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FOUR OLD HOUSES AT CAMPOBELLO
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of that island at the same time that Owen received his grant of Campobello, had not "failed to fulfil the conditions, viz., colonization; therefore it lapsed."

In 1789, David Owen came over from England to manage the affairs of the island, which after the Admiral's departure had been superintended by Captain Plato Denny. David lived where is now the Roosevelt estate, near the Tyn-y-coed hotel, and led a life harassed by the cares of a petty magnate and the embargo troubles of 1812. At his death Admiral William Fitz William Owen became sole owner of the grant, save the Head Harbor settlement. "The Quoddy Hermit" was the name he chose for himself when at 61 he came to Campobello to live.

In the grove at the northern end of the present hotel he planted two or three English oaks. He placed the sun dial of his vessel in the garden fronting his house, and put a section of his beloved quarter-deck close to the shore, not far from the seedling oaks. There, pacing up and down in uniform, he lived over again the days of his attack upon a Spanish pirate. He had brought with him building material, and, with the aid of a frame house taken from Rice's Island, he constructed a dwelling that had an imposing appearance. Two large, low rooms opened each side of the front door, a most comfortable stair case leading from the small entry to equally pleasant rooms in the second story. Damask and Indian muslin curtains shaded the many paned windows; heavy mahogany and rosewood chairs, sofas and tables furnished the apartments; great logs on tall andirons burned in the monster fireplaces; sacred maps hung around the evening parlor; and the dining-room carpet was said to have been a gift from the King of Prussia. The long curved mahogany sofa, the carved chairs, and other pieces of furniture are now owned by the Islanders. The library table, the coach, the Admiral's hat, pistols, and picture are carefully treasured as relics in the Campobello Public Library.