Mainers remember George H.W. Bush's summers in Kennebunkport

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine – Flowers, wreaths and messages of support were placed Saturday at what is known as the “anchor to windward,” across from the Bush family’s home on Walker Point in Maine.

Former President George H.W. Bush, America’s 41st president, died late Friday at his home in Houston. He was 94.

Bush and his family spent most summers at their home in Kennebunkport, where his mother was born. 

Before he died, KPRC2 traveled to Maine and spoke to people who knew him well.

Kirsten Camp, the executive director of the area’s historical society, said one of the things that struck her the most about Bush was his humility.

“He makes you feel special when you’re in the room, and that is a remarkable trait to have and something we really don’t see very much of anymore,” Camp said. “People like to talk about themselves and their accomplishments. President Bush has never, ever been that way."

Bush called the coastal town in southern Maine his anchor because, he said, he found peace and was able to re-center himself, allowing him to face the challenges ahead.

“He has left a remarkable path in Kennebunkport that nobody can fill,” Camp said.

The only summers Bush didn’t spend in Maine were during World War II.


About the Authors:

Award winning investigative journalist who joined KPRC 2 in July 2000. Husband and father of the Master of Disaster and Chaos Gremlin. “I don’t drink coffee to wake up, I wake up to drink coffee.”