Thirlstane was designed by Boston architect William Ralph Emerson, who was known for the shingle style design popular on Mount Desert Island. It was built in 1881 for Mrs. Rebecca Scott of Washington, DC. The following owner, Colonel Edward Morrell, was a horseman and built Robin Hood Park, a race track and social scene for wealthy Bar Harbor summer residents. The next owner, William Pierson Hamilton, son-in-law of J.P. Morgan, added a swimming pool with an underground walkway and portholes for viewing swimmers. He also published his own newspaper, the Mount Desert Herald, at a cost of $1 million for one summer, because he did not like the way the local paper covered his parties. Thirlstane burned in the fire of 1947.