An 1887 Letter from a Prospective Renter of a Cottage at the Auburn Colony

Brunswick, Me. July 25, 1887

Mr. D.E. Parlin
President, Auburn Colony

Dear Sir.

There are thirteen young men in our party, and we want to know if we can hire a cottage at Harpswell for the second and third week in August.

We are told that is the place to go for a real good time, and August is the best time to be there. We should prefer your cottage, if you would let it, but if we can’t have that would take the large one next to the road. You see, with our party, we can’t get along with less than a whole house. We presume that the price would be $7 or $8 for the two weeks. That seems a little high, but we are in for a good time, and shall not mind the expense. Please let us know at once about it. Give us your best figures for the house, and we will decide at once. If you have an old Bill of Fare, kindly put one in, that we may see how you live. Does price of cottage include its being cared for, and our board while there? And are lobsters and young ladies plenty?

If your answers are favorable, you can expect us down there, and we hope you can let us into your cottage for those two weeks.

We will be very careful of it, and think we would be quite an addition to your colony, as several of our young men dance and sing very nicely. We want to find some cool, quiet place by the seaside...