The Union Bluff Hotel

The Union Bluff Hotel has stood above Short Sands Beach in York, Maine, in one form or another for more than 150 years. Its story is closely connected to the development of York Beach as one of Maine’s popular summer communities, but for me, the Union Bluff also has a much more personal connection. It was one of my father’s favorite places to eat when he was in York Beach.

The history of the hotel dates to 1868, when Moses French established the original Union Bluff House on this prominent bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was a time when the Maine coast was beginning to attract increasing numbers of summer visitors. Families escaping the heat of Boston and other cities came north for the cooler weather, ocean air, and beaches, often staying for weeks rather than just a few days.

York was well suited to this new kind of summer travel. It already had a long history stretching back to the seventeenth century, but during the second half of the nineteenth century, its coastal villages began developing a new identity as vacation destinations. Hotels, boarding houses, cottages, restaurants, and other businesses appeared to accommodate the growing number of visitors.

The Union Bluff’s location was one of its greatest attractions. Perched directly above Short Sands Beach, guests could enjoy views of the Atlantic while remaining within walking distance of the beach and the center of York Beach. In the early years, visitors arrived by horse and carriage, but transportation improvements soon brought even more people to the area.

Railroad service reached York Beach in the late nineteenth century, and there was even a station called Union Bluff. Electric trolley lines followed, connecting York Beach with surrounding communities. These new forms of transportation helped turn what had once been a relatively isolated stretch of Maine coastline into an increasingly accessible summer resort.

Like many of New England’s large wooden seaside hotels, the Union Bluff changed over the years. The original building survived for nearly 120 years before it was destroyed by fire in 1987. Rather than allowing the long tradition of the hotel to end, it was rebuilt and reopened in 1989. The building in my photograph is therefore not the original nineteenth-century structure, although it continues to occupy the same remarkable location overlooking Short Sands Beach.

Today, the Union Bluff remains part of the familiar landscape of York Beach. The wide porches and balconies facing the ocean continue the tradition of the old seaside hotels, where simply sitting outside and watching the activity along the beach was part of the experience.