Thoughts of Mount Desert Island off the coast of Downeast Maine often conjure up rugged granite cliffs rising above the Atlantic, fishing boats in rocky harbors, and the sweeping landscapes of Acadia National Park. But beyond these familiar images, it is a place where dramatic scenery and human history are deeply intertwined.
Historian Ralph Nurnberger traces the island’s story from its Native inhabitants and early exploration by Samuel de Champlain through centuries of settlement and change. In the 19th century, artists of the Hudson River School were drawn to its majestic coastline and unspoiled scenery, helping establish its reputation as one of the most beautiful places in America. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it became a summer retreat for some of the country’s most prominent Gilded Age families.
A defining chapter in the island’s preservation came through the efforts of John D. Rockefeller Jr., Harvard President Charles Wilson Eliot, conservationist George Dorr, and others whose work helped create Acadia National Park—the first established through private donations and the first national park east of the Mississippi River. The park was enhanced through the work of the Civilian Conservation Corp and then survived the devastating Great Fire of 1947.
Together, these and other stories reveal the history and beauty of Mount Desert Island. They invite a closer look at the landscape, people, and forces that continue to shape it today and why it remains one of America’s most remarkable coastal landscapes.
This Smithsonian Associates webinar takes place September 2 on Zoom, beginning at 6:45 pm Eastern. $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org
