Buildings of New England

“Beech Nut” is a stone cottage built at the top of Beech Hill in Rockport in one of the best hiking areas of Mid-Coast Maine. The hut was built in 1913 for owner John Gribbel (1858-1936), a Philadelphia-based industrialist, who had a summer estate, “Weatherend” in Rockport. He hired a Norwegian immigrant named Hans Heisted, an employee of the Olmsted Brothers, to improve the grounds at Weatherend, which included meandering paths, stone walls, and stone structures. Meanwhile, the Gribbels had started acquiring land on Beech Hill in 1909, and eventually accumulated holdings of more than 300 acres. To keep the masons and landscapers busy during the winter, Gribbel and Heisted thought to build a small hut a few miles away on Beech Hill, which would serve as the family picnic and tea shelter. The stone building features a unique sod roof which was typical of Scandinavian houses up until the late 1800s. Once complete, family and friends would visit Beech Nut to enjoy the fresh air and views of the Atlantic from atop the hill for the day. After successive owners, the property began to deteriorate until the 1980s, when developers began to swarm the open space for redevelopment. In 1986, the land around Beech Nut was put under conservation easement and was acquired in 2003 by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, which then transferred it in 2006 to the Coastal Mountains Land Trust. In 2007, the hut was completely restored and serves as a respite after the uphill climb for visitors.