The history behind the iconic landmark dates back well beyond 1970 and the structure's history is very impressive. It all began in 1914 when a local druggist named J. Harrison Monroe decided to construct the summer cottage on the west shore of Grass Island. The family enjoyed the cottage for years until it burnt to the ground in 1936. The fire had completly distroyed the structure and Monroe decided that he would have the cottage rebuilt. However, the rebuild did not actually happen until a few years later in 1940.
After completely rebuilding the cottage on the west shore of Grass Island, the building battled several rough hurricans. It was decided that in order to protect the cottage from the water, it would be best to move the structure inland. With that thought, Monroe had the entire building lifted and moved to its current location. The building was moved in 1950 which was only 10 years after it had been completely rebuilt.
For some time, the Minroe family continued to live out of the summer cottage but in September of 1965, the Minroe family decided they wanted to sell their summer cottage and the Town of Guilford acquired the structure and surrounding 7 acres for $15,000. The Town of Guilford decided that the land should be considered a park and the property was left to fall under the Parks and Recreation Department.
Over the years, town employees would make very small repairs as needed in order to keep the inhabited structure standing. As the old empty summer cottage began to decay, it acquired the name "Grass Island Shack" and became the second most painted and photographed building on the East Coast. During the summer months, the Shack was an excellent hangout spot for a family picnic by the water and a great stop for boaters.
Naturally, as more time had past, the Shack continued to fall apart and the structure became unsafe. Thankfully, in 1994, Richard Werle decided it was time to take action and save the landmark before it was too far gone. He named the project "Save our Shack" and spent an incredible amount of time planning and organizing the work that needed to be done. In addition, he had scheduled and held fundraisers to raise funds for the materials. With all of the support he received from the community, he was thankfully able to save the building. Sadly, years later during his second attempt to make repairs, Werle peacefully passed away.
Once again, years had gone by and no major maintenance was done to the Shack. It had weathered many storms and rot was beginning to show. All around, the structure was deteriorating and had become unsafe.
In late summer of 2015, a couple of teens were spotted walking on the roof of the Shack. Immediately, this sparked the question of really how safe is the Shack? Shortly after, town officials inspected the structure and deemed it unsafe. A red snow fence then appeared around the perimeter of the Shack and it was closed to public access. This all happened to take place be around the time that John Markowski was looking for the perfect Eagle Scout Project. He understood how important the iconic landmark was and scheduled a meeting with the First Selectmen to discuss the possibility of restoring the Grass Island Shack as his Eagle Scout Project. After discussing, it was obvious the project was the perfect match and so "Save the Shack" began. The entire project took over a year to pull off and the Grass Island Shack had been completely rebuilt. The project consisted of a new roof, new porch, and some small cosmetic work. The red center section is now the only original section of the Shack. The project officially wrapped up on November 23, 2016 and the Grass Island Shack now stands strong and has been reopened to the public.
Want to stay up-to-date on everything Shack related? Like "Save the Shack" on Facebook!
After completely rebuilding the cottage on the west shore of Grass Island, the building battled several rough hurricans. It was decided that in order to protect the cottage from the water, it would be best to move the structure inland. With that thought, Monroe had the entire building lifted and moved to its current location. The building was moved in 1950 which was only 10 years after it had been completely rebuilt.
For some time, the Minroe family continued to live out of the summer cottage but in September of 1965, the Minroe family decided they wanted to sell their summer cottage and the Town of Guilford acquired the structure and surrounding 7 acres for $15,000. The Town of Guilford decided that the land should be considered a park and the property was left to fall under the Parks and Recreation Department.
Over the years, town employees would make very small repairs as needed in order to keep the inhabited structure standing. As the old empty summer cottage began to decay, it acquired the name "Grass Island Shack" and became the second most painted and photographed building on the East Coast. During the summer months, the Shack was an excellent hangout spot for a family picnic by the water and a great stop for boaters.
Naturally, as more time had past, the Shack continued to fall apart and the structure became unsafe. Thankfully, in 1994, Richard Werle decided it was time to take action and save the landmark before it was too far gone. He named the project "Save our Shack" and spent an incredible amount of time planning and organizing the work that needed to be done. In addition, he had scheduled and held fundraisers to raise funds for the materials. With all of the support he received from the community, he was thankfully able to save the building. Sadly, years later during his second attempt to make repairs, Werle peacefully passed away.
Once again, years had gone by and no major maintenance was done to the Shack. It had weathered many storms and rot was beginning to show. All around, the structure was deteriorating and had become unsafe.
In late summer of 2015, a couple of teens were spotted walking on the roof of the Shack. Immediately, this sparked the question of really how safe is the Shack? Shortly after, town officials inspected the structure and deemed it unsafe. A red snow fence then appeared around the perimeter of the Shack and it was closed to public access. This all happened to take place be around the time that John Markowski was looking for the perfect Eagle Scout Project. He understood how important the iconic landmark was and scheduled a meeting with the First Selectmen to discuss the possibility of restoring the Grass Island Shack as his Eagle Scout Project. After discussing, it was obvious the project was the perfect match and so "Save the Shack" began. The entire project took over a year to pull off and the Grass Island Shack had been completely rebuilt. The project consisted of a new roof, new porch, and some small cosmetic work. The red center section is now the only original section of the Shack. The project officially wrapped up on November 23, 2016 and the Grass Island Shack now stands strong and has been reopened to the public.
Want to stay up-to-date on everything Shack related? Like "Save the Shack" on Facebook!