Chesuncook Lake House owners will rebuild
CHESUNCOOK TOWNSHIP – A historic inn located on Chesuncook Lake in the Moosehead Lake region was destroyed by fire in mid-March, and the owners now say they will rebuild. The Chesuncook Lake House, located on Chesuncook Lake and accessible through a 52-mile drive up the Golden Road and another 15 miles on snowmobile trail, lost everything to the blaze.
On Saturday, March 24 owners David and Luisa Surprenant, hosted a final ride-in to the site where the Chesuncook Lake House stood for more than 150 years. “The Final Ride,” as it was called, attracted an estimated 800 riders and it was at that event when the Surprenants announced they would rebuild.
“We want to express our sincere appreciation to everyone who took the ride out to the land that once housed the Chesuncook Lake House to show their support,” said the Surprenants. “The people who have donated and written in with their thoughts and stories of Chesuncook have helped us realize how special it was to so many people. We will continue cleaning and getting the site ready to build a newer, better Chesuncook Lake House. We will keep people updated on our Facebook page and look forward to welcoming people back to this beautiful spot where new memories can be made.”
After the fire, a neighboring business started a Go Fund Me to help with any rebuilding efforts. Until the ride-in, the rebuilding plans were hypothetical until the family came to a conclusion about their plans going forward. As of March 27, the effort had raised more than $21,000. The page is at www.gofundme.com/chesuncook-lake-house-rebuild-fund.
The Chesuncook Lake House was built in 1864, originally supplying logging camps in northern Maine. Featured by a number of publications because of its uniqueness and special location including Downeast Magazine, the New York Times and the Boston Globe, the Chesuncook Lake House was on listed on the National Historic Registry. The Lake House was located 50 miles north of the Moosehead Region and 60 miles west of Millinocket, and very popular with snowmobilers as a destination on long rides and getaway excursions.
:
Photo courtesy of Chesuncook Lake House
RIDING IN FOR THE CHESUNCOOK LAKE HOUSE — On March 24 owners David and Luisa Surprenant, hosted a final ride-in to the site where the Chesuncook Lake House stood for more than 150 years before a fire destroyed the building in mid-March. “The Final Ride” attracted an estimated 800 riders, and it was at that event when the Surprenants announced they would rebuild.