Maine Tourist (4th July Edition)

Vacationland.

Top Picks

Bar Harbor, Rockland Harbor Breakwater Light, L.L. Bean, Acadia National Park, Cleftstone Manor, Spruce coffee, Acadia House, Libby’s Market, Red’s Eats, Maine Brewing, Big Chicken Barn Books, Lulu Lobster Boat Ride

About

Originally inhabited by the Red Paint People — a maritime group that used red ochre in elaborate burials and thought to be descendants of Ice Age hunters.

In 1607, the first ship build by English colonists was launched from Phippsburg (it crossed the Atlantic twice). In 1641, the first US chartered city. In 1642, first incorporated city. In 1775, first naval battle of the Revolutionary War (off Machias). In 1820, added as the 23rd US state (formerly Massachusetts). In 1847, doughnut holes invented (commemorative plaque in Rockport). In 1851, “The Birthplace of Prohibition ” was the first US state to ban alcohol. In 1870s, a 15-year old invented earmuffs (celebrated annually with the Chester Greenwood Day Parade, earmuff-themed floats!). In 1984, Burt’s Bees founded. In 1998, an ice storm knocked out power to half the state for over two weeks. Until 2003, last toothpick was produced in the “Toothpick Capital of the World” (the town of Strong, which once made 95% all wooden toothpicks in the US). In 2008, the last town to use hand-cranked phones (a 14-foot candlestick phone memorial, tallest in the world). In 2011, a record 104 million pounds of lobster caught.

Notable residents include Steven King (many of his books are set in Maine including Carrie which was written while working as a local teacher), Nelson Rockefeller, Judd Nelson, Milton Bradley, E.B. White (Charlotte’s Web), Leon Leonwood Bean, Liv Tyler, Joshua L. Chamberlain (Civil War hero) and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Featured in the films Jumanji, Forrest Gump, Message in a Bottle, and The Cider House Rules.

Famous for lobster (average 40 million pounds per year, 90% of the US supply, 4,600 licensed lobstermen, 23-year waiting period!), lighthouses (67), blueberries (99% of US supply, Cherryfield is the “Blueberry Capital of the World”) and breweries (around 100).

Possibly named after Maine, France — or from the word “mainland.” Residents are called “Mainers” (often reserved for those whose roots in Maine go back at least three generations). The only one-syllable state and nicknamed “The Pine Tree State” (appears on state flag, 83% covered in forest; second only to New Hampshire). Bigger than the other five New England states combined, has the third-longest US coastline, 281 miles (452 kilometers) of Appalachian Trail, and 3,166 islands (41 inhabited). Home to over 75,000 moose (the state animal, second only to Alaska) and is one of the coldest states (-50°F in 2009). Annual Maine Lobster Festival consumes over 25,000 pounds.

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote her anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabinin in Brunswick during the 1850s. The house where she worked on the novel is now a museum.

It’s against the law to step out of a flying plane or leaving Christmas decorations up past January 14! Portland, Oregon is named the one in Maine — after the city’s co-founders tossed a coin for naming rights! Most of northern Maine contains unorganized townships (i.e. very few residents) with town names like T8 R4 WELS!

* Note: Asterisk denotes a place I haven’t visited yet.

Map

Bar Harbor

Wabanaki Indians knew as Pemetic, meaning “range of mountains” or “mountains seen at a distance.” In 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain ran aground on a rock ledge believed to be Egg Rock and named the island Isles des Monts Deserts, meaning “island of barren mountains” now Mount Desert Island. The largest island in Maine with a population of just over 5,000 was originally named Eden. Early industries included dairy, fishing, lumbering and shipbuilding.

In 1761, the first European village of Somesville. In the 1840s, painted by Hudson River School artists (Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, William Hart and Fitz Henry Lane) inspiring “rusticators” (i.e. tourists). In 1868, the first summer estate built. By 1880, there were Gilded Age 30 hotels serving tourists from train and ferry. In 1908, birthplace of Nelson Rockefeller. In 1910, President Taft played gold at the Kebo Valley Golf Club. In 1918, Eden renamed to Bar Harbor (after the sand/gravel bar visible at low tide). In 1942, the navy fired live torpedos at Bald Porcupine Island. In 1947, fire destroyed half of Acadia National Park, 9 towns, 851 homes, and 397 seasonal cottages — including 67 mansions on Millionaire’s Row.

Portland

Originally named Machigonne (“Great Neck”) by the Native Americans. In 1623, first European settlement (one stone house, ten men, failure). In 1832, fishing and trading village named Casco. In 1658, taken over by the colony of Massachusetts Bay and renamed Falmouth. In 1786, formed a separate town called Portland — named after the Isle in Dorset and from the Old English word Portlanda that literally means “land surrounding a harbor.” In 1855, the Rum Riot (in response to Prohibition). In 1863, the Battle of Portland Harbor (Civil War raiding party). During Independece Day celebrations in 1866, the Great Fire of Portland destroyed almost all commercial building, half the churches and hundreds of homes. In 1923, the Portland Symphony Orchestra established.

The city of Portland, Oregon was named after Portland, Maine. The Portland Farmers Market has been in continuous operation since 1768! Lots of antique stores and (surprisingly) Christmas decoration stores.

Portland Head Light* (1791)

Informally known as the Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse, it is the oldest lighthouse in the state with a maritime museum in the former lighthouse keeper’s house.

Bowdoin College (1802, founded 1794)

The oldest college in Maine boasts famous alumni Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poet) and Nathaniel Hawthorne (writer). Ranked as the fifth-best liberal arts college. Harriet Beecher Stowe started writing her influential anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in Brunswick while her husband was teaching at the college.

Notable buildings include the Massachusetts Hall (1802), Parker Cleaveland House (1806), Harriet Beecher Stowe House (1807), Bowdoin College Museum of Art (1894), the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum (1895, the only museum in the lower 48 states of the US dedicated completely to Arctic studies), and Hubbard Hall (1903).

Famous alumni include Charles Morse (near-monopoly of the New York ice business that led to the financial Panic of 1907), Robert E. Peary (first successful expedition to the North Pole), and Peter Buck (Subway co-founder).

Portland Observatory (1807)

The only remaining US maritime signal tower in the US — measuring 86-foot (26m) tall and standing 222-feet (68m) above sea level. Using both a telescope and signal flags, two-way communication between ship (30 miles away) and shore was possible several hours before an incoming vessel reached the docks.

Used as a watch tower during the War of 1812. Functioned until 1923. In 1939, the telescope mysteriously disappeared! Currently a museum.

Eastern Promenade (1836)

A 1.5-mile (2.4 km) park designed by the Olmsted Brothers. Home to an 1821 mass grave containing 21 American prisoners of war, the mast of USS Portland (1933 heavy cruiser and the only US ship to participate in all four Pacific aircraft carrier battles of 1942), and the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum (1993)— which runs historic trains along a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) narrow (2ft gauge) railroad. Excellent location to watch Independence Day fireworks.

Victoria Mansion* (1860)

Also known as the Morse-Libby Mansion, it is one of the finest Italianate brownstone homes in the US and retains almost all the original furnishings. Features a Turkish (Islamic) smoking room, carved marble fireplaces, flying staircase, wall-to-wall carpeting, central heating, gas lighting, and piped hot and cold running water. Abandoned 1939, almost demolished to become a gas station, opened as a museum in 1941.

Mira Monte Inn* (1864)

Originally a Victorian summer cottage, survived the 1947 fire and since 1989 operates as a 17-room bed and breakfast.

Shore Path (1880s)

Path running from the Town Pier, past the Bar Harbor Inn, then wraps around a point before continuing South for about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile along the eastern shore of Mount Desert Island.

Bar Harbor Inn* (1887)

Formerly the Mount Desert Reading Room — a clubhouse for the gentlemen’s Oasis Club.

In 1910, President Taft held a grand reception in the Reading Room. In 1921, ladies permitted. During WWII, observation headquarters for the navy. Since 1950, a hotel complete with panoramic views over Frenchman Bay, two restaurants, and luxury spa.

Rockland Harbor Breakwater Light

Historic lighthouse at the end of the Rockland Breakwater, which was built in the 1890s and is more than 4,000 feet (1,200 m) long.

Portland Museum of Art* (1911, founded 1882)

The largest and oldest public art institution in Maine with over 22,000 artworks by Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Louise Nevelson, Andrew Wyeth and John Greenleaf Cloudman, Mary Cassatt, Degas, Monet, Munch, Picasso, and Rodin.

L.L. Bean (1912)

220,000 square-foot HQ where the company began selling a single Bean Boot. The first real clothing store to stay open 24/7, 365 days a year — the locks were removed 1951!— except two Sundays in 1962 and the deaths of JFK, founder Leon Bean and grandson Leon Gorman.

Campus includes archery, clay shooting, fly casting, sea kayaking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, Outdoor Discovery School, Christmas light displays, Summer Concert Series, and a size 410 boot! Also features a traveling “Bootmobile” mobile store. Features in Luke Cage, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Hunter S. Thompson novels (including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), and Beetlejuice.

Merrill Auditorium* (1912)

A 1,908-seat auditorium containing the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ — world’s second-largest organ when it was built in 1911 (still the largest in Maine). Theatre renovated in 1997.

Acadia National Park (1916)

Comprising a large portion (over 49,000 acred) of Mount Desert Island, which was inhabited by Algonquian Native Americans for over twelve thousand years. The second-most visited US National Parks (over 3.5 million annual visitors) and is the home to falcons, black bears, moose, white-tailed deer, milk snakes, snapping turtles, wood frogs, spotted salamanders, rainbow smelt, brook trout and various species of raptors, songbirds and waterfowl.

In 1604, named Isle des Monts Deserts (Island of Barren Mountains). In 1713, ceded from the French to England. From 1855, frequented by summer visitors nicknamed “rusticators.” From 1915 to 1940, John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated around one-third of Arcadia park and paid for the construction of carriage roads. In 1919, renamed from “Sieur de Monts National Monument” and renamed to Lafayette National Park. In 1929, renamed to Arcadia. In 1947, a fire burned much of the park and destroyed 237 houses — including 67 of the millionaires’ cottages (Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Astor family).

Key sites are Cadillac Mountain* (tallest mountain on the eastern coastline and one of the first places in the United States where one can watch the sunrise, named after the explorer), Bass Harbor Head Light* (1898, the only lighthouse on the island, operational 1902 lens, not public), Thunder Hole (waves crashing), Sand Beach, Somes Sound (only naturally occurring fjard on the East Coast), Echo Lake (freshwater swimming) and Jordan Pond (3.5 mile trail around a glacially rounded North and South Bubbles).

Desert of Maine* (1925)

A 40-acre (160,000 m2) tract of (sand-like) glacial silt surrounded by a pine forest. Caused by soil erosion due to land clearance, overgrazing and a failure to rotate crops. Not a true desert.

Abandoned in 1919 and converted to a tourist attraction in 1925. Preserved as a natural curiosity with gift shop, sand museum, and farm museum.

Jackson Laboratory* (1929)

An independent, non-profit biomedical research institution and home of the Mouse Genome Informatics database. Breakthroughs include cancer as a genetic disorder, stem cells, first bone marrow transplants, 1980 Nobel Prize on the immune system paving the way for organ transplants, and the discovery of leptin (diabetes).

In 1947, fire destroyed most of the laboratory and mice — donations of mice allowed the lab to resume the following year. In 1989, another fire raged for five hours and required over 100 firefighters to be contained — killed 300,000 mice resulting in a national shortage of laboratory mice!

Criterion Theatre* (1932)

One of only two Art Deco theaters in Maine. The basement was a speakeasy serving smuggled Canadian alcohol during Prohibition.

Paul Bunyan Statue* (1959)

The self-claimed “largest statue of Paul Bunyan in the world” (31-foot tall) at the claimed birthplace of the legendary woodsman.

Chief Passamaquoddy* (1969)

Locally referred to as the “Big F Indian” the 1500-pound, 25-foot tall statue of a ritualized Native American adorning the letter F (thought to stand for Freeport) commissioned for the Casco Bay Trading Company. Repainted in 1989 and again in 2006. Often shot with arrows!

Eartha* (1998)

The world’s largest revolving globe (one rotation every 18 minutes) is located within the headquarters of the DeLorme mapping corporation. Built at 1:1,000,000 scale it is over 12.5 meters (41 feet) in diameter, weighs approximately 2,500 kilograms (5,600 pounds), and is mounted at a 23.5 degree angle (same as the Earth). Generated from a 140Gb maps database and illuminated at night.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens* (2007)

The largest botanical garden in New England comprising 295 acres. Took 16 years to create and receives 200,000 annual visitors.

Historic

• McLellan-Sweat Mansion* (1800). Federal townhouse museum.
• United States Customs House* (1862).
• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception* (1869).
• Customs House* (1872).
• Nubble Lighthouse* (1874). Still in operation with the original Frensel lens (one of only eight lighthouses in Maine). Its photo was included on the Voyager spacecraft!
• Cleftstone Manor (1881). Former Gilded Age summer cottage. Joseph Pulitzer a frequent visitor. Bed and breakfast since the 1980s. Nearby spa and pool access.
• Fitzpatrick Stadium* (1892). Second-oldest outdoor sports arena in continuous operation in the US.
• Doubling Point Lighthouse (1898).
• Porteous Building* (1904). Home of Maine College of Art (MECA) — the oldest arts educational institution in Maine. Renovated in the late 1990s.
• Maine Historical Society Museum* (1907, founded 1822). Located in the Wadsworth-Longfellow House. Outside garden.
• Portland Exposition Building* (1914). The Expo is the second-oldest continuous arena in the US. Hosted Babe Ruth, Rudolph Valentino, Rocky Marciano, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, Beach Boys (1963, first east coast show), James Brown, Dolly Parton, Janis Joplin, and Queen (1974). Currently hosts NBA G League games.
• Time & Temperature Building* (1924). Named for a large roof display that flashes the local time and temperature.
• Westin Portland Harborview (1927). The largest hotel in New England when built. Charles Lindbergh stayed after returning from his historic solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1946, refused to allow former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to stay with her dog. Gutted and rebuilt in 2011.
• Hadlock Field* (1994). Home to the Portland Sea Dogs Minor League baseball team. In 2003, a replica Green monster, called the Maine Monster, replica Citgo sign and Coke bottle were added to resemble Fenway Park. Annual Field of Dreams Day with 1926 uniforms and modified field placement.

Coffee

• Tandem
• Spruce (amazing view)

Eat

• Acadia House (two Michelin star Chef Ryan McCaskey, of Acadia Restaurant in Chicago)
• Libby’s Market (“gas station” lobster roll!)
• Flatbread Company*
• Lobster Shack at Two Lights*
• Eventide Oyster Co.
• Gilberts Chowder House
• The Front Room*
• Beals Old Fashioned Ice Cream
• Fore Street*
• Muscongus Bay Lobster*
• Havana*
• Hot Suppa*
• Miss Portland Diner*
• Porthole Restaurant
• Rose Foods* (bagels)
• Bite into Maine (lobster roll)
• Palace Diner (old train car)
• Cheese Shop of Portland
• The Shop by Island Creek Oysters
• Red’s Eats (long lines!)
• Treats (sweets)

Drink

• Drifters Wife*
• Ruski’s* (1892)
• Portland Hunt & Alpine Club* (cocktails)
• Bar Harbor Cellars* (Bar Harbor’s only winery)
• MJ’s Wine Bar*
• Gritty McDuff’s / Gritty’s (1998, original Maine brew pub, average beer)

Breweries

• Maine (impressive new building)
• Bissell Brothers, Lone Pine*, Oxbow, Geary*, Watershed Tavern*, Atlantic, SoMe*, Strong*, Fogtown*, Urban Farm Fermentory* (kombucha, cider, beer, mead and jun)
• One Industrial Way (cluster of breweries and food — Allagash, Austin Street, Foundation*)

Nature*

• Bar Island
• Crescent Beach
• Old Orchard Beach
• Peaks Island
• Mackworth Island
• Popham Beach

Buy

• Cabot Mill Antiques (huge)
• Ed’s Stuff*
• Treasure and Trash Barn
• Big Chicken Barn Books (former chicken barn, full of books)
• Hulls Cove Tool Barn (wander around house and greenhouse)

See*

• Seashore Trolley Museum
• Ernie Abdelnour Steampunk Sculptures
• Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum
• Cole Land Transportation Museum
• Farnsworth Art Museum
• Umbrella Cover Museum
• International Cryptozoology Museum (dedicated to the study of “hidden” animals like Yetis, Bigfoot, and Lake Monsters)

Do

• Lulu Lobster Boat Ride (historical cruise, Egg Island, lobster fishing!)
• Ferry to Nova Scotia* (passport required)