Aunt Bette’s vacation rental 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 this house. Relatives of the Lanks go back generations on the island.

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

Betty E. Lank was born in the house on January 9, 1904. 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. Bette had a long and prominent career in Boston before returning to the island. The back of the house was built for her in the 1990s by island resident Alan Savage.

Aunt Bette’s house is located in the Welshpool area of Campobello Island. Founded in 1770 by Admiral William Owen, Welshpool was initially named “New Warrington” before being renamed after the Admiral’s hometown in Wales. 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 and the ever-changing light of the sea.