Burlington, ME (Hancock County)

Butterfield Island is a private 8-acre island 60 miles NE of Bangor on pristine & forever wild 5,000-acre Nicatous Lake. The family style compound has two main buildings, 3 sleep cabins, generator building, two outhouses, tool shed, woodshed, supply cabin and a dug well. The 20’x23’ “old main camp/master sleep cabin” built in c.1926 has a field stone fireplace, bathing room with clawfoot tub, hot water heater and separate sink with running water. This building has been used as library/game room or additional sleeping quarters. The large wrap around upstairs loft can be used for additional sleeping area and or storage. A wonderful open porch surrounds around ¾ of the building. The second main building was built in 2004 and is 25’x28’ in size with a 10’x12’ screened porch and large deck with impressive, oversized stairs, all overlooking the lake. It has an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings and houses a modern kitchen overlooking a dining and living room areas. There is a Waterford ceramic wood stove, propane refrigerator, propane cook stove, large center island, hardwood floors, pantry, sky lights, and custom soap stone sink. There is a large water storage tank outside this building that is supplied from a gas-powered pump placed by the lake. The three sleep cabins – 13’x18’, 12’x14’ & 10’x12 all have wood stoves, storage and were all built in the 1930’s. One has a full root cellar. All living and storage areas have power. Propane gas lights can be found in most buildings.

Power is suppled from two 5k Honda generators housed in the generator shed with a 100-amp circuit breaker panel. The generator, via an inverter power a large AGM battery eliminating the need to have the generator on for extended periods. The generator is usually run for a couple hours just before dark. A solar panel works as a trickle charge to keep the inverter alive. There is an additional portable 800-watt/max 900-watt generator that can be used to keep lights on or a TV.

To reach Butterfield Island, it is just under a five-mile boat ride from the boat landing at the north end of the lake. On the mainland there is a boat house with ample parking and a private dock. This is an invaluable feature as there is no public dock and only a small area for public parking north end of the lake. The boat house sits on a small lot accessed via deeded right of way. The island is tree studded with large White Pine, Red Pine, Hemlock, Spruce, Cedar, Maple, and Birch. There are views of the lake from everywhere. The scenic beauty, recreation and wildlife is unsurpassed. The island is serviced by two docks located on the east and south end of the island. There are trails from both docks that follow a gentle slope from the lake up to the buildings located in the center of the island, which is the highest point on the island. The south end dock overlooks Moose Cove and is well protected. A mesmerizing path follows along the perimeter of the island. Along this path you can pick wild blueberries, identify mushrooms, explore the geology, identify trees, look for wildlife or just enjoy the tranquil surroundings of the lake and mature forest. The peace and quiet & nighttime sky are second to none. In 1997, the Nicatous Lake Project was born and by the year 2000 more than 20,000 acres surrounding Nicatous and nearby West Lake were placed in a conservation easement. In part, there is prohibition of development along 34 miles of spectacular shoreline, permanent public recreational access to nearly 50,000 connected acres of state and private conservation lands, protection of Bald Eagle nesting sites and over 100 islands of which 76 are owned by the state. You will NOT find an overcrowded lake. Maine has over 6,000 lakes with Nicatous as unique as any. It is over 5,000 acres in size, 10 miles long and 56’ in depth. There are sandy beaches to be explored, rocky shoreline, islands, and cove after cove. Butterfield Island is self-sufficient and comes fully furnished. Some items include: 2 antique gliders, some vintage crockery, large antique bell, American folk art and river driver tools. This quaint historical property has double outdoor fireplace and a traditional bean hole. Included in the sale are two kayaks, two canoes, an a peddle boat. In addition, and sold separately are two low mile boats and an Honda ATV. There is a 20’ 2011 Tahoe Sports fishing model pontoon boat with 60 hp Yamaha ($17,500) and a 16’ Smoker Craft aluminum boat with a 2007 Honda 40 hp motor ($5,000) Also, a 2015 Honda TRX 500 Rubicon with only 218 miles ($6,500). Both boats have been stored inside. It is a very private and remote place, but just under an hour to shopping and hospital. Taxes for 2020 are just $1,205.