Traveling Roadmantics: Bar Harbor Maine

Wednesday June 5, Day 44

We left Lamoine State Park early in the morning. It was 55 degrees and sunny, an unusual day for us on this entire trip so far. If you look at the map below, Lamoine State Park is on the same piece of land as Ellsworth, and not too far from where you cross the bridge that goes into Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor, population 5,235 is a famous summer colony for many of the rich and famous. It was first settled by Europeans in 1763. In the 1840's it attracted a lot of the Hudson River artists. By 1880 there were 30 hotels here. Tourists would arrive by train and ferry across. The rich and famous outdid themselves entertaining and building estates including John D. Rockefeller Jr., J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the Astor family, all of whom owned hotels and cottages in the surrounding area.

In October of 1947, there was a drought, and a fire started in a nearby cranberry bog. It was not put out until mid November. It burned half the eastern side of the island, including 67 palatial summer mansions, and five historic grand hotels. Over 10,000 acres of Acadia national park were destroyed. Most of the houses were not rebuilt. However some were, and they are hidden way out on points. You can catch a glimpse of some of them from the road.

Martha Stewart and John Travolta have homes here. Paul from Peter Paul and Mary, Kirstie Alley, Dan Fogelberg, as well. Many movies have been filmed here. If you look at the number of private jets at the local airport, you know there are many more rich people who have homes here.

One of the best things about this area is that it is cool and breezy in the summertime, and there are

few MOSQUITOES. Before the days before air conditioning, these homes were a godsend and a well kept secret for the rich. About 90 miles northeast of here is Campobello, the Delano family residence frequented by FDR. It is right on the Canadian border and is now an International Park, being manned by rangers from both countries. Same reason for Campobello - cool and no mosquitoes. It was the rich who could afford to travel up here.

Bar Harbor is a tourist town like many other New England coastal communities. It has a certain charm, but is filled with restaurants and gift shops. Here's an ice cream store.

There are a lot of water activities. Most don't start until after the 4th of July. The fishing doesn't start until June 17th. However, there were people lined up here to take an island cruise.