A destination for distinctive events...on the shores of Penobscot Bay

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The Retreat at French's Point

In 1764, Col. Benjamin Shute purchased 100 acres of Maine land on the magnificent coast of Penobscot Bay. He built a log cabin, and a few years later, added a cape-style ell onto a small nearby home – now The Farm at French’s Point, which is today the oldest wooden structure still standing in Waldo County.

Fearing attack during the French and Indian War (1754-1760), the Shute family built an underground escape tunnel leading from the house to the shore. Later, the tunnel was used by slaves traveling the underground railroad from the south to freedom in the north, and then for rum running during prohibition in the 1920s.

The Shute family sold the cape to William French in 1814, and he built the colonial section onto what soon came to be known as French House. Over the years, the family added several outbuildings to the land, including a barn, a well, a cow shed, a carriage, and cook house. Unfortunately, none of these structures survive today.

In 1890, the Universalist Church of Bangor took ownership of French House, using it as a cook house and sleeping accommodations for counselors for the nearby Hersey Retreat summer camp. By 1953, the Church still owned 26 acres of the original 100 acre parcel.

The Church put French House up for sale in July 2002, and local resident Robert Brooks -- whose family has lived on the adjacent property for 70 years – took the opportunity to preserve the land and refurbish the home. He and his family lovingly restored the existing structure and added a second colonial section to the French House.

The Farm at French’s Point, with its breathtaking views of Old Penobscot Bay, unspoiled blueberry fields and surrounding woods – has become an elegant rental estate, attracting families and corporate guests for reunions, retreats, weddings, holidays and gatherings of all kinds.