Cranberry Cove Restaurant, 27 Shore Front Road, Great Cranberry Island, Cranberry Isles, Hancock County, ME

“In 1967, Ada Rice and her sister Leona MacAllister decided to start a restaurant on Cranberry Island. Their husbands, Charles Rice and “Red” MacAllister were willing to build it on land they owned on Spurling Cove. This new eatery was called “Cranberry Cove.” It originally had a lunch counter which was well patronized by the locals. Ada was famous for her desserts, especially her wonderful pies. They served a full menu including lobster and popovers. The good island food and the beautiful view of islands and mountains made it a popular spot for islanders and boaters from the mainland.

“Ada’s and Leona’s other sister, Polly, had a gift shop built on the property. Her husband, Tud, built it with Red MacAllister’s help, and it was named the Whale’s Rib. The windows came from an estate in Otter Cliffs that had been torn down.

“In the late 70s they sold the restaurant to David Stockberger, whose wife ran it, as he had a business in Ellsworth. She [...] had no restaurant experience. Local women were hired for waitresses. The Stockbergers added an addition for a bar, but the business failed. All the equipment was sold in 1980, leaving it an empty shell.

“In 1982 Wini Smart and her husband bought the building and finished off the interior to make it a house. Jr Bracy towed their houseboat from Northeast Harbor and with great difficulty it was moved up on the shore. This serves as a guest house. Later a shed was moved from the neighboring boatyard to make an outdoor art studio.

“Polly’s shop remained on the property after Wini Smart bought the property. Polly had the building moved a few years later to her home property, after her husband grew ill.

“A natural spring at the rear of the property keeps the land very wet, so Wini had Karl Wedge dig a pond to make a water garden. After Polly had her shop moved to her home site, Wini had a second pond dug to fill in the empty space. Recently a third pond was constructed to control flooding.

“The location is perfect for inspiring an artist, and a great many paintings have resulted from

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.