johnson ran the hotel for three years but was not successful. in 1871, he sold the property, and over the next six years the property was bought and sold several times before finally being purchased by samuel b. rindge for $4500 in january, 1878. apparently, the island house remained a resort under rindge, as an advertisement for "island house, lowell island, salem harbor. open june 10, 1880", with departure and arrival times of the boat, appeared in an 1880 magazine eventually samuel's son, frederick h. rindge of california, donated the property for use as children's island sanitarium.