Inside the Bush Family's Oceanfront Compound in Maine: "It's Our Anchor to Windward"
Former First Lady Barbara Bush once shared that the top floor was converted into a “children’s dormitory."
For over a century, the Bush family’s compound in Maine has been the backdrop of countless memories and stories. Not only did Jenna Bush Hager’s twin sister Barbara Pierce Bush get married at the family’s beloved coastal home, Brooke Shields even watched Law & Order: Special Victims Unit with the TODAY anchor’s grandparents when they invited her to stay there.
The oceanfront home has a long history with the Bush family, and it continues to hold a special place in their hearts. In fact, Bush Hager has called it “magical” on more than one occasion. Read on to find out where the house is located, how long it’s been in the family, and more.
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Where is the Bush family’s compound?
Also known as Walker's Point Estate, the Bush compound is located in the coastal town of Kennebunkport, Maine. The family’s longtime summer home is situated on a picturesque peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean.
How long has the Bush family owned their home in Maine?
Walker's Point Estate has been in the Bush family for well over a century. In 1903, President George H.W. Bush’s maternal great-grandfather, David Davis Walker, purchased the property with his son, George Herbert “Bert” Walker. In 1977, President H.W. Bush then bought the estate after his grandfather passed away.
The property has remained in the Bush family ever since, and they continue to vacation there today. In fact, according to a museum exhibit on the estate, President H.W. Bush, who passed away in 2018 at 94 years old, spent every summer of his life at their Maine compound, with the only exception being when he was in the Navy during World War II. During his presidency from 1989 to 1993, he also held press conferences in the summer and hosted world leaders at his oceanfront home.
The estate has, however, gone through some changes through the years. In 1991, a massive storm with 30-foot waves severely damaged the Bush family's compound, knocking down walls and obliterating a guest house, according to The New York Times. Furniture, photos, and other personal memorabilia were also destroyed and swept out to sea, The Los Angeles Times reported. Fortunately, they were able to repair it as the “house was strong, and there was no damage to the foundation,” the former president said in his daughter Dorothy Bush Koch’s 2006 book, My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush.
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President George H.W. Bush called their Maine compound his “anchor to windward”
President H.W. Bush famously described the family’s estate in Kennebunkport, Maine as his “anchor to windward.” So much so that it's the name of a 6,000-pound monument for him in the town.
"It's worth infinity to me because, as you know, it's been in our family since 1903 … It's where my family comes home, and it's our anchor to windward," the former president told reporters in 1991. "It has great meaning in terms of family and we are blessed. The Bush family is blessed."
President H.W. Bush often spoke affectionately of their Maine compound. "This is a place where we really enjoy ourselves, but more than that, kind of refurbish our souls, get our batteries all charged up and enjoy life really to the fullest. It's a point of view. You can feel it, in the land and in the water here," President H.W. Bush said in 1989, via NPR.
The top floor of the Bush family’s home in Maine is a "children's dormitory"
Every summer, the Bushes have gotten the whole family together at their compound in Maine and one section of the house is dedicated to the children.
“In August we try to have all our children visit at the same time. It’s a tight fit, but we can do it,” Former First Lady Barbara Bush told Down East magazine in 1989, adding that the top floor of their cottage was converted into a “children’s dormitory” full of “hodgepodge” decor. “Three houses of furniture put in one, no antiques, 15-year-old slipcovers — a house grandchildren are more than welcome in,” she said.
Jenna Bush Hager has described visiting Maine as “magical”
The TODAY anchor often posts about her family’s vacations in Maine, describing the coastal location as “magical” in a 2022 Instagram post with photos of her children and husband Henry Hager walking on the estate’s grounds.
In 2018, Bush Hager also shared several sweet family photos from their time in Maine. “Back now...but dreamed of Maine last night. Love this place...love these people. What a magical week with the ones I adore,” she captioned her post, which included photos with her parents — former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush — grandfather, twin sister Barbara, and more family members.
“It’s fun. To be in a place where you’ve been your whole life, with these people you’ve loved your whole life, it’s pretty remarkable,” Bush Hager told Hoda Kotb in 2018 on TODAY after her family’s Maine vacation.
And while they usually visit the Maine compound during the summer, Bush Hager also paid a visit to Kennebunkport with her family in December 2022 for a Christmas-themed weekend. They dressed up as reindeer and attended events like breakfast with Santa and cookies with Mrs. Claus. "I basically stepped into a Hallmark Christmas movie this weekend,” she said on TODAY. “We had the best time … Santa came in on a lobster boat.”
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Barbara Pierce Bush went into labor while vacationing in Kennebunkport, Maine
In 2021, Barbara Pierce Bush unexpectedly went into labor with her daughter, Cora Georgia, while she and her husband were spending the weekend at the Bush family’s home in Kennebunkport. "She came about six weeks early. We were totally unprepared," Bush told Savannah Guthrie on TODAY. "I thought I was going to have her in New York, and my husband and I were in Maine that weekend. I woke up at 4 in the morning and went into labor.”
They Googled the closest hospital and drove an hour to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, Maine, where their baby girl was born just hours later.
“In many ways, it felt divine that she was born in Maine near where we were married and where we have so many memories as a family,” Bush told People. “Then I felt how poignant and meaningful it was in a place that meant something to my grandmother."
