March 28, 2025 Story by: Editor
During the Jim Crow era, Black travelers seeking leisure in Maine found refuge in select welcoming spaces rather than facing rejection.
Each summer, tourists visited Rock Rest, a charming house nestled in the woods on the outskirts of Kittery. After a day at the beach or sightseeing, they gathered on the lawn to socialize and play badminton, later enjoying three-course seafood dinners with fresh produce and homemade desserts prepared by their host.
In York, the Jewell Inn provided guests with small cabins and served meals in a lodge equipped with a jukebox and dance floor. Visitors staying at Ethel Goode Franklin’s bed-and-breakfast in Ogunquit dined on fried clams and blueberry pancakes while tuning in to Red Sox games on the radio. In Portland, patrons at the Thomas House played cards and shared stories at the Green Lantern Grille.
Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed racial segregation, businesses could deny service to Black travelers. In response, Black residents of Maine established their own vacation destinations.
These safe havens—including Rock Rest, the Jewell Inn, Franklin’s bed-and-breakfast, and the Thomas House—not only provided respite for Black visitors but also played a role in opening Maine’s tourism industry to all.
While some of these establishments advertised in the Green Book—a guide for Black travelers published from 1936 to 1967—others thrived through word-of-mouth recommendations. The Green Book, officially titled the Negro Motorist Green Book, was created by postal worker Victor Hugo Green and listed businesses that welcomed Black patrons during the Jim Crow era.
Bob Sheppard, a Kittery resident working on a documentary about Rock Rest, explained that these guesthouses became vital as travel surged post-World War II. “When people realized there was a big world out there,” Sheppard said, “cars became more accessible, interstate highways expanded, and a growing Black middle class of doctors, lawyers, architects, and entrepreneurs emerged.”
“They wanted to travel and take vacations in interesting places just like their white counterparts,” he added. “People were drawn to southern Maine because it was relatively safe and didn’t have Jim Crow laws or the threat of harassment and violence like in the South.”
Documenting a Vanishing History
Author Candacy Taylor, who spent three years identifying nearly 5,000 Green Book sites while writing Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, noted the rapid disappearance of these historical landmarks.
“I learned that less than 5% are still in operation and more than 75% are gone,” Taylor wrote in her 2020 book. “That is why it is so important for me to document the ones that are left.”
Among the lost sites is Franklin’s bed-and-breakfast in Ogunquit, which hosted prominent figures like poet and playwright Langston Hughes. When the property, known as the Hideaway Inn, was listed for sale in 2023, Lisa Jones, founder of Black Travel Maine, called for its preservation.
“This Bed & Breakfast needs to become a place to stay, a tourist site, and a place of historical significance,” Jones posted on Instagram.
Despite selling for $1.6 million and ceasing to operate as an inn, Jones remains committed to her vision. Her tourism business introduces people of color to Maine, and her packed itineraries frequently include walking tours highlighting the state’s Black history. Looking ahead, she envisions the former inn as a cultural center and headquarters for Black Travel Maine.
“We need a cultural center,” Jones said. “I’d love to restore it and bring it back.”
Rock Rest: A Summer Sanctuary in Kittery
Clayton Sinclair, a chauffeur for a New York family, met Hazel Colbert, a Baltimore maid, while in Maine. The couple fell in love and decided to settle in Kittery—a bold move for a Black couple in the 1930s. They purchased a rundown cape on Brave Boat Harbor Road, a property with no indoor plumbing or electricity, and transformed it into Rock Rest.
While Clayton worked as a driver at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, he also renovated the house. Meanwhile, Hazel, already known for her cooking among summering families, took on catering and sewing work.
In 1946, they opened Rock Rest as a summer guesthouse for Black travelers, creating a picturesque retreat with lush gardens and gourmet dining.
“They realized people wanted to come here just like everyone else to enjoy the rugged beauty of southern Maine,” Sheppard said.
Unlike other establishments, Rock Rest never advertised in the Green Book, relying instead on word-of-mouth. Guests from over two dozen states mailed their $5 deposit checks to Hazel Sinclair months in advance to secure summer reservations. She kept meticulous records, and in the off-season, guests often sent her postcards from their travels.
Accommodating up to 16 guests, Rock Rest operated at nearly full capacity every summer. Local high school girls assisted with meals, which were served on fine china with linen tablecloths and napkins. Evenings were filled with socializing—whether playing table tennis in the game room or chatting on the lawn.
The Sinclairs ran Rock Rest until 1975, when increased lodging options and civil rights protections allowed Black travelers more choices. Clayton passed away in 1978, and Hazel in 1995. Though the house later fell into disrepair, it was restored and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
Many of Hazel Sinclair’s records are now housed at the University of New Hampshire, while artifacts from Rock Rest, including a painted rock bearing its name, are preserved at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
Despite its past popularity, Rock Rest remained largely unknown to the local community. However, recent efforts have rekindled interest in its history. Kittery has installed historical markers, included Hazel Sinclair’s recipes in a town cookbook, and, in 2023, named the town harbormaster’s boat after her.
“With the naming of the harbormaster vessel, Hazel’s legacy of providing steadfast protection and comfort on land will now continue into Kittery’s waterways,” town leaders said during the dedication ceremony.
Seaside Safe Havens for Black Travelers
Langston Hughes once faced lodging discrimination when visiting Maine for a play at the Ogunquit Playhouse. Fortunately, Ethel Goode Franklin welcomed him into her bed-and-breakfast, a short walk from the theater.
Franklin, a playwright, actress, chef, and writer, was the first Black woman to own property in Ogunquit. In the mid-1930s, she purchased a farmhouse on Route 1 and transformed it into a lively bed-and-breakfast.
Geraniums adorned the yard, croquet games filled the front lawn, and guests dined around a handcrafted 14-foot knotty pine table. Franklin, who only allowed Red Sox games on the radio and TV, prepared meals on a wood-burning stove, serving dishes like fried clams and blueberry pancakes.
“She was committed to creating a safe haven for Black artists and Black everyday folks to have a place to stay when they came to Maine,” said Christina Steed, Franklin’s great-great-niece and a professor at DePaul University.
Franklin never advertised in the Green Book, yet her establishment thrived. She charged $25 to $35 per week, providing breakfast and dinner for up to 35 guests. She ran the business until retiring in the early 1970s.
“It was never about running a bed-and-breakfast,” Steed explained. “It was about creating a place for people to come to feel celebrated, to feel warmth, to be in community with each other.”
The Green Lantern: A Beacon in Portland
The Thomas House in Portland was known for the ever-lit green lantern beneath its bay window, signaling Black sailors, soldiers, and workers that they had a safe place to stay.
“There was no USO, no place for Black sailors to go to play the jukebox or get together,” recalled Norma McIlvaine Readdy in Maine’s Visible Black History. “They could go down to the corner store and buy beer and bring it back to the Green Lantern Grill.”
Owned by Benjamin and Edie Thomas, the rooming house and restaurant on A Street became a crucial hub during World War II. The Thomases also provided jobs for Black travelers, with Edie acting as a de facto employment agency.
Retired journalist Bob Greene noted that establishments like the Thomas House allowed Black travelers to avoid discrimination. “They were a lot more comfortable staying where they knew they would get no problems,” he said. Though these historic havens have largely disappeared, their legacy endures in the stories they left behind, marking an essential chapter in America’s travel history.
Source: Press Herald
