History

Discover Micmac Farm Since 1981

My mother, Barbara Dunn, named the property after the Micmacs (Mi’kmaq), the Indigenous Native Americans that seasonally rake wild blueberries in Maine. Families often camped out across the road from our driveway, and in honor of the seasonal neighbors the name “Micmac Farm” took hold. The summer home was purchased in 1964 from Violet Elizabeth Brown, the daughter of oil magnate, W.P. Brown of Coffeyville, Kansas.

Micmac Farm was originally established as a restaurant in 1981 and was known as one of the best restaurants in Maine. Guests dined in two rooms by candlelight and the warm glow of crackling fires from three fireplaces and were served a four-course gourmet meal – soup, salad, entre, and desert – for an all-inclusive price. The business expanded to include lodging in 1984 when three cabins were built on the Machias River, and six years later, a guestroom was added to the main house.

Barbara Dunn circa 1981

The Gardner House is the third oldest house in the Machias area and has its prominent place in history. The house was built at the end of 1776 by Ebenezer Gardner who was born in Massachusetts and later settled in Aulac, Nova Scotia to farm and start a family. During the American Revolution, he was involved in a failed patriot attempt to overthrow Fort Cumberland in 1776. The British burned his original farmhouse in retribution, and he and his family narrowly escaped to Machiasport where they built their second farmhouse. Ebenezer and twenty-three other family members are buried on the property in a family cemetery.

I am lucky to be surrounded in history living in this historic home along with the rich family history on both my paternal and maternal sides of the family as represented by my full name – Anthony Corbett Taylor Dunn. “Corbett” comes from my grandmother on my father’s side whose roots stem from Cutler, the next town over from Machiasport. The Corbetts were a family of sailing captains, and I’m fortunate to have detailed descriptions of the ships they sailed as well as personal accounts of life at sea. There are tales of shipwrecks, cannibals, entombment in rum casks, and a host of harrowing experiences. In 2021, I had the pleasure of visiting the Cape Lookout National Seashore on Harkers Island, North Carolina where the salvaged anchor of the ship, Olive Thurlow, is exhibited.

“Taylor” is my mother’s maiden name, and on that side of the family are my literary connections. My grandfather was Bert Leston Taylor, a celebrated journalist for the Chicago Tribune in the early 1900s and a prominent poet of the time producing several volumes of light verse poetry. My aunt – Alva Taylor – was a flapper in the twenties and was at one time married to Paul Gallico of “The Poseidon Adventure” fame.

Read more about the history of Ebenezer and the Gardner family; the Olive Thurlow and the Corbett’s tales of life at sea in the late 1800s; and Bert Leston Taylor by following the quick links located on the top right of this page.

My family and I look forward to your visit with us, and we would love to hear about your ancestors!