Home | Rooms | Book Now! | Packages | Directions | Breakfast | Things to Do | Newsletter | History | Blog | Contact Us

This 1888 Victorian-era New England house was once the boyhood home of Arctic explorer Donald B. MacMillan. MacMillan was second-in-command to Adm. Robert Peary and many artifacts of the journeys to the North Pole are on display at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College, their alma mater. In later years, MacMillan married and with his wife, Miriam, traveled extensively in the Arctic with both writing numerous books about their expeditions. We are presently searching for copies of the MacMillans' books to have on display.

We believe this building was one of the original ' Mallet Homes ' built by EB Mallet to house his workers.  Mr Mallet had a phenomenal stroke of luck when his uncle bequeathed him $700,000 after which he moved to Freeport to open his shoe factory.  While building his factory, his workers came upon a prosperous vein of granite which Mallet decided to quarry, expanding his enterprises and employing over 100 men in the quarry.  There are several remaining Mallet Homes in Freeport.  The majority of them were once on Depot St.  The basic house plan is telltale from the street, with a wraparound porch (our porch no longer wraps around as it now houses the Casco Bay bathroom!) and a bow window (in the Parlor Room).  Some porches wrap to the left, some to the right.  See if you can find examples around town.

Now home to the White Cedar Inn, many of the Inn's seven rooms were named with reference to MacMillan, his relatives and his famed boat, the Bowdoin.  We believe that our room, now named 'Capt Dan', was the young MacMillan's room. The 'Parlor Room' was where the family received guests and the 'Casco Bay Room' was formerly the family's dining room (still visible in the floor of this room is the connection for the old servant's signal bell).

Breakfast is served in the sunroom overlooking the gardens and consists of a fruit dish and a hot entree such Tomato-Mushroom Omelets with Sausage and Toast or Maine Blueberry Pancakes with Peppered Bacon. In the afternoon we have cookies, brownies or Fairy Cakes for refreshment. Coffee and tea are always available.

White Cedar Inn is just a short, two-block stroll along brick-paved sidewalks to LL Bean and many brand-name outlet stores. If shopping is not your cup of tea, we are 10-20 minutes by car to beaches, museums, hiking trails, birding spots and many winter activities such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and sledding. Spring, summer and fall are perfect seasons to bicycle to nearby town beaches and along scenic bike paths.

Our town, Freeport, is a wonderful community with many activities in every season. We hope you will spend time with us this year and come to enjoy our town as much as we do.

A short bibliography for more information on the MacMillans:

• A Boy's-Eye View of the Arctic by Kennett Longley Rawson
• Dark Companion by Bradley Robinson
• Etah and Beyond by Donald MacMillan
• Four Years in the White North by Donald MacMillan
• How Peary Reached the Pole by Donald MacMillan
• Kah' - Da by Donald MacMillan
• Etuk, the Eskimo Hunter by Miriam MacMillan
• Green Seas and White Ice: Far North with Captain Mac by Miriam MacMillan
• I Married an Explorer by Miriam MacMillan
• Captain Mac: The Life of Donald Baxter MacMillan, Arctic Explorer by Mary Morton Cowan
• Ice Country: One Boy's Adventure in the Arctic with Commander Donald MacMillan by Mary Morton Cowan