The archipelago:  An archipelago of islands protects the bay in front of Glass Shore. This cluster of uninhabited islands presents a perfect opportunity to kayak and explore. Dozens of seals spend the summer sunning and feeding in the narrow channel between Long Island and Bird Island. Occasionally a porpoise will glide by our shores, and large schools of herring will roil the water in the late summer. Look for the bald eagles and osprey that nest along the shores, and do not miss the large flocks of eider ducks that spend their winters sheltered among the islands.




The Acadian forest:  While the coastal view is spectacular, the quiet forests have their own appeal. Typical of the Acadian forest of the region, spruce, cedar and birch trees intermingle to create a haven for deer, fox, moose and a wide variety of small animals and birds. Rocky ledges are blanketed with thick mosses, and quiet woodland trails open into glades of fern in dappled sunlight.



Rock formations:  Glaciers have left striking evidence of their advance and retreat over the ledges of Glass Shore. The sandstone along the shore remains deeply gouged and polished from the scouring of prehistoric glaciers. The most striking glacial effect is 'Baguette Pan Rock', so named by a local chef who insists the deep gouging is reminiscent of the baking pan he uses when making French baguettes. Random mammoth boulders, which are visible from roads and trails, are further evidence of ancient glacial work. These massive rocks are "glacial erratics", dropped by the retreating glaciers.


Designated safe anchorage:  As boaters know, the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Hydrographic Service, maintains records and maps showing all the formally designated safe anchorages along Canada's shoreline. The bay immediately in front of Glass Shore is one such designated safe anchorage, having both a good depth of water, and excellent shelter from the nearby islands.


History:  The Passamaquoddy region had been occupied by native cultures for millennia prior to the arrival of the first Europeans, in the sixteenth century. In 1604, the French wintered nearby on the St.Croix River, shortly before the English landed at Plymouth Rock. The French, British and eventually the Americans fought for control of the area throughout the next two centuries, during a series of skirmishes and wars. However it wasn't until after the American Revolution that concentrated settlement began with the arrival of thousands of refugees, loyalists to the Crown.


Much of the land around Glass Shore property was originally part of a series of grants to disbanded soldiers from the Scottish Highlands. Since then, ownership has passed through several local as well as distant owners. One of the more noteworthy changes of ownership occurred during the Great Depression, when the owner fell $400 in arrears to the local grocery store. He traded the entire parcel of land comprising Glass Shore to the grocer to cancel out the grocery debt!


Two local families, a brother and sister born and raised nearby, currently own Glass Shore. Both families had lived away for several years, pursing education and careers in Canada and abroad, but were drawn back to the wonderful lifestyle of oceanfront living in Charlotte County.