About the Inn
Meet your hosts
New England Hospitality
Amanda and Derrick are the fifth owners of this historic inn. They purchased the Inn in September 2025, and are already excited about the many years ahead!
They both bring an array of backgrounds. Derrick is our head of housekeeping, maintenance, construction and anything technical. He had an extensive career in software engineering at both small startups and larger corporations in NYC and Boston. Where he thrives, however, is working with his hands and creating and building. Any major (and minor) improvements to the property are fully credited to him. His compassion and care can be seen with every guest interaction as well.
Amanda is our head chef, marketing director, landscaper and interior designer. She grew up in a family where food was a source of comfort and a way to show care and creativity. She has also built a career on creating efficiency and streamlined processes in small businesses. These last few years she has worked on expanding her knowledge and skill of cultivating and utilizing native plants in her daily life.
Amanda and Derrick both grew up in Massachusetts, and met in college back in 2005. They’ve been residents in Rochester, NY and New York City, Boston and Abington, MA before moving up to Bar Harbor, ME in September 2025. Their young son can be seen around the property helping bus tables and clean up on weekends and summer days.
History Lesson
The Inn's main building was built sometime around 1804. The hand hewn beams and joinery, along with the Cape style architecture puts its initial build definitively prior to the 1850s. The land it sits on was purchased by Ebenezer Leland in 1792. After serving in the Revolutionary War in the 16th Massachusetts Regiment, Ebenezer embarked on the journey from Massachusetts to Maine. He took the "oath of allegiance" to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an obligation of being a resident of Mount Desert in 1790. He purchased 200 acres from Bartholomy and Maria Theresa DeGregoire, later selling most of the land 2 years later to Ezra Leland and Samuel Hull. (To learn more about how the island's initial land grants were divided click here.) The land and its buildings stayed within the Leland family for at least 4 generations. In 1996 it was purchased as a single family home and converted into a bed and breakfast. The carriage house in the back of the property was built in 2012 as a owner's home.
There is a story that it was a stagecoach stop and tavern for travelers moving between Ellsworth and the various coves on the Island. While Amanda has not been able to verify this story, it's still a fun one! It was most likely a home for one of the Leland family members, who were well known on the Island for their farming, particularly for grain for the local dairy farms. Part of the coastline just behind the Inn is named Leland Point. It was a perfect spot to load lumber that was locally harvested onto boats set for more southern ports.
A fun historical note: This area and most of the state of Maine was a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until March 1820. Which means this Inn was most likely 'built' in Massachusetts.
