About Us

It's always been about family
at the White Lamb.

1876 - The Beach House is Built

1930's- The birth of a Name.

In the 1930’s, Boston Natives,  Marion and Ellen McIver married John White (Marion) and  Fred Lamb(Ellen). Fred and John's last names were used together to name the White Lamb.

1950's - Cottage Creation - and a New Name

Together, the White's and the Lamb's bought 3 Odessa Ave in 1948 and later that year built 6 cottages along Seaside (now known as Cottages 1-6).  A few years later cottages 7 & 8 were built.  The wood floors that are currently in the cottages came from The Fort where Portland Head Light is now.  It was an old dance hall that was scheduled to be torn down. John White liked old stuff so he bought enough floors for all the cottages.  For the first few years, they used part of the house as a restaurant for the guests.

Y2K - A new Family goes to the Beach...

Inspired by eldest sister Deb Basnett-Manni’s love for the beach, the Basnett clan vacationed at Old Orchard Beach over 5 summers.  While strolling through the quaint neighborhoods during one of their stays, they came across this beautiful yellow Victorian home with and eight adorable cottages and it happened to be for sale. Interested and intrigued, they gathered the specs on the property, rallied around a kitchen table with a calculator and began the process of number crunching.  The family came to a rather quick consensus and the purchasing procedures began.   The Basnett’s purchased the White Lamb property in 2003 from Pierre Janelle, a 3rd generation Inn keeper; a generous and patient man (Thanks Pierre!).  Pierre graciously provided a crash course in vacation rentals and managed the property for the first three years and then passed the torch for them to carry on.

Over the following 10+ years, they have upgraded and improved elements throughout the buildings and grounds. As they renovate and make improvements and upgrades to the amenities, they continually strive to preserve the charm and 1950’s retro feel that is the very fabric of White Lamb.

Credits

Photography - HB Leigh | BF Jean