30 Cranberry Road, Great Cranberry Island, Cranberry Isles, Hancock County, ME

“The house was built in the early 1900s. Subsequently it was sold to Roy Simmons of Toledo, Ohio, who used the house as a summer residence, until he sold to Clarence Beal.

“Clarence Beal (of Beal & Bunker) raised his family in this house. For a brief period, the house was a boarding house. It was the first place Betty Hartley and her family, (the Eversmans) stayed when Betty was about five years old.

“In a picture taken then, there were no trees, except for the four maples which were just planted. Jan and Fred Moss purchased the house from Clarence Beal in 1971. Jan uses her artistic talents when planning her garden. She knows how to use shapes and the colors of flowers, like designing on canvas. After fighting the deer for years (who thought her garden was their special dining area) she had most of the yard fenced in. Outside the fence, near the pump house, she has planted a variety of flowers that don’t appeal to the deer: lilies, lavender, lupine and silver plants. A large deck on the back serves as an eating area and is a good viewing spot, overlooking the garden. Once it was used as a stage for a classical concert. The audience sat under the trees.

“The Mosses built a barn in the back of their property which doubles as a guest house. The garden flows from area to area, creating rooms of color. A garden shed and other architectural features are used for utility and contrast, giving the garden more interest.”

This biography is an excerpt from the booklet ‘House Histories’, which was edited and compiled by Wini Smart in 2010. This information was most recently updated in 2010, so it is possible that changes in ownership or house status have occurred. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to the archives for more information.