Port Clyde, Maine facts for kids
Port Clyde is a small, charming village located at the very end of the St. George peninsula in central Maine. It's a part of the larger town of St. George in Knox County, Maine. This quiet coastal spot is known for its beautiful scenery and its connection to famous artists and important people. The ZIP Code for Port Clyde is 04855.
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A Look Back at Port Clyde's History
In the 1800s, Port Clyde was a very busy place! It had many businesses, including places where people dug for granite (a type of stone), mills that used the ocean's tides to saw wood, and companies that built ships and canned fish. By the 1900s, the area started to attract artists and writers who loved its peaceful beauty. For example, the famous book The Country of the Pointed Firs was written by Sarah Orne Jewett in St. George.
Port Clyde's harbor was first known as Herring Gut. The Marshall Point Lighthouse, a famous landmark, is located at Port Clyde's southernmost tip. You might even recognize this lighthouse from the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, where the character played by Tom Hanks ran all the way to it!
Port Clyde was also home to The Port Clyde Packing Co., which made Port Clyde Sardines. This factory employed about 200 people and was the biggest employer in the area for many years. Sadly, the factory was destroyed in a fire on September 26, 1970. More recently, an overnight fire on September 27–28, 2023, destroyed the village's general store, an art gallery, a restaurant, and offices for the local boat line.
Famous Homes in Port Clyde
Port Clyde has been a favorite summer spot for many well-known people, especially artists.
The Wyeth Family's Summer Home
The Wyeth family, famous for three generations of talented artists, has owned a summer home in Port Clyde for a long time. N.C. Wyeth bought their home, called "Eight Bells," in the early 1920s. His son, Andrew Wyeth, also owned property and spent much time in the area. Today, N.C.'s grandson, Jamie Wyeth, continues to spend time there. Andrew's wife, Betsy, even owned two islands just off the coast of Port Clyde.
Other Notable Residents
- John Roberts, who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (a very important judge in the United States), and his wife bought a home on Hupper Island, just off Port Clyde, in 2006.
- Kenneth Noland, a very famous American painter known for his "color field" paintings, spent the last years of his life in Port Clyde. He worked regularly in his studio there and owned a home with his wife, Paige Rense, who was the editor of a famous magazine about homes called Architectural Digest.
- Port Clyde is also home to Fieldstone Castle, a unique building designed by Russell W. Porter. Today, artist Greg Mort uses it as his summer studio.
- The Land's End Historic District in Port Clyde was once an artists' colony also built by Russell W. Porter. Now, it's a group of summer cottages.
- Russell W. Porter also designed a building in Port Clyde that was used as the town library.
