The town of Bar Harbor was founded on the northeast shore of Mount Desert Island, which the Wabanaki Indians knew as Pemetic, meaning "range of mountains" or "mountains seen at a distance." The Wabanaki seasonally fish, hunt and gather berries, clams, and other shellfish in the area. They speak of Bar Harbor as Man-es-ayd'ik ("clam-gathering place") or Ah-bays'auk ("clambake place"), leaving great piles of shells as evidence of this abundance. In early September 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain ran aground on a rock ledge believed to be Egg Rock, just off Otter Cliffs, and when he came ashore to repair his boat he met local natives. Champlain named the island Isles des Monts Deserts, meaning "island of barren mountains"—now called Mount Desert Island, the largest island in Maine.[5]
In 1761, Abraham Somes established the first European village on Mount Desert Island, naming it Somesville. Also named for him is Somes Sound, the only naturally occurring fjard on the East Coast of the United States. Bar Harbor itself was incorporated on February 23, 1796, as Eden, after Sir Richard Eden, an English statesman.[6]
By 1880, there were 30 hotels, including the Mira Monte Inn, a historic landmark that survived a massive fire in 1947. Tourists were arriving by train and ferry to the Gilded Age resort that would rival Newport, Rhode Island. The rich and famous tried to outdo each other with entertaining and estates, often hiring landscape gardener and landscape architectBeatrix Farrand, a resident at local Reef Point Estate, to design their gardens. A glimpse of their lifestyles was available from the Shore Path, a coastal path skirting waterfront lawns. Yachting, garden parties at the Pot & Kettle Club, and carriage rides up Cadillac Mountain were popular diversions. Others enjoyed horse-racing at Robin Hood Park-Morrell Park. President William Howard Taft played golf in 1910 at the Kebo Valley Golf Club. He was the last sitting president to visit the town for a century thereafter, until Barack Obama's arrival in July 2010.[7]
On March 3, 1918, Eden was renamed Bar Harbor, after the sand and gravel bar, visible at low tide, which leads across to Bar Island and forms the rear of the harbor. The name would become synonymous with elite wealth. It was the birthplace of vice-presidentNelson Rockefeller.[8][9]
Bar Harbor was also used for naval practices during World War II. More specifically, Bald Porcupine Island (one of the five Porcupine Islands) was used to fire live torpedoes. In October 1944, the submarine USS Piper fired 12 live torpedoes at the island. Of those fired, one failed to explode on the first attempt but was later detonated by the twelfth torpedo.[10] In 1996, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed all 30 acres of Bald Porcupine Island for unexploded ordnance. Nine were found.[11]
Many influential people have called Bar Harbor home for at least part of the year. John D. Rockefeller Jr., son of John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil Co., donated about one-third of the land in Acadia National Park and built the carriage roads that are used for hiking and biking. J. P. Morgan owned a house that is adjacent to the town. Cornelius Vanderbilt built cottages in Bar Harbor, while the Astor family owned hotels and cottages in Bar Harbor and the surrounding areas. The co-founder and CEO of Burt's Bees, Roxanne Quimby, has a home near Bar Harbor, and Martha Stewart owns property in nearby Seal Harbor and frequents Bar Harbor.[12]
Mount Desert Island fire
In mid-October 1947, Maine experienced a severe drought, seeing only half of its usual rainfall.[13] On October 17, sparks at a cranberrybog near Town Hill ignited a wildfire that intensified over the next ten days, due to strong winds that began on October 21,[13] and it was not declared out until mid-November. This was one of several wildfires in the state that year. Nearly half the eastern side of Mount Desert Island burned, including 67 "cottages"[14]—nearly one-third of the 222 cottages that stood at the time. (Many were empty or for sale; only 135 were occupied that summer.)[14] Five historic grand hotels were also destroyed. These were Agamont House (Main Street), Hamor House (Main Street at Cottage Street), Belmont Hotel (Mount Desert and Kebo Streets), Malvern Hotel (Kebo Street) and the DeGregoire Hotel (Eden Street at West Street).[14] The Building of Arts civic building, on Kebo Street at Cromwell Harbor Road, also perished.[14]
Over 10,000 acres (4,000ha) of Acadia National Park were destroyed.[13] The town's business district was spared, including Mount Desert Street, where several former summer homes within a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places operate as inns.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.11 square miles (163.45km2), of which 42.24 square miles (109.40km2) is land and 20.87 square miles (54.05km2) is water.[2] Bar Harbor is situated on Frenchman Bay, with multiple smaller islands just offshore. Twice a day, at low tide, a sand bar (Bar Harbor's namesake) is exposed, linking the town to Bar Island.[15]
This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Bar Harbor has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[16] Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island are located near the coastline and surrounded by the North American continent to the northeast and southwest. This location, combined with prevailing winds that are not from the Atlantic, gives Bar Harbor a continental climate with very cold winters for an island location at such a low latitude.
As of the census[19] of 2010, there were 5,235 people, 2,427 households, and 1,275 families residing in the town. The population density was 123.9 inhabitants per square mile (47.8/km2). There were 3,495 housing units at an average density of 82.7 per square mile (31.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.7% White, 0.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.
There were 2,427 households, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.5% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.70.
The median age in the town was 45.3 years. 17.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 32.3% were from 45 to 64; and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.3% male and 53.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census[20] of 2000, there were 4,820 people, 2,142 households, and 1,163 families residing in or near the town. The population density was 114.2 inhabitants per square mile (44.1/km2). There were 2,805 housing units at an average density of 66.5 per square mile (25.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.88% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.62% of the population.
There were 2,142 households, out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.78.
In and near the town, the population was spread out, with 19.8% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.7 males.
The median income for a household in or near the town was $37,481, and the median income for a family was $51,989. Males had a median income of $31,085 versus $25,417 for females. The per capita income for the area was $24,103. About 4.9% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Conners Emerson School, founded in 1962, is located in Bar Harbor, serving students of grades K through 8.
Mount Desert Island High School serves the four towns of Mount Desert Island, plus the outlying islands of Swans Island and the town of Cranberry Isles. The school also serves students from towns such as Trenton, Hancock, Lamoine and Mariaville on the mainland.
Bar Harbor's main access road, from the north or south, is State Route 3, which is the coastal Eden Street taken from the Trenton Bridge. Upon entering the town limits from the north, Route 3 turns east onto Mount Desert Street, before turning south onto Main Street at Bar Harbor's Village Green. It then circumnavigates the eastern portion of Mount Desert Island. Two other streets link Route 3 to Main Street: West Street (the first visitors from the north see) and Cottage Street. Another principal road, Eagle Lake Road, leads west, from its intersection with Eden Street, Mount Desert Street and Kebo Street, into the national park.
Downeast Windjammer Cruise Lines operates regular summer ferry service across Frenchman Bay between Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor.[25]
Tourism
The population of Bar Harbor, and Mount Desert Island generally, increases dramatically from May through October with "seasonal" residents and tourists. Many come for Acadia National Park, with its hiking trails and carriage roads, providing opportunities for biking, bird watching, and mountain climbing, with Cadillac Mountain being the highest point on the Atlantic seaboard.
Maritime tours are available, on a wide variety of boats, introducing visitors to puffins, whales, seals, seabirds, lighthouses, even lobsters, illustrating the working waterfront side of Bar Harbor.
The town has many historic houses, including large "cottages" along the shore, often converted to other uses today. To protect its housing supply for residents, citizens voted in 2021 to cap the number of vacation rentals in Bar Harbor. [26]
Cruise ships visit Bar Harbor from May through October (most in September and October), with 154 ship visits and more than 222,000 passengers in 2018. The forecast for 2019 was 176 ship visits and more than 254,000 passengers.[28] In November 2022, concerned about crowding and overtourism, the citizens of Bar Harbor voted for a citizens' initiative to cap cruise ship disembarkations to 1,000 per day.
Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, ranked among the best ice cream shops in the country, made the news in 2010 when President Obama and his family made a surprise visit for a treat.[29]Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium, with its lobster-flavored ice cream and lobster statue, is a popular stop.[30]
In popular culture
Bar Harbor is featured in the 2007 book The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan as the setting of Westover Hall, a boarding school.
The Far Harboradd-on for the video game Fallout 4 is located on Mount Desert Island, with Bar Harbor being reimagined as the post apocalyptic settlement of Far Harbor.[31]
Notable people
American Civil War monument "In memory of Eden's sons who were defenders of the Union." Eden was the original name of Bar Harbor, from 1796 to 1918.
Acadia National Park is an American national park located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor. The park includes about half of Mount Desert Island, part of the Isle au Haut, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, and portions of sixteen smaller outlying islands.
Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,478. Its county seat is Ellsworth. The county was incorporated on June 25, 1789, and named for John Hancock, the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Brooksville is a town on Penobscot Bay in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 935. It contains the villages of North Brooksville, South Brooksville, West Brooksville, Brooksville Corner, and Harborside.
Frenchboro is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States, and a village within this town located on Long Island, southeast of Swans Island. The population was 29 at the 2020 census. The town is accessible by state ferry service from Bass Harbor.
Hancock is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,466 at the 2020 census. Located on the mainland at the head of Frenchman Bay, Hancock has commanding views of Mount Desert Island.
Mount Desert is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,146 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1789, the town currently encompasses the villages of Otter Creek, Seal Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Somesville, Hall Quarry, and Pretty Marsh.
Sullivan is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,219 at the 2020 census. The town was named for Daniel Sullivan, an early settler. Colloquially referred to as "Sully" or "the Sullivans"—like many Maine municipalities composed of villages with geographic designations of the town proper—the municipality was incorporated in 1789. Located in the Upper Schoodic Peninsula sub-region of Maine's Downeast Acadia region, the municipality has been known as "Waukeag", "New Bristol", and later Sullivan; and once included the nearby communities of Hancock, Sorrento, and what would later be Township 7, South & Middle Districts. Once home to abundant granite quarries, the town of Sullivan is now a residential community for nearby Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island. Located along U.S. Route 1, the Taunton River, and Hog Bay, Sullivan is home to a reversing tidal falls and many scenic turnouts that dot the Schoodic National Scenic Byway along the Upper Schoodic Peninsula.
Tremont is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. It is located on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island, known to locals as "the quiet side."
Trenton is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States, near Acadia National Park. The population was 1,584 at the 2020 census. Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport is located in Trenton.
Winter Harbor is a town on the Schoodic Peninsula in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 461 at the 2020 census. The town is located just outside the Schoodic Peninsula portion of Acadia National Park and is due east of the town of Bar Harbor and Ellsworth. Winter Harbor was once the location of a US Naval Station, NSGA-WH, which closed in the mid-2000s, and is now home to the Schoodic Institute’s Education and Research Center.
Isle au Haut is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States, on an island of the same name in Penobscot Bay. The population was 92 at the 2020 census. Home to portions of Acadia National Park, Isle au Haut is accessible by ferry from Stonington.
Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of 108 square miles (280 km2) it is the 52nd-largest island in the United States, the sixth-largest island in the contiguous United States, and the second-largest island on the Eastern Seaboard, behind Long Island and ahead of Martha's Vineyard. According to the 2010 census, the island has a year-round population of 10,615. In 2017, an estimated 3.5 million tourists visited Acadia National Park on MDI. The island is home to numerous well-known summer colonies such as Northeast Harbor and Bar Harbor.
Cadillac Mountain is located on Mount Desert Island, within Acadia National Park, in the U.S. state of Maine. With an elevation of 1,530 feet, its summit is the highest point in Hancock County and the highest within 25 miles (40 km) of the Atlantic shoreline of the North American continent between the Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia, and peaks in Mexico. It is known as the first place in the continental U.S. to see the sunrise, although that is only true for a portion of the year.
The Schoodic Peninsula is a peninsula in Down East Maine. It is located four miles (6 km) east of Bar Harbor, Maine, as the crow flies. The Schoodic Peninsula contains 2,266 acres (9 km2), or approximately 5% of Acadia National Park. It includes the towns of Gouldsboro and Winter Harbor. The peninsula has a rocky granite shoreline containing many volcanic dikes. The peninsula is home to the former United States Navy base, NSGA Winter Harbor, which has been converted into a National Park Service training center. A 3,300-acre (13 km2) resort development was proposed for land abutting Schoodic Peninsula's national park holdings to the north. An anonymous donor eventually bought the entire 3,200-acre tract and built the Schoodic Woods Campground and miles of gravel bike paths before donating all of it to Acadia National Park. Opening in 2015, Schoodic Woods is the newest campground in Acadia National Park, and the first built in the park since the original campgrounds were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression beginning in 1936. In the summer, the Schoodic peninsula is currently served by two separate ferry services from Bar Harbor to Winter Harbor that run daily.
The Harbor Lane–Eden Street Historic District encompasses a neighborhood of Bar Harbor, Maine, consisting of architect-designed summer estates that served as the summer of elite society families of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Located northwest of the main village and fronting on Frenchman Bay, the district includes nine summer houses that survived a devastating 1947 fire which destroyed many other summer estates. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
State Route 102 (SR 102) is a north-south state highway located on Mount Desert Island in eastern Maine. As of 2007, its southern terminus is located at an intersection with SR 102A in Tremont on the southern part of the island. Its northern terminus is at intersection with SR 3 in Bar Harbor, a terminus it shares with SR 198.
Swan's Island is an island town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. It is named after Colonel James Swan, of Fife, Scotland, who purchased the island and some surrounding areas and organized their colonization in the eighteenth century. The population was 355 at the 2020 census. The town is accessible by state ferry service from Bass Harbor.
Bar Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Bar Harbor in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The CDP population was 2,552 at the 2010 census, out of a population of 5,235 in the town of Bar Harbor as a whole.
The Abbe Museum is a museum with two locations in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Mount Desert Island. The museum is dedicated to exploring the history and culture of Maine's Native people, the Wabanaki. It has one location at 26 Mount Desert Street in the center of Bar Harbor, and a second location at Sieur de Monts in Acadia National Park. The Sieur de Monts building is an architecturally distinctive structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the state's first purpose-built museum buildings, and as a rare example in the state of Mediterranean architecture.
George Bucknam Dorr was an American preservationist. Known as the "father of Acadia National Park," he spent most of his adult life overseeing the park's formation and expansion.
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