The Whitmore House Abandoned After Fishing Company Bankruptcy

The Whitmore family established Lakeview Manor in 1907 after Edward Whitmore purchased woodland property near Graymere Lake and built the residence close to his fishing supply operation. Three generations lived there, including Edward, his wife Margaret, their children, and later grandchildren who helped manage equipment, accounts, and lake deliveries. The family earned income from commercial fishing, boat repairs, and supplying nearby settlements.

Local records describe a maintained home with active gardens, a boathouse, and a working shoreline business before market changes weakened the family enterprise.

The first warning sign appeared in 1927 when falling fish prices reduced income from the Whitmore company. By 1929, the family dismissed workers, closed the upper observation pavilion, and reduced maintenance of the boathouse, gardens, and curved veranda. Repairs to the slate roof, balconies, and stone pathways were postponed as supplier debts increased. The economic downturn of the early 1930s caused unpaid equipment loans, fuel costs, and property taxes to accumulate. In 1933, the fishing company entered bankruptcy, and the Whitmore family left Lakeview Manor for a smaller home inland.

Lakeview Manor was abandoned in 1934 after the Whitmore fishing company bankruptcy, unpaid debts, and the loss of the family income source ended their ownership. No restoration occurred, and no Whitmore descendants returned after leaving Graymere Lake. Property records documented failed sales attempts and unresolved responsibility for maintenance. The rooms remained closed with furniture, business records, and household belongings left behind. Over decades, weather, vegetation, and neglect damaged the veranda, boathouse, and interior spaces. The Victorian Gothic Coastal Revival house remains empty among the spruce trees, continuing to deteriorate without restoration or confirmed future ownership.