Remembering the Harbor Hide-A-Way [283]

9/12/12: The Harbor Hide-A-Way has been a fixture on Shelburne Road since 1941 when Wallace and Eleanor White first opened their doors. In the decades to follow, the Hide-A-Way became a popular restaurant known for its eccentric decor and tasty vittles, serving regulars and out of towners alike.  Even Katharine Hepburn and Bob Dylan are said to have stopped by for a bite.

In the 80s, the restaurant changed hands and in 1987, the Hide-A-Way closed its doors for good. For the past 25 years, it has remained vacant. An emblem to the past, its deteriorating lighthouse marked the entrance to Bay Road.

Recently purchased by the DuBruls who own the neighboring Automaster, the Hide-A-Way and its surrounding buildings were demolished last week.

After decades of decay, many agree this eyesore was ready to come down.  But for some, watching the lighthouse fall signifies the end of an era.

Eva takes a look back at what made the Harbor Hide-A-Way so unique in this memorial to a one-of-a-kind Vermont spot.

Read more about the Hide-A-Way here.


Watch a longer version of the demolition here.

Music performed by:
Kevin MacLeod

Fig Leaf Rag - distressed
Scott Joplin

Gymnopedie No 1
Erik Satie

This episode of Stuck in Vermont was brought to you by

Cabot Creamery Cooperative.

Comments

[Peggy Luhrs]

I haven't seen anyone yet refer to the fact that the Hideaway, like The High Hat which became Nectar's, was a covert spot for the then underground gay community. I remember a table of men at the back of the High Hat. But the Hideaway was where some women gathered who weren't ready to "drop their beads" as the slang of the day went. I remember the dishsoap bottles filled with fish tank stones given out as shakers to accompany the music.

[Eva Sollberger]

Thanks for this memory Peggy, I did not hear that from anyone else. Sounds like the Hideaway had something for everyone. And the British piano player sounds like she was something else too!