Mount Desert Island Historical Society

Description

The Hotel Florence was located on Main Street by the Village Green in Bar Harbor, one of dozens of hotels that catered to tourists and travelers beginning before the turn of the century and extending well into the 1900s.

According to a Bar Harbor Times story of November 3, 1917, the hotel was first built for about $60,000 around 1885 and operated by Mr. Frank Wood of Bangor as the Porcupine. The hotel was sold in November 1917 by Mrs. T.E. Martin to Thomas J. Phelps.

The Florence was said to be one of the best-known hotels in Maine, and open all year round. In 1917, the hotel contained 50 guest rooms and could accommodate 50 to 100 people. The facility was particularly popular among traveling men throughout the year and expanded its clientele to include tourists in the summer.

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