Description: The original house was built in 1830 for Benjamin Ward and is one of the oldest still existing buildings in Southwest Harbor. The house once held the U.S. Customs House [T-184] and was sold by Eldora Dolliver Ward to sea captain William W. King in 1905 (426/105). It was sold by Lottie King Reed to Emery Norwood in 1946 (712/121). Emery died July 22, 1953, leaving as heir-at-law Edna G. Hurd Norwood, who lived in the house until she sold it to John Eugene Jacobson in 1975 (1209/647). The shed ell was reported to have belonged to Albert “Uncle Al” King, who used it as a boat shed on the shore of 373 Seawall Road. The small barn in the rear is Jake Jacobson’s shop. (map 1, lot 44) - Burnham, John, Rebecca. - Our Neighborhood – Manset and Seawall (Southwest Harbor Historical Society, Southwest Harbor, 2015) 78-79. [show more]
Description: "Eldering" was the summer home of Frank Wells and Linda Chapin Marcus Ramseyer. 1937 - Linda Chapin Marcus, daughter of Dorothy's brother, William Elder Marcus, Jr. and her husband, Frank Ramseyer Jr. bought a strip of six acres next to Dorothy's "High Tide" on Seawall Road, from Captain Hiram S. Hadlock and built their summer house, "Eldering." The name was partly in honor of Frank's descent from Elder Brewster of the Mayflower and partly from the name, Elder, in Linda's family. Frank W. Ramseyer designed the house, which was built by Sylvester Dorr. In about 1960 Hiram Hadlock's granddaughter, Eleanor M. Hadlock Gilley, sold another eleven acres to the Ramseyers, thus completing the present property. In 1942 an east wing was added to the house by Mr. Dorr and in 1964 a south ell, designed by Frank Ramseyer and built by Maurice Norwood. Frank's daughters, Helene Ramseyer Dickel and Lin Ramseyer Clayberg, added a garage of their design to the property. [show more]