Harbor View Cottage on Swans Island

Wonderful summer home overlooking Burnt Coat harbor on Swans Island. Perched on a granite ledge, nestled in the pines, this cozy family cottage is a great getaway. Sit on the deck and enjoy the sunrise or the moonrise and let the peacefulness and tranquility that is Swans Island wash over you. Walk out to the lighthouse or along the back shore while you relax and take in the beauty of this incredible place. Head over to Minturn and go for a swim in the quarry pond. Have a swim and picnic at Fine Sand beach. Explore the rocky back shore west of the lighthouse. Want fresh, as in straight from the ocean bottom fresh lobster, you can do that! You have to take a ferry to get here, but it is well worth the effort! For some historical perspective, Swan's Island was first charted in 1606 by Samuel de Champlain's expedition, and at the time was used by local Indians as a seasonal hunting ground. Colonel James Swan of Fife, Scotland purchased the island in 1786, but in 1791, David Smith, an American Revolutionary War veteran, became the first settler of European extraction on the island. The population grew slowly to more than 1,000 by 1900. Fish processing was the dominant industry into the 1930s but, with the advent of refrigeration, fresh fish replaced the dried and canned products produced in the area making the area's existing processing businesses unprofitable. The island's ferry service, which ceased operations at the beginning of the second world war, was reinstated when the state ferry began service in 1960, helping to make Swan's Island a popular summer tourism destination. The ferry also is used to carry the mail to the island.