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Harbor House was founded in 1965 when an anonymous donor gave $10,000 and asked the Town of Southwest Harbor to match that money for the purpose of starting a recreation program for the youth of the community. The origins of this program began in a small building on the Herrick Road. Over the years, as the programs expanded and diversified, Harbor House outgrew this small space. By 1983 we began using part of the town's Old Yellow School House to house some of our activities. This building was almost demolished in 1985, but ultimately the town voted to allow Harbor House to become the "overseer" and to use the building. In 1990 a community block grant sponsored by Tremont and Southwest Harbor in conjunction with Harbor House provided $275,000 for renovations to the building. With a tremendous amount of volunteer labor, funds from Harbor House operations, and community resourcefulness in gaining help from the 131st National Guard, the Old Yellow Schoolhouse was refurbished and renovated and the programs continued to flourish. Harbor House, now synonymous with the Old Yellow Schoolhouse, is a town landmark and looked on by many in the community as a "beacon light representing the future." In 2005 Harbor House celebrated 40 years of serving the surrounding communities. However, as we continue to grow, again we require more space. A Capital Campaign is underway and continues to raise the funds necessary to rebuild the original Children's Center. This will ultimately house the childcare and fitness programs and the original Old Yellow Schoolhouse will be utilized for office space and for many of the adult programs. Harbor House is proud to be a primary recreational resource for the towns of Southwest Harbor and Tremont and we continue to expand our programs to meet the growing needs of families on Mount Desert Island. Generations of Island families have now passed through our doors, and we think this speaks volumes about the art of being a "community" rather than just another town somewhere in Maine. |
