Cause of Province Lake GC Fire Undetermined

Fire marshals said the cause of the March fire at the Parsonfield, Maine property cannot be determined due to the total destruction of the buildings. The 100-year-old golf club is open for golf, and a new venue called the Carriage House is expected to open in June.

The cause of the fire that gutted the pro shop, restaurant and clubhouse at Province Lake Golf Club in Parsonfield, Maine in March is undetermined, and will likely remain that way, the Bedford, Maine Journal Tribune reported.

“Fire Marshals say the cause of the fire cannot be determined because of the total destruction of the buildings,” said Maine Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.

Meanwhile, the 100 year-old golf club is open for play, and special events, like weddings, continue to go on, while work on the property continues. An event billed as a Summer Kick-Off, with a barbecue and music on the range, is set for May 25. A new venue, referred to as the Carriage House, is projected to open sometime in June, the Journal Tribune reported.

Fire ripped through the building on March 7, at the height of a nor’easter snowstorm. With the snow falling, the dinner service was quiet, with just four customers that night, said property manager Sabin Beckwith in an interview in the days following the fire, and the restaurant closed at 7 p.m. Not even the coffee pot was turned on, because it wasn’t needed, he added. Then, at 9:40 p.m., Beckwith got word there was a fire, the Journal Tribune reported.

The restaurant stayed open year around, offering meals three days and five evenings a week during the winter months. About 10 to 12 employees work there during the off season, Beckwith said.

Province Lake Golf Club was originally built in 1918 as a nine-hole course along the shores of Province Lake by Joseph Emery and his friends and business associates, according to the club website. Emery, a native of Dover, New Hampshire, was president of Lord & Taylor in New York City and visited Province Lake each summer, the Journal Tribune reported.

The original golf course was designed by Lawrence Van Etten. In 1988, a second nine was built, designed by renowned East Coast architect Brian Silva, the Journal Tribune reported.