Camden, Maine, Has Been East Coast Old Money's Summer Harbour Since the 1880s

Camden sits on Maine's midcoast, its harbour framed by Mount Battie rising directly behind the town, a combination of sheltered water and scenic backdrop that drew wealthy summer residents here from the 1880s onward. Prominent families from Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Washington built large shingle-style cottages on the slopes above the harbour, and their descendants, along with a newer wave of money, have kept Camden a quiet, distinctly old-fashioned summer address rather than a resort town built up around them.

From working schooners to the Windjammer Capital of the World

Camden's wealth was originally maritime rather than social: the town was a significant shipbuilding centre through the 18th and 19th centuries, launching the world's first six-masted schooner in 1900. When cargo sail gave way to steam and rail, a handful of these working schooners were kept in service by converting them to carry passengers, a business that took hold commercially from the 1940s and grew into the Maine Windjammer fleet still based in Camden today, giving the town its long-running claim as the Windjammer Capital of the World.

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A summer colony that built the town, not just its cottages

Unlike some Gilded Age summer colonies that stayed walled off from their host towns, Camden's wealthy summer residents also funded public amenities that remain in everyday use, including the town's public library and the amphitheatre park above the harbour. The effect is a working Maine town, with a functioning fishing and boatbuilding waterfront, that happens to sit directly beneath a hillside of large, still-private summer estates.

Why it has stayed low-key

Camden's distance from a major airport, the nearest being Portland, roughly two hours south by road, has kept it from the kind of rapid development seen closer to Boston, while its working harbour and boatyards give the town a purpose beyond tourism that purely resort-built communities lack. That combination has made it a durable rather than fashionable summer address, returned to by the same families for well over a century.

Traveller tips

• Portland International Jetport is the nearest airport with regular commercial service, roughly a two-hour drive from Camden.
• The Maine Windjammer fleet runs multi-day sailing trips from Camden and nearby Rockland through the summer and early autumn season.
• Camden Hills State Park, immediately behind the town, has a road and trail to the summit of Mount Battie for a view back over the harbour.
• Peak summer weekends draw heavy visitor traffic; late spring and early autumn are quieter with milder weather.