Stepping into the old boatshed at the Brooklin Boat Yard can feel like time- traveling. It’s at its best as seen here, with the seaside doors open to morning light and Center Harbor’s salty breezes. They saunter in and mingle with the scent of old wood and the sight of well-used mooring gear.
It’s easy to conjure up a sense of times long past here. A lone craftsman working with his hands helped; it looked like he was repairing a small sailboat’s wooden wishbone tiller. All the boat racks were not full yet, but they soon will be.
The full history of the shed is not totally romantic. It reportedly was built around 1890 as part of a large sardine canning factory – a part that housed an outhouse that had no flushing capability, but conveniently extended over tidal water. I prefer not to time-travel back that far into the shed’s past.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on October 15, 2026.) See also the image in the Comment pace.