National Register of Historic Places

College Club Inn

Searsport, Waldo County, Maine
Listed
April 13, 2000
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
00000377

About this property

Watchtide by the Sea, once known as the College Club Inn, is a historic traveler accommodation at 190 West Main Street (United States Route 1) in Searsport, Maine. Based around an early 19th-century house and developed as an inn and tea room in the early 20th century, the property exemplifies the adaptive reuse of older properties for the tourist trade in Maine. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Watchtide by the Sea is set on the southeast side of US 1, roughly midway between downtown Searsport and Moose Point State Park. The inn consists of a 1-1/2 story Cape style house, which is connected by a long single-story ell extending to its left to a converted barn. The Cape is five bays wide, with a side gable roof and end chimneys, and has a porch extending across its front and a full-width shed-roof dormer above. The ell has smaller shed-roof dormers, which was also found on the barn's southern roof. The interior of the Cape has Greek Revival styling, and is organized in a typical Federal period central hall plan, enlarged by the presence of the dormer above, and an enclosed porch to the rear. The house was built about 1800, and was acquired in 1902 by George and Rose Pettee for use as a summer house. Eleanor Roosevelt was among the most well known of their guests, staying on occasion to escape the sweltering summers of Washington, DC. A number of the enlargements and alterations were made during the Pettees' ownership, and the property was opened as a tea room and inn by their daughter Frances in 1917, known as the "College Club T House". Still under the Pettees' ownership, it operated under several variants of the "College Club" name through 1953. Although this practice of converting older buildings for use in the tourist trade was quite common in Maine, there are relatively few well-preserved examples, of which this is one. National Register of Historic Places listings in Waldo County, Maine

Location

190 W. Main St.
Searsport, Waldo County, Maine
44.44458, -68.93463

Categories

COMMERCE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about College Club Inn

This page lists College Club Inn. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your College Club Inn report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Pendleton, James G., House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Searsport Historic District
Listed
1.1 mi
Penobscot Marine Museum (Boundary Increase)
Listed
1.1 mi
Union School
Civil War
1.2 mi
Union Hall
Civil War
1.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was College Club Inn listed on the National Register?

College Club Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 2000.

What type of historic resource is College Club Inn?

College Club Inn is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for College Club Inn?

The period of significance for College Club Inn is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near College Club Inn?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near College Club Inn will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Waldo County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Waldo County.

Explore WaldoCounty ›

More historic places in Maine

Browse all historic places in Maine.

View Mainehistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Maine history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Mainehistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near College Club Inn will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report