A tiny private island in Maine where the only toilet is inside a lighthouse is on sale for $400,000 — just a year after its owner bought it 'on a whim'

Rustic islands for sale in Maine don't come around very often. And when they do, they tend to attract people fascinated with nature, solitude, and a lifestyle outside the norm. 

Nothing quite fits that bill like Rocky Mecca, a man-made private island on Lake Anasagunticook in Canton, Maine, which hit the market for $400,000 in May. After an initial sale fell through in June, it was re-listed and is now under contract. 

Rebecca LaBrie, a Meservier & Associates realtor working on the sale, told Insider the unique property was built by its original owner in 1934 who "just thought it would be a fun project."

"He found a bunch of stones from old stone walls and local places, and built the island," she said. 

It helped that the island is partially built on one of the most shallow points of the lake, LaBrie added. "Then there's a part that's a bit deeper on the far side of the island. So I'm not sure how long that took him," she said, laughing. 

The only other problem the original owner faced was having to secure a deed for his island home, which didn't appear on any maps before the 1930s. 

"It didn't previously exist," she said.

Private islands tend to come with hefty price tags. But as relatively affordable as Rocky Mecca is, a new owner should be prepared for some surprising challenges its predecessor faced.

Since the 1990s, when the island first changed ownership, it sold several times to people looking to use it as a getaway vacation home, LaBrie said.

Its current owner is 62-year-old retired educator Mary Seaman, nicknamed the "Pond Princess," who told Insider she bought the island a year ago "on a whim" but quickly discovered it wasn't a good fit for her.

"It's like trying on pants," she said. "You get them home and you walk around, they're not quite the right fit."

Part of the reason why she said she couldn't "emotionally" settle on Rocky Mecca is because she longed to have a home on a smaller lake in Maine where she grew up.

She said she has since bought a property in her hometown, which makes now the perfect time to sell Rocky Mecca. 

According to Seaman, Rocky Mecca is roughly between 600 and 700 feet from the shore. But such a short distance can feel huge depending on the weather. 

"I found it very windy out there, which made it very daunting going back and forth in a kayak," she said. 

From time to time, Seaman said she'd even be forced to spend an unplanned night out on the island due to rough weather. "I have gotten stuck out there because it gets so windy," she said. 

The windy conditions on the lake can be perilous, and not just for the owner of Rocky Mecca.

On one such occasion when Seaman said she was stranded on the island, she said she spotted a capsized kayak on the lake and called a friend on land who was able to rescue the person using a motorboat. 

"They said another five minutes they would've drowned," Seaman said. 

The man-made island comes with a mini lighthouse, a dock, and a tiny 480-square-foot stone cottage. According to the listing on Zillow, the small home was last renovated in 2022. 

Seaman said when she bought the island, she made several updates to the tiny home, including giving it a much-needed deep clean.

"We took everything out of the inside of the cottage," she said. "The former owner left behind trinkets about lighthouses, his old coats, and things that gather in a family home over time."

Another change Seaman made was sealing the stone walls of the cottage to reinforce it.

"It's all one room," LaBrie said of the cottage, which houses a bedroom, lounge space, dining area, and a kitchen. 

The bed situation is pretty quirky, however. 

"If the fifth person was brave, there are custom-built bunk beds in the wall, and they're three-tiered," she said.

"I don't know if I'd wanna sleep up there," LaBrie said, adding that she's sure "kids wouldn't care."

Besides not having a septic tank or shower, the cottage also relies on a small propane heater, making stays during the colder months much harder.

"If somebody wanted to go out and ice fish, you could set traps and go inside and turn the heater on and sit in your winter clothes," LaBrie said. "But I don't imagine it would be comfortable to sleep."

Seaman said one of the most difficult parts about staying on Rocky Mecca overnight, regardless of the season, is the lack of electricity. 

"There is no light," Seaman said, and "no way to get electrical on the island."

According to Seaman, the previous owners resorted to hanging a flashlight by a rope to the ceiling of the cabin. The downside? Bugs. 

"I found it attracted the mosquitoes," Seaman said. 

The only thing that's missing is a couch, LaBrie said. 

"No couch," she said. "Just a rocking chair and a kitchen table."

The lighthouse on Rocky Mecca has existed nearly as long as the island itself, LaBrie said. 

"It's purely for decoration," she added, as Lake Anasagunticook is not the kind of body of water where "you need to have a lighthouse."

It doesn't currently have a light installed, but it does have a chain and a hanger on its ceiling, so if a future owner had dreams of owning a lighthouse, they could make it happen, LaBrie said.

"You could hang a solar light in it, it's the perfect set up," she added.

Seaman said the top of the lighthouse, which offers 360-degree views of the lake, can fit five to six people "very snugly." 

According to LaBrie, a compostable toilet is currently located at the base of the lighthouse. 

And, unfortunately, that's been a tough sell for prospective buyers, she said. 

"That's been a sticking point for people," LaBrie said. "I mean, there's not a well and you can't put a septic system on an island."

Seaman said she's never used the lighthouse toilet herself. Instead, she used what she called a "human litter box" toilet she said she bought online and kept inside the cottage. 

"It has the liquid in it, like in a Porta Potty, but I use cat litter instead," Seaman added. "But I have the Porta Potty on the shore, if I have a bigger need."

Either way, LaBrie did suggest a new owner could consider a couple of alternatives, including installing a portable toilet in an outhouse or a small shed on the island.

"But nobody's really bothered with that yet," LaBrie said.

Another option would be to park a camper on land, which could house a toilet as well as a shower, and simply take trips back and forth to the island, LaBrie said. 

There may not be a toilet, insulation, or a couch, but there is a bounty of wildlife surrounding the island that is sure to attract nature lovers. 

On the mainland, there are deer and moose, and out on the water there are flocks of birds that like to nest on the island. The only issue there, LaBrie said, is that the geese that call the lake home do like to "poop everywhere."

"They're a very poopy nuisance," Seaman said, adding that she's managed the issue by building a fence around the circumference of Rocky Mecca. 

Nevertheless, LaBrie maintains that something like Rocky Mecca doesn't come around in real estate often, especially in Maine.

"We've seen islands maybe once or twice a year, they're much more prominent on the coast or the bigger lakes. This one, being man-made, is an anomaly," she said. 

As for Seaman, who is leaving Rocky Mecca behind for a home she bought on the lake where she grew up, her advice to the new owner is to enjoy it — and to make sure you free up your schedule to spend time there.

"Because you may be there longer than you think," she said.