Portland ยท Casco Bay islands
The Inn at Diamond Cove
A Fort McKinley Army barracks on car-free Great Diamond Island in Casco Bay, reached by ferry from Portland and opened as an inn in 2015.
- Built
- c. 1910HHA dates the inn to 1910, when the Army began building a series of barracks at Fort McKinley, including the two-story Colonial Revival "Double Barrack" that is now the inn; converted and opened as the inn in 2015.
- Style
- Colonial Revival
- Type
- Inn
- Area
- Casco Bay islands
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district; Historic Hotels of America member
The story
The Army began Fort McKinley on Great Diamond Island in 1897 to defend Portland Harbor, and the fort was completed by 1906; up to 1,000 soldiers were garrisoned there at its peak. HHA says the Army Corps of Engineers began a series of barracks around 1910, among them the two-story Colonial Revival Double Barrack. The fort was decommissioned in 1961 and its buildings declined until restoration began in the 1990s. The Double Barrack reopened in 2015 as The Inn at Diamond Cove, the centerpiece of a private island community reached by a 30-minute ferry from Portland.
Good to know
- Parking: garage nearby
- Address: 22 McKinley Court, Portland, ME 04109
Things to do
Tours in Portland
Tours are sold by GetYourGuide and run by local operators. If you book one through these links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Ratings and prices are GetYourGuide’s.
Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.