Captain Lindsey House
5 Lindsey Street
Rockland , Maine 04841
Reservations: 800-523-2145
Business: 207-596-7950
Your Hosts: Captains Ken and Ellen Barnes
Imagine a lovely English inn combined with a Maine sea captain’s
home, and you’ve got the 9-room Captain Lindsey House. This sophisticated inn is
almost more boutique hotel than bed and breakfast, and combines the attributes of both,
right in the heart of Rockland’s historic seaport. The fine oak paneling, along with a
wonderful collection of pieces from owners Captains Ken and Ellen Barnes’ travels,
offers a feel of worldly hospitality that is the trademark of this inn. Guests find their time
spent with Captains Ken and Ellen Barnes, retired as owners of the windjammer Stephen
Taber – the oldest documented schooner in continuous recorded service – is as much a
part of the memory as the stay at the inn. Animated storytellers and world-traveled
mariners, the Barnes create a lasting impression with their stories and the inn they’ve
created here. Gorgeous antiques and Persian rugs, amidst modern amenities
surreptitiously concealed, offer today’s traveler that combination of genuine historical
feel with the conveniences of modern times. A library complete with a computer for
checking email, along with in-room phones and TVs and wireless internet access
throughout the inn make this the ideal home-away-from-home for those traveling on
business or for pleasure. The Captain Lindsey House has been certified by the state of
Maine as an environmental leader in the hospitality industry.
There are nine graciously appointed guest rooms, and
you can’t help but feel the presence of the nautical legacy of this inn throughout.
Sketches of schooners and life at sea from artist/owner Captain Ken Barnes and his
family, along with custom crafted furniture, created or collected by Captain Barnes, give
the inn its signature character. Rooms have twin, queen or king beds, with down
comforters, pillows and mattresses. All the rooms are spacious and accommodate two
comfortably, in a few cases fold-out beds allow space for additional guests. One room
offers its own private handicap-accessible ramp and entrance. Five of the nine guest
rooms have in-room fireplaces. Additionally, the Barnes operate the Captains Cottage in
Camden, a year-round two-bedroom, two-bath rental cottage, with a nautical theme.
All guest rooms offer private baths, equipped with hair dryers, fine toiletries, Egyptian
cotton towels and fluffy bathrobes. In-room telephones with dataports and wireless
internet access, and televisions cleverly concealed in cabinets and armoires maintain the
inn’s historic character. All rooms are air conditioned for comfort in the summer. In
keeping with their boutique-hotel image, newspapers are found outside guests’ rooms each morning, and a chocolate kiss is laid upon pillows in the evenings. Turn-down
service is offered. Friendly concierge services including everything from assistance in
planning seasonal activities to making dinner reservations is available too. Guests will
enjoy afternoon refreshments, with sherry and port or tea served fireside in the late
afternoons. A well-stocked guest pantry is also provided.
In the quiet season, (mid-October through mid-June) room rates range from $141 to $161
per night (double occupancy). For rooms that accommodate three or four, there is a $35
per night charge per person. During the summer season (mid-June through mid-October),
the same rooms range from $178 to $215 per night. All room rates include a full 3-course
buffet breakfast. Corporate rates are available for business travelers.
Guests are welcomed by a number of inviting common areas. A large
and elegant parlor, warmed by a fireplace in winter, and filled with a collection of lovely
antiques and artifacts from travels throughout the world, welcomes guests as they enter.
Off the parlor is a well-stocked library, featuring a complete collection of National
Geographic magazines dating back forty years as well as other books for all interests.
Here, there is a desk and telephone with a dataport for those traveling with computers to
log into the internet. And for those with wireless-ready computers, free access is
available throughout the inn. The dining room is reminiscent of a luxury yacht, with
beautiful wood paneling and tufted, built-in benches. Also off the main parlor is a lovely
deck and brick patio and walled-in private garden with comfortable outdoor furniture,
offering a wonderful place to enjoy morning coffee and breakfast, a quiet afternoon
reading, or a cocktail before dinner.
Breakfast is served buffet-style every morning from 8:00-10:00am. Coffee and
teas are up by 7:00 am. Daily guests are treated to a hearty array of homemade granola
and cereals, bagels and English muffins, locally baked breads, muffins, yogurt, eggs,
soufflés, dried and fresh fruits and more. Guests love the Belgian waffles always
available, along with whipped cream, fresh fruits and syrups for topping. Many of the
recipes featured at breakfast can be found in Ellen Barnes’s cookbook, “A Taste of the
Taber, Classic Maine Coastal Cooking.”
The house was originally built in 1835, when Captain George Lindsey, a bold
mariner and prominent Rockland citizen, set up a kiln to make the bricks for his new
home. Lindsey’s father, a veteran of the French and Indian War, had been deeded a large
portion of what is known now as Rockland for 14 British pounds. Two years later, in
1837, Lindsey transformed the house into what is believed to be Rockland’s first inn,
compete with a livery stable and popular tavern. It soon became the gathering place for
locals and the center for political discussions. It remained an inn until the local water
company bought it and turned it into its headquarters in the early 1900s. Captains Ellen
and Ken Barnes bought it to save it from demise in 1995, and as a place to display and
share their furniture and collectables from their travels throughout the world with guests.
The Captain Lindsay House is among the six houses that the Barnes have renovated or
updated. While full-time captains of the Windjammer Stephen Taber until 2004, Ken and
Ellen Barnes lit the first fire in the parlor fireplace in 1995, and have continued to gain
acclaim from guests and media ever since.
Families, couples and single guests are welcome. While
most rooms accommodate two people, the inn’s family suites are ideal for those traveling
in larger parties. A handicapped accessible room, with a private entrance, ramp and fully-
outfitted handicap-accessible facilities is available. Those traveling with pets are advised
to contact a local kennel. The inn is fully non-smoking.
Business travelers will find this inn particularly suited to their needs.
Not only are rooms equipped with televisions, phones and dataports and wireless internet
access, but the library offers an additional office-away-from-home for those who’d prefer
to not mix business with pleasure in their rooms. A fax and copier is available and
Captain Lindsey House also offers corporate rates. Those traveling on business are
welcome to invite guests to join them for breakfast at the inn at no additional charge.
Additionally, the wonderful collection of decor, relics, and authentic antiques from
throughout the world, combined with its modern amenities give this inn the feel of a
boutique European hotel. Add that to the wonderfully interesting stories from owners,
Ken and Ellen Barnes, and the warm hospitality offered by their staff, and the Captain
Lindsey is a favorite among all. The elegant intimacy of this inn provides a lovely venue
for small weddings and receptions. Moreover, Captain Barnes can officiate.
From Portland, Maine: Take I-295 to Exit 28 in Brunswick. Take Route 1
north and follow into Rockland. Continue on Route 1 north onto Main Street. At the send
of the stores, turn left onto Summer Street, go one block turn left and then left again onto
Lindsey Street. The inn is on the left.