Between 1909 and 1926 three generations of the Billings family built five schooners, the Enterprise, Mercantile, Progress, Billings Brothers, and Philosopher, all on the same site near the town of Little Deer Isle on the Eggemoggin Reach shore. Pearl F. Billings, one of the builders was the first owner and master of the Mercantile. Her construction took place over three winters. The Wood for her timbers was probably cut by a wind-powered sawmill which is pictured in the above image.
The schooner Mercantile was launched in 1916. Her shoal draft design served her owners well allowing her to take on and discharge cargo in small out-of-the way places inaccessible to deeper vessels. Her principal work consisted of carrying barrel staves and firewood from such places as Old Maid’s Creek in Gouldsboro to the lime kilns in Rockport and salt fish to Gloucester returning with cargos of salt. Other work for the Mercantile included carrying lumber from Bangor to Plymouth, lime from Thomaston to Boston, coal from Rockland to Downeast locations, boxwood, lumber and even bricks to Mount Desert Island. The Mercantile remained in service with the Billings family from the time of her building through an unfortunate collision with a steamer in the Penobscot Narrows in Bucksport. She was towed to Stonington where repairs were made. Unfortunately there was little business left in Maine for the coasting trade and in 1943, after being sold to Charles O’Conner of Warwick, RI, she left the service of the Billings family and Maine. The following two years were the only times the Mercantile has not hailed from a Maine port. In 1945 she returned to Maine joining Frank Swifts fleet of coasters engaged in carrying passengers on windjammer vacations along the coast. Today the Schooner Mercantile remains a proud member of Maine Windjammer Cruises’® fleet.
To learn more of the Schooner Mercantile’s history click on the following links:
MERCANTILE BUILT BY BILLINGS IN LITTLE DEER ISLE