Christmas Cove, MAINE - The Holly Inn - South Bristol:  Christmas Cove is a scenic coastal harbor located in South Bristol, Maine, on the Pemaquid Peninsula. Legend says Captain John Smith named it after anchoring there on Christmas Day in 1614. Today, it functions as a peaceful summer yachting destination, featuring local waterfront dining, classic coastal cottages, and local inns.  The Holly Inn in Christmas Cove, Maine, was a famous summer resort built by Edward Thorpe in 1904. Remarkably, three successive buildings named the Holly Inn burned down in 1907, 1923, and 1940. A final fourth incarnation operated out of a former annex until it was torn down in 1960.

-  Timeline of the Holly Inn1904: Edward Thorpe built the original 40-room Holly Inn, which burned to the ground three years later in 1907.

-  1908: A second, larger Holly Inn was built on the site, operating alongside the nearby Rutherford House annex.1923: The second inn was destroyed by a massive fire on August 10, 1923 (reportedly started by a spilled lamp).

-  1924–1940: A much grander third Holly Inn featuring roughly 100 rooms was constructed. It overlooked both Christmas Cove and Johns Bay, but it too was completely destroyed by fire on September 12, 1940.

-  1944–1960: Audrey and Kelly Maxcy purchased the surviving annex building in 1944, turning it into the fourth and final Holly Inn. Unlike its predecessors, it did not burn down, but it was eventually demolished in 1960 after the property was sold.

This Divided Back Era (1907-15) postcard is in good condition but shows some edge wear.  Hugh C. Leighton.  Portland, Me.  No. 7355.  Germany.