet access, wood burning stoves and propane. The home has a heating system, Cilley said, meaning it could be lived in year-round, though that’s not what it has been used for historically.
The sellers have made important upgrades to the home in recent years, ensuring it has modern amenities and comforts while keeping its historic charm. Some of the most recent updates include a new pier, roof, and water heater and pressure system, according to Cilley.
The turnkey property is ideal for “someone who appreciates the historic, celebrates the natural beauty of the island, savors the privacy and is committed to keeping it the way it is,” Cilley said.
While the property itself is “magnificent,” Cilley said her favorite part is watching seals, osprey, eagles, sturgeon, porpoises and boat traffic — including the occasional destroyer from Bath Iron Works — pass by.
“You can sit on the front stoop and watch this whole ecosystem in front of you,” Cilley said. “It’s like you’re on a ship watching the world go by.”