Ocean Park, ME
Established in 1881, Ocean Park is a unique seaside community on the southern coast of Maine that was founded as a Methodist summer camp and religious retreat during the height of the nineteenth-century camp meeting movement. Created by the Ocean Park Association, the community was designed as a place where families could escape the growing industrial cities, enjoy the fresh sea air, and combine recreation with spiritual renewal. While many similar camp meeting communities gradually disappeared or evolved into conventional resort towns, Ocean Park has retained much of its original character and continues to be guided by the principles upon which it was founded.
Centered around its historic Temple, broad village green, and tree-lined streets of cottages, Ocean Park developed into a close-knit seasonal community where education, music, worship, and family life have remained central traditions for well over a century. Unlike many coastal destinations that grew primarily around commerce or tourism, Ocean Park has always emphasized community, simplicity, and the natural beauty of the Maine coast. Today, its carefully preserved cottages, welcoming public spaces, and enduring traditions make it one of New England's most distinctive historic summer communities, offering visitors a glimpse into an era when the seaside was valued as much for reflection and fellowship as it was for recreation.
Recent Posts
The Bell Tower
Standing beside the Way of Truth Temple is one of Ocean Park’s most recognizable landmarks—the Bell Tower. Built in 1882, just one year after the Temple was completed, this graceful wooden structure has served as both a practical signal and a lasting symbol of community for more than 140 years. Together with the Temple, Porter […]
The Way of Truth Temple
Standing beside the Temple, it is easy to understand why this remarkable building has been the heart of Ocean Park since the community was founded in 1881. Long before rows of cottages lined the streets or generations of families made Ocean Park their summer home, the founders believed that the community needed a central gathering […]
Porter Memorial Hall
Walking through Ocean Park, it quickly becomes apparent that this is more than a collection of summer cottages. From its earliest days, the founders envisioned a community where faith, education, music, and fellowship would enrich everyday life. While the Way of Truth Temple became the spiritual heart of Ocean Park, Porter Memorial Hall became one […]
Laura A. DeMetitte and Women’s Missionary Society
Among Ocean Park’s quiet cottages and peaceful streets is the story of a remarkable group of women whose influence reached far beyond the coast of Maine. For many years, Ocean Park served as the annual gathering place for the National Free Baptist Women’s Missionary Society, bringing together women dedicated to supporting missionary work throughout the […]
Ataloa Cabins
Walking through Ocean Park, it is easy to see that not every visitor stayed in one of the grand boarding houses or hotels. Tucked beneath the tall pines are clusters of modest seasonal cabins like the Ataloa Cabins, reminders that Ocean Park was designed to be a place where families of many backgrounds could enjoy […]
Bywoode Guest House
One of the pleasures of walking through Ocean Park is discovering the many boarding houses and guest cottages that have quietly welcomed summer visitors for generations. Among them is the Bywoode, a handsome Victorian-era guest house whose broad porches and generous size reflect a time when families often spent weeks, or even the entire summer, […]
Hon. Lindley M. Webb
Every historic community is shaped by people whose names are remembered and many others whose quiet work goes unnoticed. Ocean Park is no exception. While visitors are often drawn to its beautiful cottages, Temple, and peaceful village green, the community’s success was made possible by generations of dedicated volunteers who gave freely of their time, […]
The Oceaner
Walking through Ocean Park, it quickly becomes clear that preserving this community means more than maintaining its public buildings. It also means caring for the cottages that have welcomed generations of families to this unique Chautauqua community. The Oceaner is one of those treasured places. Owned and maintained by the Ocean Park Association, The Oceaner […]
A Chautauqua Community
For many visitors, the word Chautauqua is unfamiliar, yet it explains almost everything that makes Ocean Park unique. The Chautauqua movement began in 1874 on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in western New York. Originally created as a summer training program for Sunday school teachers, it quickly grew into one of the most influential educational and cultural […]
The Blake Cottage
At first glance, The Blake looks like another charming Victorian cottage that has stood in Ocean Park for generations. This building has had one of the most unusual journeys of any structure in the community. The story begins in 1893, when the Educational Bureau of Ocean Park purchased what was then known as the Blake […]
The Curtis
Standing prominently on Temple Avenue in the heart of Ocean Park, The Curtis has been welcoming visitors since 1882. While many people assume it is simply another historic guest house, its story is much richer. For nearly a century and a half, The Curtis has served as the home of the Educational Bureau of Ocean […]
Dr. Oren B. Cheney
Every community has someone whose vision transforms an idea into reality. For Ocean Park, that person was Dr. Oren Burbank Cheney. When the Ocean Park Association received its charter from the State of Maine on January 24, 1881, Cheney was elected its first president. By then, he was already widely respected throughout New England as […]
