Merryfield Cove in now CLOSED.
It is once again a private residence and no longer taking reservations.
Merryfield Cove, on the east shore of Highland Lake, Bridgton, Maine, began welcoming summer guests in the late 1800’s.
In 1881 Oliver J. Merryfield (sometimes spelled Merrifield) built the
main house for his own family, but after Merryfield’s death in 1895
Ruel A. Dodge, who owned a summer hotel just up the road on Highland
Ridge, bought it. The hill on that section of the road is still known
as Dodge’s Hill.
Ruel Dodge’s summer guests, known in those days as “Rusticators”, were
then able to enjoy the lovely waterfront on Highland Lake. Dodge added
a summer wing to the main house, and remodeled the house and attached barn into a 14-room
summer hotel, the Lakeside House. Later, it was owned by a succession
of owners: Rosemont Lodge in the 1930’s; Mitchell’s Inn in the 1940’s;
and Holiday Inn starting in 1948.
Carl (Chip) Spark and his wife Ginny owned the place from the
mid-1950’s until the mid-1960’s, and then it was owned by Ernie Spark
(Chip’s brother) and wife Ruth.
Two cottages on the shore, named Birds and Bees, were built in the mid-1950’s,
and in the mid-1960’s, two more, Nest and Chipmunk, were built along the lane. In addition
to renting rooms in the Inn, a summer apartment in a wing of the main house, and 4 cottages, the Sparkses
also operated a public restaurant in the house until the mid-1960’s.
Holiday Inn was a popular name for hotels and inns, because of the 1942
movie “Holiday Inn”, which starred Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, and
Marjorie Reynolds, and launched the song “White Christmas”, by Irving
Berlin.
In 1953 a chain of hotels named Holiday Inn started up in Memphis,
Tennessee, and acquired the copyright to that name. In the next few
years representatives from the Holiday Inn chain roamed the countryside
to find places using the name, but when they came here and discovered
that this place’s use of the Holiday Inn name pre-dated the start of
their hotel, the tables were turned. Athough they were not able to
force the owners to give up the name, the owners accepted $100 and a
new sign that read “Holiday Cottages”.
In Dec. 1986, the Preis family purchased Holiday Cottages and moved into the
main house in the middle of a snowstorm. When they learned about Oliver
J. Merryfield, they changed the name to Merryfield Cove.
For well over 120 years, summer guests had found this to be a special place.
Generations of children grew and fell in love with it, as they and their families
relaxed together and enjoyed the clean clear waters of Highland Lake.
Now after renting for many years and welcoming generations of summer visitors,
Merryfield Cove is once again a private home.
