Roosevelt Campobello International Park was created in 1964 when President Lyndon Johnson and Prime Minister Lester Pearson signed an international treaty. In the parks 2800 acres is FDR's summer cottage, along with several other cottages, acres of natural areas including coves, lakes and hills, and several miles of scenic roads and hiking trails. Camping is conveniently located at nearby Herring Cove Provincial Park.
This is the Roosevelt Cottage, designed by Boston architect William Sears and built in 1897 for Mrs. Hartman Kuhn. When she died in 1909, thanks to a provision in her will, FDR's mother Sara was able to purchase the cottage for $5000. You may well have seen this very photo before - it was taken from a spot designated as "The Best Photo Area".
The view from the living room.
The playroom. Nearly all the furnishings in the cottage are original items
Displayed in one of the boys' room was this old Erector set. I inherited a set similar to this, but without the beautiful wooden case.
The kitchen contained a large wood and coal combination stove which also heated hot water for the house.
Another view of the street-side of the house.
Facing the Bay of Fundy were broad verandas. The section to the right, with the double-decker porches, was added in 1915.
The FDR cottage was just one of several originally built by guests who frequented three large old hotels nearby. This is the Prince Cottage, just to the west of the Roosevelt Cottage.
A short walk to the east is the Hubbard Cottage.
This is Wells-Shober Cottage, located diagonally across the street.
There are several miles of hiking trails within the park. We enjoyed the 1.2 km Friar's Head Trail, which goes through a wooded area to an observation deck overlooking Friar Bay and Eastport ME.
The village of Eastport ME.
Friar Cove is home to a large salmon farm, with numerous large pens out in the cove.
Looking from Friar's Head, one can just make out the roof and chimneys of the Roosevelt Cottage to the right, while the Hubbard Cottage is more visible to the left.
Perhaps you may recall reading about a plan to harness the massive tides of the Bay of Fundy to generate electricity. This became one of Roosevelt's largest WPA projects, employing 3000 workers. Congress could not agree on authorizing further funds and the project was abandoned in 1936. A section of the dike that would have held back waters in Cobscook Bay can be still be seen connecting Treat and Dudley Islands.
Getting there:
From the US side, access to Campobello Island is via a bridge from Lubec, Maine, just south of Eastport.
From the Canadian side, two ferry crossings are required to get from mainland New Brunswick to Campobello Island. From Letete, NB, a ferry operates to Deer Island. After a drive across Deer Island, one then takes a second ferry over to Campobello Island.
When we were leaving Campobello Island on our way to Nova Scotia, we could not have timed our arrival at both ferries any better - in both cases, the ferry was loading when we arrived at the pier and we didn't even shut off the engine until we were on board. The crew has an excellent eye for judging the length of vehicles; on the Deer Island-Letete ferry, our rear bumper was just inches from the raised ramp. The Campobello-Deer Island Ferry operates from late June through September, with a car fare of $16 and $75 for motor coaches. The Deer Island-Letete ferry operates year-round and is free.
Next stop: Marble Mountain, Cape Breton
