Aunt Bette’s house on Campobello Island was built in 1900 by the Lank family. Henry Norman Lank was born on Campobello Island in 1862. He married Carrie Mitchell and together they raised nine children in the house. Relatives of the Lanks have lived on the island for generations.

When the house was built, it used in part remnants from one of the great hotel resorts built on the island in the 1800s.

Betty E. Lank was born in the house on January 4, 1904. She had a long and prominent career in Boston before returning to her house on the island. As a nurse anesthetist at Children’s Hospital Boston, Massachusetts, she devoted her professional life to the advancement of pediatric anesthesia. She is credited with many contributions, including the first use of cyclopropane for infant anesthesia, pediatric-sized anesthesia masks and ventilation bags, and instituting standards for postanesthesia recovery areas.

Aunt Bette’s house is located in the Welshpool area of Campobello Island. Founded in 1770 by Admiral William Owen, Welshpool was named after the Admiral’s hometown in Wales. William Fitzwilliam Owen was the second son of Admiral Owen. During his career, he explored the west and east African coasts, discovered the Seaflower Channel off the coast of Sumatra, and surveyed the Canadian Great Lakes. He and his wife Martha, and their two children Cornelia and Portia, arrived on Campobello Island in 1835 after his older brother gave him ownership of the island. The family built the nearby Owen House and St. Anne’s Anglican Church. For centuries, Welshpool served as the island’s commercial and administrative hub. Learn more about the Owens and other early settlers of the island.

The current owners moved from Vancouver in 2021 and live on the island year round. They love the quiet island life with its frequent sightings of deer, whales, eagles and hummingbirds.