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Please Email: bjohnson@nlis.net Cobbler's Place has been sold. It will
not be a Bed and Breakfast anymore. Thank you to all the people who came
and stayed.
Welcome to the Cobbler's Place located on Chebeague, an island off the coast of Maine. Steeped in maritime tradition, Chebeague has a rich economic history of Stone Sloops, fishing vessels and salt water farms. The Island boasts two delightful restaurants, a wonderful general store, hair salon, bicycle rental, nine hole golf course, post office and a fine gift shop.
Available year-round - two charming rooms at $60 per night per room with
continental breakfast, or for $99 per night get both rooms, your own breakfast
and have use of kitchen and laundry. For $400 get both rooms for 5 nights.
It's like having your own home!
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drawing to go
to the Chebeague Anchor Page
The Cobbler’s Place, built shortly after the Civil War, was the home of Ambrose E. Hamilton, his wife, Martha, and their four children. Ambrose was the fourth generation of his family to settle on Great Chebeague Island. He went to sea as a young boy with his father, also named Ambrose, aboard the rock sloop Sally. Sloops like the Sally carried building stone, set navigational markers, and built wharves, breakwaters, and lighthouses.
As a young man Ambrose travelled to Brockton, Massachusetts where he learned the shoemaking trade. While in Massachusetts he married Martha, a widow with a young daughter. When he returned to Chebeague he signed on as a crew member aboard one of Chebeague’s many “Stone Sloops.”
When rusticators discovered Great Chebeague Island during the late nineteenth century, many islanders came ashore to make a living. Ambrose Hamilton tapped his shoemaking skills when he opened the “Cobbler Shop." Islanders and summer folks alike came to buy rubbers, boots, shoes and sneakers from “Uncle Brisse”. A child’s visit to the cobbler often included a stop at the candy counter where Needhams were a penny and Boston Baked Beans were little candies in a clay pot.
Several years after Martha’s death, Ambrose married a widow who lived down the road. He spent his last years repairing shoes and talking things over with old friends who came by every day to sit on the porch of the Cobbler Shop.
Ambrose's heirs sold the house to Mrs. Grace Banker who never lived in the Cobbler's Place. Ron Formisano bought the property in 1974 which had fallen into disrepair. His restoration was continued by David and Ann Trower who acquired the house in 1985 and coined the name "Cobbler's Place."
Beverly Johnson, Chebeague's Master Plumber and a craftsman in many mediums bought the Cobbler's property in 1994. Bev and her niece Becca Rich have renovated the Cobbler's Place and redecorated using local antiques and collectibles.
The bedrooms lead into a hall complete with a stained glass Queen Anne window which was added when Ambrose finished off his upstairs chambers in the early 1890's. Bev and Becca have converted the adjacent Cobbler Shop into a charming gift shop which specializes in Maine made crafts and gifts.