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Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. 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 (Salisbury Cove village). Before 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 (40 km) of the coastline of the Eastern United States.
The town of Bar Harbor was founded on the northeast shore of Mount Desert Island, which the Wabanaki Indians knew as Pemetic, meaning... Read more
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. 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 (Salisbury Cove village). Before 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 (40 km) of the coastline of the Eastern United States.
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-and'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 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 of local Reef Point Estate, to design their gardens. A glimpse of their lifestyles was available from the Shore Path, a walkway skirting waterfront lawn. Yachting, garden parties at the Pot & Kettle Club, and carriage ride 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. In October 1944, the submarine USS Piper fired 12 live torpedoes on the island. Of the 12 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 all 30 acres of Bald Porcupine Island for unexploded ordnance. Nine were found.
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 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 have also been known to frequent Mount Desert Island and been seen 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.
Climate
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. 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.
Climate change is affecting Bar Harbor and other Gulf of Maine localities faster than much of the rest of the United States. From 2012 to 2019, the Gulf of Maine has warmed faster than 99 percent of the rest of the world's oceans. Since 1895, average temperatures in Hancock County have climbed by 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit, almost double the average for the other Lower 48 states.
Depending on the time of year you find yourself in town, and your intended goals, your visit may necessitate different modes of transportation. With many of the nearly 3 million annual visitors arriving in the summer months, getting around town by motor vehicle is a bad idea. Bar Harbor is much, much quieter between October and April.
Those seeking real adventure on a budget in Bar Harbor may find the bar and restaurant prices cost-prohibitive, but the Hannaford Supermarket on Cottage Street offers no end of inexpensive food and drink including liquor. In general, Bar Harbor is more interesting from 9 PM-5 AM during the summertime, when the crowds are thinner and the air cooler, although be advised that the Police Department never sleeps.
The following is a list of walks and hikes around the village of Bar Harbor. For a complete list of mountains on the island, please see the list on the Mount Desert Island page.
Tips for hiking in Bar Harbor
Here's how to explore Bar Harbor by canoe or kayak. For a complete list of ponds and lakes on the island, please see the list on the Mount Desert Island page.
Tours
French
There are three breweries within Bar Harbor town limits and a year-round population of only about 3,000. This is perhaps the most breweries per capita in the US.
Gear
Art
Clothing and Apparel
Crime is essentially non-existent in Bar Harbor. Most locals don't lock their front doors overnight, and many even leave their car keys in the ignition. Even during the height of the tourist season, one shouldn't have to worry about any theft, though you should always take common-sense precautions and be aware of your surroundings.
The only real danger in Bar Harbor and on Mount Desert Island is from the environment. While not common, It isn't unheard of for kayakers to become stranded or even drown in coastal waters, especially given the cold ocean temperature year-round and dense fogs that can roll in without much warning. Anyone wishing to go out on their own should do so with proper equipment (PFD, compasses) and the knowledge and experience to safely navigate in ocean waters. There are also many companies which offer guided kayak and sailing tours of the surrounding islands.
Several people have suffered severe injuries in recent years while out hiking, particularly on the technical and physically demanding Beehive and Precipice trails, some requiring emergency evacuation by helicopter. While the majority of hiking trails on Mount Desert Island are comparatively easy, it's always important to come prepared.
LOCAL TIME
1:51 pm
January 19, 2021
America/New_York
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