Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United
States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a
popular tourist destination in the Down East region of Maine and home to the
College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory, and MDI Biological
Laboratory. Prior to a catastrophic 1947 fire the town was a famous summer colony
for the super-affluent elite. Bar Harbor is home to the largest parts of Acadia
National Park, including Cadillac Mountain, the highest point within
twenty-five miles of the coastline of the Eastern United States. The town is
served by the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport which has flights on Cape Air
and PenAir to Boston. History
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 fished, hunted and
gathered berries, clams, and other shellfish in the area. They spoke of Bar
Harbor as Man-es-ayd'ik or Ah-bays'auk, 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 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 in Maine.
The community was first settled by Europeans in 1763 by Israel Higgins and
John Thomas and incorporated on February 23, 1796 as Eden, after Sir Richard
Eden, an English statesman. Early industries included fishing, lumbering
and shipbuilding. With the best soil on Mount Desert Island, it also developed
agriculture. In the 1840s, its rugged maritime scenery attracted the Hudson
River School and Luminism artists Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, William
Hart and Fitz Henry Lane. Inspired by their paintings, journalists, sportsmen
and "rusticators" followed. Agamont House, the first hotel in Eden, was
established in 1855 by Tobias Roberts. Birch Point, the first summer estate,
was built in 1868 by Alpheus Hardy. By 1880, there were 30 hotels, including
the Mira Monte Inn, a historic landmark that would later survive 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 architect Beatrix Farrand, a resident at local Reef Point Estate, to
design their gardens. A glimpse of their lifestyles was available from the Shore
Path, a walkway 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. 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-president Nelson Rockefeller on July 8, 1908.
Bar Harbor was also used for naval practices during World War II. More
specifically, Bald Porcupine Island was used to fire live torpedoes. On October
10, 1944 the submarine USS Piper fired 12 live torpedoes at the island. Of the
12 torpedoes fired, one failed to explode on the first attempt but was
later detonated by the 12th torpedo. In 1996, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
surveyed the island to make sure there were no active torpedoes and only found
remains. Many influential people call(ed) 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 Bar Harbor.
Cornelius Vanderbilt built cottages in Bar Harbor. The Astor family owned
hotels and cottages in Bar Harbor and the surrounding areas. William Howard
Taft used to enjoy games of golf in Bar Harbor. The co-founder and CEO of Burt's
Bees, Roxanne Quimby, has a home near Bar Harbor and is seen frequenting the
downtown area. The star and creator of the TV show Martha Stewart has also been
known to frequent Mount Desert Island and been seen in Bar Harbor. Film star
John Travolta has a home in nearby Ilesboro and has been seen many times in
Bar Harbor. Architect Fred L. Savage started out on Mount Desert Island,
moved, and then returned to design houses for many wealthy people in Bar
Harbor. Mount Desert Island Fire
In mid-October 1947, Maine experienced a severe drought. Sparks at a cranberry
bog near Town Hill ignited a wildfire that would intensify over ten days, and
not be 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 palatial summer houses on Millionaires' Row. Five historic grand
hotels and 170 permanent homes were destroyed. Over 10,000 acres of Acadia
National Park were destroyed. Fortunately, 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. Gallery
Geography According to the United States Census
Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.11 square miles, of which 42.24
square miles is land and 20.87 square miles is water. Bar Harbor is situated
on Frenchman Bay. = Climate =
This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences,
with warm to hot summers and cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate
Classification system, Bar Harbor has a humid continental climate, abbreviated
"Dfb" on climate maps. Demographics
= 2010 census = As of the census 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. There were 3,495
housing units at an average density of 82.7 per square mile. 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 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
people per square mile. There were 2,805 housing units at an average density of
66.5 per square mile. 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 is located in Bar Harbor.
Mount Desert Island High School serves the four towns of the Island, plus the
outlying islands of Swan's Island and the town of Cranberry Isles. The school
also serves students from towns such as Trenton, Hancock, Lamoine, and
Mariaville on the mainland. The College of the Atlantic is located
in Bar Harbor. Visiting Bar Harbor
Recreational activities abound in Bar Harbor. The downtown is particularly
alive in the summer and autumn months because Bar Harbor is home to many
outdoor enthusiasts. Acadia National Park is a couple of miles from the
downtown area. Outdoor activities in Acadia include hiking along trails or
carriage roads, biking along the carriage roads, bird watching, and
mountain climbing, in view of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the
Atlantic seaboard. Those interested in the marine life
surrounding Mount Desert Island can go to the marina at the end of Main Street.
and sign up for tours that feature puffins, whales, lobster, seals, pelagic
seabirds, island lighthouses, or for an overall nature cruise.
At low tide a sand bar from town to Bar Island is exposed and wide enough to
drive a car across. Although cars are not allowed on the sandbar, it provides
a lot of entertainment for those looking to go shelling or just to see what is
uncovered when the water retreats. This exposed land also provides an excellent
launch point for kayakers. The American Planning Association in
2012 named the Village Green as one of their top ten Great Places in America
for Public Spaces. Bar Harbor is a destination for tourists
from all over the world. Cruise ships are in the harbor from May through
October, with 23 ships expected to make 135 visits in 2013. Bar Harbor also
hosts many long-distance cyclists, as it is the eastern terminus of the Adventure
Cycling Association's Northern Tier Bicycle Route, and the northern terminus
of its Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route. Notable people
Les Brewer, founder of College of the Atlantic
Dennis Damon, state senator Henry F. Dimock, lawyer
William E. Dodge, Jr., businessperson Matthew Dunlap, Maine Secretary of State
Joseph T. Edgar, Secretary of State of Maine and Speaker of the Maine House of
Representatives Jill Goldthwait, state senator
Brison D. Gooch, historian Carrie Jones, novelist
David E. Kelley, television producer Shirley Povich, sports columnist and
reporter for The Washington Post Esther Ralston, actress
Nelson Rockefeller, businessman, governor of New York, Vice President of
the United States Lynne Williams, lawyer, planning board
member, and candidate for governor of Maine
References External links
Town of Bar Harbor, Official website Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Bar Harbor travel guide from Wikivoyage Bar Harbour, Travel Guide by The New
York Times "Bar Harbor". Encyclopædia Britannica.
1911. "Bar Harbor". Encyclopedia Americana.
1920.