Ducktrap, Maine - One of Midcoast Maine's Earliest Villages

The word "Ducktrap" originates with the Native Americans that once lived in the area.  As history goes, a natural bowl shaped harbor was formed where the Ducktrap River meets Penobscot Bay.  This natural shelter attracted flocks of ducks, and the Native Americans found that hunting for them in the harbor was quite easy - thus, it was a natural "duck - trap".
Today's Ducktrap Retreat property is located just a short distance up the Ducktrap River from Ducktrap Harbor. Its known history goes back more than 200 years.
The first European settlers of the Ducktrap Harbor area arrived shortly after the Revolutionary War.  Many of the early settlers built cabins on either side of the “Trap” (as the harbor is often called).  For many years, travel by land wasn’t common.  The woods were thick and the nearby ocean provided a more convenient path of travel. So, by the year 1801, people wishing to travel across the Ducktrap River did so just above the harbor, near where the river meets the sea. The standard practice was to wade across the river at low tide, or row a boat across or swim at high tide.  Soon a bridge was built, and with that, the foundation for a village began.

During the early 1800's more settlers from Massachusetts continued to find their way to Ducktrap, building homes, a school, a general store, and a church.  The village found prosperity with fishing, boat building, and the growing lime industry.  A dam was built behind the Ducktrap Bridge and was used to produce power for mills that lined the lower part of what is now the Ducktrap Retreat property.

The Ducktrap Bridge was continually rebuilt and improved, and eventually the old Indian trail (that was once the only way between Camden and Belfast by land) became designated as U.S. Route 1.  With these improvements, the area became more accessible by automobile…a change that signaled an end to Ducktrap Village.  Families were able to easily commute to Lincolnville or Belfast for store goods, and schools began to consolidate away from the village.  The property where the Ducktrap Retreat is now located turned into a woodlot, and a saw mill was built by the Lamont family.

Around 1994, Charles Cawley, Chairman and CEO of the credit card giant MBNA, brought the Fortune 100 Company to Lincolnville in the form of a corporate retreat at Ducktrap.  Mr. Cawley spent much of his childhood in the area, and while building the Ducktrap Retreat was MBNA’s first foray into the Midcoast area, it was not the last.  Mr. Cawley had a great vision for the property and designed it such that it retained as much of its natural appeal as possible, while simultaneously offering first-class accommodations.  Beginning in 1995, Point Lookout, MBNA’s name for the Ducktrap Retreat property, hosted various internal groups that MBNA managed through its credit card business.  Additionally, guests from many partner companies that did business with MBNA came to the property for conferences and retreats.  MBNA grew to become the number one credit card bank in the world, and they expanded their presence in the Midcoast area with operational facilities in Rockland, Camden and Belfast.  Many industry experts saw MBNA’s competitive advantage as the result of the synergies and cross-marketing efforts created at these conferences and retreats for their affinity credit cards.

In 2005, MBNA sold the property to the current owner, a company dedicated to showcasing Ducktrap as the elegant retreat that it is.  The new owners made substantial improvements to the already impressive infrastructure, including a new larger deck for the lodge, a custom crafted tent to cover the deck, and a new parking lot to allow the property to host larger events. Today, the owners and On the Water in Maine Inc. work together to host weddings, conferences, and events at the property, taking full advantage of the ample shoreline on the Ducktrap River, the close proximity to Ducktrap Harbor and the sweeping views of Ducktrap Mountain and the Penobscot Bay.