Strawberry Hill Seaside Inn

10/14/2026

09/24/2026

09/18/2026

Why is OHTM located on Runway 17?

Since its inception in 1975, Owls Head Transportation Museum has described its location as a simple and proud slogan, RUNWAY 17. It has become more than a location, but a symbol of a spirit, a gathering place, and a home.

Runway 17 is a runway designation based on the compass heading at the end of an airstrip, just like any other in the world. No longer needed for use and removed from service, it became an ideal spot for the formation of a museum dedicated to transportation ingenuity and innovation.

However, Runway 17's origin is part of a larger, more significant story from our past.

The Knox County Regional Airport (RKD) began its life as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, a Depression Era New Deal Program, creating jobs and public works projects in 1939. With war on the horizon, over 500 acres of then swamp land were filled in for the creation of a municipal airport.

However, in 1941, the US entered WWII, and the US Navy took over and finished the new air facility, which was managed by the Brunswick Naval Air Station as a Naval Auxiliary field.

Three runways, in a traditional triangular fashion, were dedicated to the US Navy's efforts to help train British, Canadian, and eventually American Navy pilots in gunnery and Naval torpedo and bombing attacks. Owls Head's reputation for inconsistent foggy and windy weather was a key element, as it
provided realistic training environments for pilots, specifically those who would soon be flying escorts over the North Atlantic.

In this role, Runway 17 was extremely important as it was a purpose-built, cross-wind runway. A carrier deck was painted on the runway and used for practice landing in hazardous wind conditions, sure to face any Naval Aviator.

To one side of Runway 17, there are still the remains of a
former gunnery range, where testing of aircraft weaponry was performed on the ground. Legendary heroes of the sky, such as the Grumman F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat, Douglas SBD Dauntless, and the Vought F4U Corsair, were all familiar sights flying training missions around Penobscot Bay and the Muscle Ridge region while also providing significant German U-boat patrols and convoy escorts off the Maine coast.

Following WWII, the airfield was handed over to the municipal authority of Rockland, hence the call letters RKD. Eventually, control was handed over to Knox County, although the RKD designation is still used for the Knox County Municipal Airport. A cross-wind runway, no longer necessary, was deactivated, and uses for the public good were found. On the runway 35 side, the Knox County Flying Club was formed, while at Runway 17, a museum was started.

This new sign out behind the main hangar now marks the area and explains the history of the museum's home.

09/18/2026

Most people skip Mount Battie. Fewer still make it to the top. Those who do?

They get the postcard view, the bragging rights, and the quiet satisfaction of seeing Camden from above while everyone else stays below.

https://www.visitmaine.net/camden-maine/

09/03/2026

Known as the “jewel of the Maine coast,” Camden is a coastal town with sea and forest in harmony. Settled by the English in the 1700s, Camden was a shipbuilding center for generations. By the early 1900s, wealthy vacationers built mansions and sprawling estates as Camden evolved into a summer re...

08/18/2026

Nearly a mile out into the harbor, this stone path pulls you toward the horizon — wave by wave, breeze by breeze — until you reach the charming 1902 Colonial Revival–style lighthouse waiting at the end. No running water, no modern fuss… just the sound of the sea, the glow of the sky, and that dreamy feeling of being suspended between land and water. 💙🌅

Whether you go for golden hour, a quiet morning wander, or a hand-in-hand stroll with someone special, the walk itself is the real treasure — a beautiful, meditative journey that somehow slows the world down.

Save this spot for your Maine bucket list. Your heart will thank you. 🐚✨

08/18/2026

Strawberry Nutella Crèpe with Vanilla Bean gelato swirled with a yellow peach reduction, and topped with our house made maple whipped cream